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.
John 3: 16
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We
exalt the Cross of Jesus, because in it God’s love for humanity was fully
revealed. That’s what the Gospel of John reminds us of in today’s liturgy: “God
so loved the world that He gave his only Son” (3:16). The Father “gave” the Son
to save us, and this resulted in the death of Jesus, and his death on the
Cross. Why? Why was the Cross necessary? Because of the gravity of the evil
which enslaved us. The Cross of Jesus expresses both things: all the negative
forces of evil, and all of the gentle omnipotence of God’s mercy….
When
we look to the Cross where Jesus was nailed, we contemplate the sign of love,
of the infinite love of God for each of us and the source of our salvation. The
mercy of God, which embraces the whole world, springs from the Cross. Through
the Cross of Christ the Evil One is overcome, death is defeated, life is given
to us, hope is restored….
While
we contemplate and celebrate the Holy Cross, we think with emotion of so many
of our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted and killed because of
their faith in Christ. This happens especially wherever religious freedom is
still not guaranteed or fully realized. It happens, however, even in countries
and areas which, in principle, protect freedom and human rights but where, in practice,
believers, and especially Christians, encounter restrictions and discrimination….
On
Calvary, there at the foot of the Cross, was the Virgin Mary (cf. John
19:25-27). She is Our Lady of Sorrows, whom we shall celebrate tomorrow in the
liturgy. To her I entrust the present and the future of the Church, so that we
may all always be able to discover and welcome the message of love and
salvation of the Cross of Christ….
Pope Francis
Angelus, 14 September 2014
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
For
the complete text please visit:
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2014/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20140914.pdf
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We
adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy cross, you have
redeemed the world!
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| Chapel at Calvary |
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| Our Lady of Sorrows + |
The
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross as well as Our Lady of Sorrows are “favorites”
of mine. They became extra special to me
during my first pilgrimage to the Holy Land on a visit to the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Encountering Calvary, seeing and touching the rock of Golgotha, had a
spiritual, emotional and physical impact on me.
The pain and suffering of our Lord Jesus as well as our Blessed Mother
Mary on Good Friday became real. For me,
for you, they suffered. Our Lord Jesus
died for my sins and those of the whole world.
The
human mind cannot fathom the infinite love and mercy of our God for us. All we can do is devote our life to giving
God all our love and thanks and glory.
May His will be done.
Praised
be Jesus Christ!
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When I came back into the Church, the mercy and the passion of Jesus meant so much to me. Being able to express my gratitude to Jesus for the cross in the liturgy has been amazing! Bending my knee in His presence seems such a small way to show how wonderful Jesus is. Remembering the Cross gives us perspective and strength as we take up our own crosses daily. Thank you for this lovely article and the photos which bring to mind our pilgrimage.
ReplyDeleteDear Karen:
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this. This also reminds me of the Holy Land
In communion of prayer and praise,
Anne