MEDITATION TIPS (#269)
— Exaltation of the Cross,
September 14, 2025

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14)

　We have been saved and healed by the wounds of Jesus’ cross. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is not only a day to give thanks for Jesus’ cross, but also a day for us to remember our own past crosses, to give thanks for them, and to exalt them. For though past crosses wounded us, through them we came to know the meaning of life and our faith was strengthened. Therefore, no matter how painful our past may have been, we must accept it as it is, find meaning within it, and continue living, using it as a stepping stone. In this sense, we must never say “No” to life, but always say “Yes.” “Despair inevitably clings to life. In a sense, a person who never despairs could be called unreliable. For despair cannot arise in one who is content with a small self, making no effort and thinking nothing” (Kamei Katsuichirō).

　The philosopher Nishida Kitaro, known for his work An Inquiry into the Good, lost his six-year-old daughter one day. How could the daughter he had cherished, played with, and sung to suddenly vanish, reduced to white bones? He couldn’t accept it and hoped that time would eventually heal the wound. Yet healing did not come. Regret overwhelmed him: What if I had done this? What if I had done that? Eventually, he realized this suffering was the result of relying solely on his own strength. His daughter’s death was fate, and by entrusting himself to a greater power—what he called “Other-power”—he was able to lay down the burden of his heart. This great philosopher, who had carved out his academic path through his own efforts, found in the concept of Other-power the means to sustain himself when confronted with grief he could not overcome.

　We need to be freed from the constraint that we must strive to live solely by our own strength. We need the reassurance that we are sustained by this Other-power—that is, by God. “I am being kept alive. Like the grass of the field. Like the pebble by the roadside. Within this destiny of being sustained, I wish to live to the fullest. Living to the fullest is difficult, but the awareness that I am kept alive brings a measure of salvation.” (Higashiyama Kaii) This very awareness of being kept alive gives meaning to suffering and also fosters gratitude toward others. Conversely, being overly serious and burdened by excessive responsibility can lead one into the pitfall of self-reliance, often diminishing gratitude toward others.

　As Deuteronomy tells us, the serpent is a symbol of sin and death. The people once died by the serpent, but by repenting and looking up at the bronze serpent, they received life again. In the same way, we too have died once through the crosses of our past, but by looking up at those crosses once more and finding meaning there, we can experience the light of new life. To do this, we must loosen our shoulders once more and realize: We are kept alive today. We will continue to be kept alive. With this thought, let us offer thanks to those around us and entrust ourselves to the guidance of the Great One, namely God.

 　　　　　(Contributed by Father Yutaka Akabae)