Dear friends in Christ
This weekend we have a break in the liturgy from the Sundays in Ordinary Time to celebrate the Exaltation of the Cross, which is celebrated each year on 14th September and which replaces the normal Sunday liturgy. The Cross is the central symbol of the Christian religion, raised high on our buildings and in our homes and places of worship. It reminds us that, although a symbol of terrible suffering for Jesus, it is the instrument by which our salvation was accomplished. When St Helena—mother of the Emperor Constantine—excavated the Holy Places in Jerusalem in the third century, she uncovered the relics of the Passion. These she brought back to Rome where they have been venerated ever since. The texts of the Mass and the Office for feast proclaim the Holy Cross as the instrument of our salvation. For inasmuch as our first parents sinned beneath the shadow of a tree, God has deigned to accomplish our redemption on the wood of the Cross. A Father of the Church—St John Damascene—teaches: The Cross is a shield against the devil as well as a trophy of victory. It is the promise that we will not be overcome by the Angel of Death. The Cross is God's instrument to lift up those who have fallen and to support those still on their feet fighting. It is a crutch for the crippled and a guide for the wayward. It is our constant goal as we advance, the very wellspring of our body and soul. It drives away all evils, annihilates sin and draws down for us abundant goods. This is indeed the seed of the resurrection and the tree of eternal life.
The feast of the Holy Cross is followed the next day with the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. On the Rood Beam in our church, as in so many other places, we see Mary standing serenely by the Cross: Stabat Mater doloroso, iuxta crucem lacrimosa…by the Cross her station keeping, stood the mournful Mother weeping, close to Jesus to the last. May she draw us closer to the mystery of our salvation in Christ and console us in our crosses and trials.
Finally, we send our heartfelt prayers and good wishes to our Holy Father, Pope Leo, who this Sunday celebrates the completion of his seventh decade! May God preserve him and give him long life and permit him to continue to guide and inspire the Church with the joy and stability with which he has begun his apostolic and Petrine ministry!
And may God bless you all!
Msgr Kevin Hale