God loves us arms-outstretched-much – Jn 3:13-17, Exaltation of the Cross

My first attempt at a school Mass, celebrating our feast of title a couple of days early: Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.  The homily was very interactive, so these notes don't convey everything that happened in the moment.

“Guess how much I love you!”  Do any of you know this story?  When Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare do all kinds of actions to show each other how much they love one another?  Can you remember some of the ways they showed each other? [stretch arms up; hopping; distance, over the hills, up to the moon and back].

Well, guess how much God loves you?  Is it at least this much?  [hands a few inches apart]  How about this?  [progressively wider… repeat, until cruciform].  Look behind us [point to cross].  Jesus says yes.  Jesus, on the cross for us, out of love for us, said, “yes, I love you this much.”  That’s why we exalt this symbol, we build a huge crucifix in our churches, put small ones in our classrooms, make the sign of the cross over our bodies, because each time we do that, it’s as if God grabs us and says: “Guess how much I love you?  This much!!!!”

How far would Jesus go for you?  Does he love you enough to go from one end of this church to other?  What about from school to Church?  What about from Elkart to here?  Chicago?  Los Angeles?  China?  In our reading, he told us: he’s come all the way from heaven to here!  And he wants so very very much to bring us back there, so we can live with him forever.  That’s how much he loves us.  God sent Jesus to save us.  Jesus went to that cross for our sake, that by believing in Him we might have live for ever!

All He wants is for us to love Him back.  But we weren’t there on that hill that day when Jesus died on the cross.  So, God has given us still more: this banquet, this Eucharist, this memorial of Christ’s suffering and death.  At this very altar in a short while you will see the body of Christ broken for you, you will see the sacrifice of the Cross re-presented, re-membered, you will see how much God loves you.

And what can we say in response to that?  To being offered Christ’s very body and blood to allow us to taste the cross which tastes of God’s love.  We can say nothing except, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Jesus, I love you very much.”

Whenever you’re at Mass, whenever you see a cross, remember Jesus came all the way down from heaven to show you that: to show you how much he loves you!  His love changed the world.  Believe in that love, and it’ll change your life; you’ll live forever with Him.