2026-09-14 - What looks like defeat can become the place of victory Author: Fr. Camillus Nwaigwe
14th of September 2026
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Num 21:4-9
Jn 3:13-17
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated on 14 September, commemorates the Cross of Christ as the instrument through which God accomplished our salvation. This feast has its historical roots in the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in the 4th century, after the Cross was traditionally identified during the time of St Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine.
The Cross therefore reminds us that God can transform what looks like defeat into the place of victory.
Friends, there are moments in life when everything looks like defeat. We pray, but the situation gets worse. We work hard, but things do not work out. We trust people, but they disappoint us. We make plans, yet circumstances seem to destroy them. At such moments, we can easily conclude: "This is the end."
But the Cross of Christ teaches us something profound: what looks like defeat in the eyes of the world can become the very place where God manifests His victory.
*The Cross looked like defeat*: From a human perspective, the Cross was a terrible failure. Jesus was rejected, betrayed by one of His own, abandoned by many, mocked, beaten and finally crucified. The disciples themselves probably thought everything had ended. The One in whom they had placed their hope was hanging lifelessly on a cross.
But what appeared to be defeat was actually the beginning of salvation. St Paul tells us, "He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God highly exalted him..." Notice the movement: humiliation, obedience, exaltation. The Cross came before the crown.
*God can change the meaning of what we are going through:* The First Reading gives us another powerful image. The Israelites were bitten by serpents and were dying. Yet God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up. Those who looked upon it lived. Jesus applies this directly to Himself, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up." The very instrument associated with death becomes an instrument through which God gives life.
This is the mystery of the Cross: God can take the very thing that seems to be destroying us and use it as a pathway to something greater.
*Our crosses are not necessarily signs that God has abandoned us*: Sometimes we think that because we are suffering, God must have forgotten us. But the Cross tells us otherwise. A priest may experience disappointment in ministry. A student may struggle despite working hard. A family may pass through financial difficulties. Someone may experience betrayal from a person he trusted. We may pray for something for years and still not see the answer. These things are painful. We should not pretend that suffering is easy. But the Christian question is not simply, "Why is this happening to me?" It can also be: "Lord, what can You bring out of this?" Because the Cross reminds us that God can bring victory out of apparent defeat.
*But the victory comes through the Cross*: This does not mean that every painful experience automatically becomes successful. The message of the Cross is deeper. Jesus did not conquer suffering by running away from it. He conquered through love, obedience and faithfulness. Therefore, when our own crosses come, we ask for the grace to remain faithful.
Do not abandon God because of the Cross. Do not abandon your vocation because of difficulty. Do not abandon hope because of disappointment. Do not abandon goodness because someone has treated you badly. The Cross says: remain faithful. God is still at work.
Today, as we exalt the Holy Cross, we are not celebrating suffering for its own sake. We are celebrating the love of Christ that transformed the Cross from an instrument of death into an instrument of salvation. So when you encounter your own cross, remember: The Cross looked like defeat, but it became victory. The tomb looked like an ending, but it became a beginning.
Good Friday looked like the end, but Easter was coming.
Therefore, do not be too quick to call your present situation a defeat. Keep faith. Keep looking to Christ. What looks like defeat may become, in God's hands, the very place where your victory begins.
*Happy feast day*
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