'Tis the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
O Lord, grant me the courage to take up my cross & follow You. Make me understand that it is through the Cross that I learn how to die with You, so that I may also rise with You.Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
The Book of Numbers, chapter twenty-one, verses four(b) thru nine;
Psalm Seventy-eight (R/. cf. seven[b]), verses one(b/c) & two, thirty-four & thirty-five, thirty-six & thirty-seven, & thirty-eight;
The Letter to the Philippians, chapter two, verses six thru eleven;
The Gospel according to John, chapter three, verses thirteen thru seventeen.
Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. How strange this feast would have sounded to someone in the ancient world! The triumph of the cross! It would have been analogous to someone speaking today of the triumph of the electric chair or the exaltation of the noose.Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
The cross terrified people in Greco-Roman times, and that was the point. The cross was state-sponsored terrorism, a form of capital punishment reserved for those who had in the most egregious ways undermined the authority of the Roman state.
So why are we celebrating the triumph of the cross? There is only one possible explanation, and that is the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. All the attempts to soft-pedal and explain away the Resurrection are ruled out by this feast. If Jesus was a victim of that terrible cross tout court, then we should all go home.
Once they had taken in the experience of the Resurrection, the first Christians turned with rapt attention to the cross, convinced that in it they would find something decisive. Somehow, in the strange providence of God, that cross was ingredient in the very process by which God would save the world.
Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Daily Reflection.
"On this day when Catholics around the world celebrate the Triumph of the Cross, the Church invites us to look once again at the meaning of Christian discipleship. She invites us to understand the sacrifices it involves & place all our hope in our Crucified & Risen Savior."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope Saint John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
"The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the cross."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P., Doctor of the Church (1225-1274, feast: 28 January)
"If you find serenity & happiness, they may be jealous of you: Be happy anyway."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Modern prophets say that our economics have failed us. No! It is not our economics which have failed; it is man who has failed—man who has forgotten God. Hence no manner of economic or political readjustment can possibly save our civilization; we can be saved only by a renovation of the inner man, only by a purging of our hearts & souls; for only by seeking first the Kingdom of God & His Justice will all these other things be added unto us."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
No comments:
Post a Comment