One of my unforgettable missionary experiences in doing parish work in Mindanao was being a member of the Family Life Apostolate. I worked with the coordinators and members in giving the Pre-Cana seminar. I heard different love stories—stories of sacrifice, patience, endurance, fidelity, and perseverance from couples who were preparing for the sacrament.

Today’s readings bring us to the paradox of love: a victorious and triumphant love through sacrifice.

In today’s Sunday celebration of the Triumph of the Cross, we remember the Cross where Christ was lifted up for the salvation of all believers. The first reading recalls how the Israelites became impatient on their journey, complaining about food and water. God’s response was to send poisonous serpents, and many Israelites died. In their suffering, the people approached Moses, admitted their sins, and begged for mercy. God then instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole, so that anyone bitten who looked at it would live.

The second reading, from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, is a weekly canticle in the Saturday Evening Prayer: “Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” Though Christ had the privilege of being equal with God, He chose instead the path of total submission and humility before His Father. His obedience, even to death, invites us to reflect on the depth of our own obedience to God. Our own “self-emptying” is not an easy task; it means surrendering what we hold on to most tightly.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus that the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that those who believe in Him may have eternal life. The Cross is not a terrifying symbol of condemnation, but rather a symbol of life.

Our hearts should never forget the story of Jesus’ personal love for humanity—a conqueror of shame through humility, a victor over death who brings life. We, too, have our own triumphs of love and sacrifice.