Since September 14 falls on Sunday, we have the honor of celebrating the Feast of the
Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It is an occasion for us to reflect on the cross of Jesus and what He gained for us by His suffering and death. Because Jesus died on the cross to give us new life and the forgiveness of sins, this instrument of death becomes a source of life for all of us. In the Garden of Eden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil became a source of sin for Adam and Eve as they disobeyed God and turned away from Him. Now, that tree is replaced by the wood of the Cross on which hung the Savior of the world.
The cross is a very important symbol for all Christians because it is a reminder of what Jesus has done for us. It reminds us of the great love He has for all of us and the kind of love we should have for one another. The cross, and more importantly, the crucifix, is a reminder of what true love really means. Love is more about commitment and sacrifice than physical attraction and emotion. So let us reflect on this important symbol of our faith as we look at the crosses we have in our homes and the ones we wear around our necks and strive to remember what the cross really teaches us.
Many times, in the scriptures Jesus asks us to pick up our cross and follow Him. We all have crosses in our lives and at times they can be pretty heavy to carry. Our crosses are not just the things that come our way over which we have no control like an illness or financial difficulties or a difficult person at work or in our family. Jesus tells us to pick up our cross, this means we have to embrace it just as He did. This means doing things we don’t feel like doing at times we don’t feel like doing them. It can mean going out of our way to do something nice for someone we have a hard time getting along with. There is suffering in the cross, but we don’t have to do it alone; even Jesus had Simon of Cyrene to help Him carry His cross. Jesus is there to help us in many ways by the people and graces He sends to us.
Bearing the cross of Jesus bring us to the glory that is the Resurrection, so it is all worth it in the end. This is what Jesus has promised us, and He will come through for us if we stay by His side.
The cross helps us to understand the meaning of suffering in the world and in our lives. So often the world sees suffering as useless and avoided at all costs. People try to avoid suffering even to the point of ending their own life or someone else’s life. We don’t have to look too far to see the abortion, suicide, and assisted suicide that goes on in our world today even to the point of making it legal and easily available. Sure, suffering is painful, but it can also bring a deeper love into our lives. To suffer for someone or to offer our sufferings up for others helps us to understand the meaning of Jesus’ suffering and the depth of God’s love for us. Life can come to us from suffering just as Jesus’ suffering brings us forgiveness and eternal life.
This is why we EXALT in the CROSS today and praise Jesus for suffering for us and restore us to our life in God, the life we were meant to have from the very beginning of creation.
Due to the new and expanded responsibilities given to Fr. Joe Robinson since he was appointed administrator of Sts. Peter & Paul in Doylestown, we need to make one small change to our Mass schedule here at Sacred Heart. Beginning this THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, we will be having ONE Mass on Thursdays at 9:30 AM, the school Mass. Any Mass intentions scheduled for those dates have been rescheduled. Sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. Please pray for Fr. Joe Robinson as he takes on these added responsibilities.
Please don’t forget to purchase your raffle ticket, for the Altar & Rosary weekly drawings, next weekend and the following weekend. The proceeds support the work of the Altar & Rosary Society and the very important work they do taking care of the sanctuary and assisting in all of our liturgical needs. Thank you for supporting this important work now and in the future, it is greatly appreciated. God bless you for your generosity.
