He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Today we honor the Holy Cross on which Christ died, because it is the instrument of love through which God saved us. What was once understood as an object of scorn and shame is for us now, a sign of glory.
Although countless generations of artists have turned the cross into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewelry, to the eyes of the first Christians, it had no beauty. It stood outside city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses, as a threat to anyone who defied Rome’s authority. Today when we place a crucifix in churches, homes, classrooms or wear this image on our persons, we are challenged to see it as a constant reminder of Christ’s victory over sin and death. In addition, it is an outward sign of our identity as Christians.
The Holy Cross of Christ is also held out before us as a sign of hope. The pains and sorrows of life are known to every one of us. The mystery of the cross gives us hope in that – no sorrow, suffering or pain is more powerful than our heavenly Father, who raised up his Son from death. In the face of mourning, illness, addiction, crisis and despair, the cross calls us to be renewed in faith, praying for grace to allow us to see hope amidst our darkness.
Finally, when we look upon the cross, we see a challenge to be transformed. The cross is a call to conversion. We are called to believe that the love of Christ, which led him to the cross, is a love that is given freely today to those who seek mercy and forgiveness.
Some years ago, I came across a rare Billy Joel song, titled “Cross to Bear.” I was encouraged that a secular artist would even find wisdom in the cross. Unfortunately, the first lyric offers little such hope,
Well, I know you got your troubles, But I’ve got problems of my own
It’s all relative you see, what happiness should be. And we got to work it out alone.
The truth is that we don’t have to work it out alone. We are not meant to work it out alone. As much as we might feel abandoned in our suffering, we are not. On the cross, Our Lord quotes the beginning of Psalm 22, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” In quoting the opening line our Lord intends the whole Psalm which at its halfway point proclaims, “But you, LORD, do not stay far off; my strength, come quickly to help me.” The psalm goes on to speak of how the one who suffers, is saved and becomes one who proclaims the goodness of God.
Many feel abandoned and lonely, but it is the mission of the church, the body of Christ, to share the burden of the cross, easing the suffering of others and bringing hope to what appears to be hopeless.
EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION – The distribution of the Blessed Sacrament at Holy Mass depends upon the assistance of the lay faithful. Over the course of time, those who have faithfully served in this ministry have decreased in number while at the same time our mass attendance has increased. In addition, several parishioners have asked me about returning to the availability of the Precious Blood at Holy Mass. Furthermore, some of our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion feel called to bring the Eucharist to the homebound. We are, therefore, in need of new people to participate in this ministry.
Training dates for these ministries as well as training for lectors are coming up next month. Please note the following:
Tuesday, Oct. 21 – St. Elizabeth / Melville – Msgr. Kane Hall; 7 pm – 10 pm
Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion
Lector Workshop
Tuesday, Nov. 18 – St. Elizabeth / Melville – Msgr. Kane Hall; 7 pm – 9 pm
Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion Homebound
Tuesday, October 28 – St. Agnes Cathedral/RVC – Msgr. Kelly Parish Center; 7 pm -10 pm
Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion
Lector Workshop
Wednesday, Nov. 5 – St. Agnes Cathedral/RVC – Msgr. Kelly Parish Center; 7 pm – 9 pm
Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion Homebound
Please contact me directly by email frgerard@srolchurch.org or calling the rectory 516-798-4992 if you are willing to be trained to serve as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy communion or Lector.
Peace,
