Exaltation of the Holy Cross

"I will utter mysteries from of old."

It seems impossible that our ancestors so quickly forgot the works of the Lord in liberating them from slavery in Egypt. While he slew them through the saraph serpents that bit them, then they sought him for mercy. The Lord sent among his forgetful people the punishment of fiery serpents so that they might never forget how much they need God. They were bit by impatience and worn out by the journey so they complained against God and Moses. Their complaint was filled with the doubt about God's intention; they complained, "Have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water?" Are you really merciful or are you demonic? Such was the attitude of the rebellion in the desert. Yet, even this kind of doubt and this level of complaint did not diminish the mercy of God. The Lord had tough love for his rebellious children. God commanded Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole with some kind of cross bar to hold it up. Those who were bitten were to gaze upon this cross and be healed. This is a hidden mystery from of old; this is a prefigurement of the Cross of Christ. We who have crucified our savior gaze upon his sacrificial love and know his power to save us. We who have been poisoned by the bite of sin cry out and sing in the words of the Easter Vigil, "O happy fall of Adam! O necessary Adam's sin that won for us such a Redeemer!" This is the mystery from of old that we celebrate in today's Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Father Vincent Zidek, OSB incenses the new Crucifix in our college student chapel this weekend

Saint Paul takes a hymn from the liturgy of the early church to further reflect upon the mysteries from of old. In this text from the letter to the Philippians he proclaims that Christ Jesus emptied himself taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness. As one like us in all things but sin the Lord Jesus humbled himself becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. He willingly embraced the sacrifice of the cross to place himself where we would least expect to find God. Here on the cross of rejection and shame the Lord Jesus experienced what every sinner experiences, the seeming absence of God. "My God, My God, why have you rejected me?" Because of his acceptance of such humiliation the Father greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend in humble gratitude for the unspeakable mercy of God. Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful one; too costly in the eyes of the Father is the death of his only begotten Son. Yet, the Father of mercies would not even hold back his Son so that everyone who suffers loneliness and rejection would know his power to raise us up with Christ.

This is the great mystery hidden from ages past and revealed to us today in the exaltation of the holy cross. Just as the serpent was lifted up by Moses in the desert so, too, Christ is lifted up so that everyone who sees with eyes of faith the mystery of sacrificial love will freely offer himself up with Christ and come to know eternal life. The Father did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Is there any greater love than this? We who see this mystery in the broken bread and poured out blood of the Eucharist come to know a love that saves, heals and raises up to glory in the Spirit, through the Son, to the Father's glory.

- Written by a St. Vincent Archabbey Monk

Remembering September 11th

 

O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths
and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.
We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here—
the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and
Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on September 11, 2001.

We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives
with courage and hope.

We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.

God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.
God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.

Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.

Pope Benedict XI--Prayer at Ground Zero
New York, 20 April 2008

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"Let me sing of the LORD!"

Mi 5:1-4a; Ps 13:6; Mt 1:1-16,18-23

Rejoice! There's a word seldom used these days. When is the last time you rejoiced? Or, better yet, when is the last time you rejoiced with delight? What does it take to spark delight in our hearts? Why would we bother to rejoice? Birthdays give us a good reason to delight, or rejoice, or at the very least to sing. Today the Church from East to West delights in the birth of the Virgin Mary. Today we rejoice that the LORD has given us such a good reason to rejoice! Many have begun to trust in his mercy. When we trust our hearts can more readily rejoice in the LORD who comes to save us. In Christ is our salvation. Indeed, we sing with the Blessed Virgin, the Theotokos, as she sings--"He has been good to me." Indeed, the LORD has been good to us, and his greatest blessing is the Incarnation, of the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy mentioned in today's gospel from Saint Matthew. "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us.'" Indeed, this good news delights the soul of anyone who reads Micah's prophecy, "He shall be peace." We who long for true peace on earth celebrate the birth of the woman who brings our God and our Peace into our world. If that's not something to delight in and to rejoice in, what is?

Did you ever wonder if they celebrated birthdays back in the day? It's not hard to imagine that the whole nation or empire celebrated the anniversaries of the emperor and his family. It probably did not matter if they wanted to or not; it happened. Now, for someone like Mary of Nazareth, the celebration of the anniversary of her birth probably did not take place. She was "no one" born in a nowhere village. Her birth was exciting for the immediate family, but it's doubtful that anyone else celebrated it. Even her son, Jesus, was born in a nowhere village, in Bethlehem, too small to be among the clans of Judah. However, he was the One that the prophet, Micah proclaimed in today's reading. He was born to be ruler in Israel. Indeed, his origin is from of old, from ancient times. He has been born to lead us all back to our true identity as children of the LORD, the New Israel of God. This son of Mary is to stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus the Christ, gathers us in from the ends of the earth, we shall remain with him and the Lord Jesus will be our peace.

The gospel for the Nativity of the Theotokos, the Mother of God, seems strange because there is no mention of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This genealogy from Saint Matthew picks up a powerful rhythm from its beginning, "Abraham became the father of Isaac." This rhythm runs through the generations from father to son, and it is interrupted quite deliberately by the mention of four mothers: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Beersheba. These four mothers seem to interrupt the rhythm of the genealogy. "Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar", and Tamar is the one who offered herself as a harlot to continue the messiah's bloodline. Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah; Beersheba by name, the woman David took for himself to fulfill his lust. Boaz, whose mother was Rahab; she is another repentant harlot who saved her whole family because of the kindness she showed to Joshua when he was spying in the city of Jericho. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth; she was a foreigner who demonstrated faithfulness to Naomi and her people and her God. Not only are four mothers mentioned in the genealogy; these mothers are less than holy models of motherhood. Not until the mention of Mary, the wife of Joseph, does the plan of God reveal the true model of holiness and discipleship. The Blessed Virgin Mary is revealed in this gospel as the legitimate wife of Joseph, who is with child through the Holy Spirit. Indeed the Holy Spirit has been preparing the human family of Abraham and his descendants for the wondrous birth of the Savior of all families of every nation. Indeed the working of the Holy Spirit from the conception of Mary within the womb of her mother, Saint Anne, has revealed the holiness of God. This unique mother of all mothers is full of grace and therefore free to respond, "let it be done to me according to your word" to the Archangel Gabriel. The holy and blessed parents, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, according to early church tradition, raised this holy and blessed Virgin. We who celebrate her birth rejoice and delight in the grace of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This same Holy Spirit moves in the hearts of Eastern and Western believers. Indeed, we join as one to respond to an exhortation from the Byzantine Liturgy: "Today the barren Anna claps her hands for joy, the earth radiates with light, kings sing their happiness, priests enjoy every blessing, the entire universe rejoices, for she who is queen and the Father's immaculate bride buds forth from the stem of Jesse!"

Cardinal George on the New Translation of the Roman Missal

Click here for link to the Cardinal's Column

B16 and 2011 World Youth Day!!!

Pope Benedict XVI 2011 World Youth Day Message (Click Here)