Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Today is the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

 I offer several things here, and some links at the bottom. Be sure to check out what Pope Francis had to say today. That, and more, beneath something from today's Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours; and below that, a beautiful prayer for priests I encourage you to pray, especially today. Please pray also for the priests and sisters of the Holy Cross, some of whom assist at Assumption Grotto. Today is their feast day.


Here is the Second Reading from the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours, along with it's responsory:

From a discourse by Saint Andrew of Crete, bishop The cross is Christ’s glory and triumph

We are celebrating the feast of the cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light. As we keep this feast, we are lifted up with the crucified Christ, leaving behind us earth and sin so that we may gain the things above. So great and outstanding a possession is the cross that he who wins it has won a treasure. Rightly could I call this treasure the fairest of all fair things and the costliest, in fact as well as in name, for on it and through it and for its sake the riches of salvation that had been lost were restored to us.

Had there been no cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, life itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled, we should not have attained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the gates of paradise would not stand open. Had there been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled.

Therefore, the cross is something wonderfully great and honorable. It is great because through the cross the many noble acts of Christ found their consummation—very many indeed, for both his miracles and his sufferings were fully rewarded with victory. The cross is honorable because it is both the sign of God’s suffering and the trophy of his victory. It stands for his suffering because on it he freely suffered unto death. But it is also his trophy because it was the means by which the devil was wounded and death conquered; the barred gates of hell were smashed, and the cross became the one common salvation of the whole world.

The cross is called Christ’s glory; it is saluted as his triumph. We recognize it as the cup he longed to drink and the climax of the sufferings he endured for our sake. As to the cross being Christ’s glory, listen to his words: Now is the Son of Man glorified, and in him God is glorified, and God will glorify him at once. And again: Father, glorify me with the glory I had with you before the world came to be. And once more: Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven: I have glorified it and I will glorify it again. Here he speaks of the glory that would accrue to him through the cross. And if you would understand that the cross is Christ’s triumph, hear what he himself also said: When I am lifted up, then I will draw all men to myself. Now you can see that the cross is Christ’s glory and triumph.

RESPONSORY

O glorious cross, your arms upheld the priceless ransom of captive mankind. – Through you the world has been saved by the blood of the Lord.

Hail, O cross, consecrated by the body of Christ; his members have made your wood more noble than precious pearls. – Through you the world has been saved by the blood of the Lord

Here is a beautiful prayer for priests by St. Therese.  Be sure to see some related links below the image.

Related Links:

One of the more interesting things I do in blogging is to see what others have to say on a topic.  I often use the search tool and put in a word or expression.  Today, I used Holy Cross.  Most of those outside of the Vatican Radio link are a sampling of worthy things I found to pass along.  As a general rule, and I think this is so for most bloggers, sharing a link does not imply endorsement of everything on a particular site.  What I especially like are those who use the kind of resources which are of the treasury of the Church, quoting things like Church documents, the saints, etc.

• Pope Francis: Approach the Cross with prayer, tears and with the help of Mary (Vatican Radio)
• Transforming Power of the Cross (Opus Angelorum)
• St. Cyril of Jerusalem on the Exaltation of the Cross (Padre Steve)
• Brief reflection from St. Silouan the Athonite after an earthquake (Abbey Roads)
• Navarre Bible Commentary on the Exaltation of the Cross (Joe Catholic)
• A good general post on the Exaltation of the Cross with numerous short quotes from saints (Catholic Fire)
• The True Cross (New Advent: Catholic Encyclopedia)
• Fr. John Hardon, SJ - explains that fasting begins in Carmelite Communities on the Feast of the Holy Cross, as it may others communities, such as those named after the Holy Cross (Real Presence site)

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.