The Thrill of Victory

Understanding the meaning of the Exultation of the Cross

09/14/2025

John 3:13-17 Jesus said to Nicodemus: "No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

When I finally get home at night, I love to relax by watching Sportscenter on ESPN. Now, the very essence of every sport is there must always be a winner and a loser. Only one side enjoys “the thrill of victory,” while the other side endures “the agony of defeat.” Thus, all sport is a “zero sum game.” Why? Well, because my victory always comes at the cost of your loss.

By the way, I finally finished reading Mark Twain’s masterpiece called Joan of Arc. I read it during commercial breaks of Sportscenter. As you know, a corrupt Church court used every form of chicanery to convict Joan of Arc of witchcraft and burn her at the stake. Mark Twain describes the devilish mastermind, Bishop Cauchon, in these chilling lines toward the end:

“In the court of the castle we found the Earl of Warwick and fifty English waiting, impatient for news. As soon as Cauchon saw them he shouted – laughing – think of a man destroying a friendless poor girl and then having a heart to laugh at it: “Make yourselves comfortable – it’s all over with her'”(423). In other words, only Joan’s loss – her death – would clinch Cauchon’s victory. For Cauchon, life versus death was a zero-sum game.

This weekend, we celebrate the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross. Jesus is elevated, exalted, on the Cross during his death, apparent victory for the devil in the zero-sum game of life and death, like Cauchon viewed his victory in Joan’s burning at the stake. On the contrary, the gospel reveals that not only would the Cross be the moment of Jesus’ definitive victory, but also the victory of all who put their faith in him.

Thus we read: “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert” – referring to the first reading from Numbers 21 – “so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the Cross], so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Put differently, you would never see the Crucifixion as one of the Top Ten Plays on Sportscenter. Why not? Because Jesus is not playing a zero-sum game, where his loss equals the devil’s victory.

Rather, Jesus is the MVP in a supernatural sport symbolized by the Cross, where the apparent loser actually enjoys the thrill of victory while the obvious winner walks away enduring the agony of defeat. That is why Mark Twain wrote a book extolling Joan of Arc’s heroic death, and not about Bishop Cauchon’s sinful life. She enjoyed the thrill of victory called the Cross.

Let me suggest a few modern examples of the Exaltation of the Cross, that is, how to win by losing. This weekend we recognize our catechists who teach in our Parish Religious Education programs. We have over 100 catechists who gladly give of their time, their faith, and their love so children may learn about Jesus. And by the way we don’t pay them a dime to do that yeoman’s work of teaching.

Like the old saying goes: “Working for the church doesn’t pay much, but the retirement plan is out of this world!” In other words, our catechists have discovered the secret victory of the Cross. What looks like loss – working without pay – in the end becomes great gain: more than all the money in the world. And sharing in the Cross they enjoy the thrill of victory.

Another example occurs in couple counseling. When couples come to me for marriage counseling, their discussion often deteriorates into a heated debate. And they start playing in effect a zero-sum game. How so? Each side feels forcefully that they will only win if they can prove their spouse is in the wrong. Their voices rise at the same rate as the temperature rises in the room.

But what would happen if the husband admitted, “Yes, dear, you are right. I drink too much and need to go to A.A. meetings”? Or what if the wife conceded: “I agree with you, honey, I spend too much time on the phone or with my friends and need to carve out more couple time just for us”? That might feel like a loss, a defeat, but your marriage will experience the thrill of victory.

And I think the assassination of Charlie Kirk last week serves as another startling example. The shooter, apparently a man named Tyler Robinson, clearly felt like he was playing a zero-sum game. Why? Because he believed that only by Kirk’s death could his side – whatever side he stood on – could win.

But Charlie Kirk, too, participated in a zero-sum game by his intense debates with people who disagreed with him. People have sent me many videos of his quick mind in responding to and refuting arguments from opponents. Have you seen them? Charlie Kirk has an innate intelligence that few foes can foil. Every debate, however, was essentially a zero-sum game. One side must lose for the other side to win.

Please don’t misunderstand me. There is, to be sure, an important place for husbands and wives to argue and air out their differences and disagreements. And sometimes we do have to pay people to work in the church. And perhaps many people are persuaded by the debate style of Charlie Kirk. After all, without zero-sum games, there would be no Sportscenter!

But I believe there is a higher place for the Exaltation of the Cross, with its new rules of engaging the enemy that does not require him to lose in order for me to win. Quite the contrary, it will be precisely my loss that will eventually produce not only my victory but also my enemy’s salvation. When we put our faith in the Cross, everyone eventually enjoys “the thrill of victory.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!