Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (3: 13-17) in which Jesus tells Nicodemus ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.’Today, Fr Paul says, as we celebrate the exaltation, the praising, of the Cross it is not unreasonable to ask why are we exalting, why are we praising a cross? Why are we exalting or praising an instrument of torture and death?Firstly, we are rejoicing that something so terrible, a cross, which is an instrument of torture and death, has saved us. The cross has become means of redemption for the whole human race. Secondly, we remind ourselves of the fact that Christianity springs from God’s direct intervention in the affairs of our world. God coming into our world is a real historical event, involving real people and, in the end, a real execution on a real cross.   It is for these two reasons, Fr Paul says that, today, we celebrate this feast ‘The Exaltation of the Cross’.