Daily Archives: August 6, 2020

Read more about the article Our Blessed Mother

Our Blessed Mother

The“splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ.  She is “redeemed in a more exalted  fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son.”[1]

 

Mother Of God

In the Nicene Creed we say that Jesus is true God and true man.  In being conceived by the Holy Spirit, He is the Son of God.  In being born of a woman, He is completely human.  In recognizing God as a Trinity, we recognize God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Jesus, even as a man on this earth, was still the Second Person of the Trinity while He was on earth.  Thus, He was God in Heaven and He was God when He walked among us.

Mary was truly His mother in every human way.  She conceived Him in Her womb, bore Him, nursed Him, and raised Him.  Because She is the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God, Mary is the Mother of God and was declared thus by the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D.

Mother Of The Church

Mary’s role in the Church is connected to Jesus’s role in the Church.  Jesus’s work of salvation began at His conception.  He came into this world to reconcile us with God and save us from our sins.  He gave us the gift of the Catholic Church to continue His ministry and be His presence in the world after His ascension.  The Church is Christ’s presence in the world today.

Mary was instrumental in the formation of the Church.  She not only consented to be the Mother of the Savior, She also joined in His sacrifice on the cross by walking with Him and willingly bearing the suffering of Her Son for the redemption of the world.  Then, after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, She aided the Church through Her prayers and Her example.  She received the Holy Spirit at the Annunciation and She prayed for the whole Church at receive Him.  Her prayers were answered at Pentecost.

Because Mary is instrumental in the Church’s birth, She is the Mother of the Church.  Just as She bore and nurtured Jesus, She also nurtured the Church from its birth, and thus is its Mother as well.

Mother Of The Whole World

The word “catholic” means universal.   The Catholic Church is the universal church.  It is open to everyone because Jesus came to save everyone.  Jesus Himself gave us the Church and all of its sacraments.  In being baptized by the Holy Spirit, we become the adopted brothers and sisters of Christ.  As His brothers and sisters, we can now call His Father our Father and His mother our mother.  Mary is truly our mother.

To emphasize this point, we turn to the Gospels.  As Jesus hung on the cross, he gave Mary to all of us when He said, “Woman behold your son.”  He did not use the name of John because it was not only John who was receiving Mary, it was all of us who were receiving her.  We are all sons and daughters of the woman standing at the foot of the cross.

Jesus intended to give the entire world the gift of the “universal” Church.  Because He gave His  Mother to the Church, we know that He gave His Mother to the whole world.  Mary as the Mother of the whole world intercedes for all of us just as She interceded for the early Church at
Pentecost.

Mary As Intercessor

Mary as a loving Mother, continually prays for us.  Thus, it makes sense that we would pray for Her continued intercession. It is important to clarify that in praying for Mary’s intercession, we are not praying “to” Mary as we pray to God.  We pray “through” Mary.  We do not worship Mary; we worship only God.  We adore God; we venerate Mary.  In veneration, we honor Mary for Her holiness.  We pray through Mary because as the Mother of God She is the one who is most worthy to stand before God and plead our cause.

Model Of The Church

We seek Mary as our intercessor because She is our role model.  As a human being, She suffered everything that we suffer in life.  She experienced the rejection of a woman pregnant before Her final marriage vows; She suffered homelessness when She and St. Joseph had to flee to Egypt after Jesus was born; She suffered the desperation of a mother searching for her lost child; She suffered the pain of losing Her beloved spouse; She suffered the sorrow of Her Son leaving home to fulfill His mission; She suffered knowing that He was rejected and ridiculed; She suffered excruciating agony at seeing Her Son tortured, mutilated, and murdered right in front of Her eyes; She suffered the heartbreak of burying Him and being totally alone in the world without human consolation.  Mary suffered everything that a woman can possibly suffer.  She therefore has extreme compassion on those who suffer today.  She rushes to our side to comfort us in our afflictions.  We look to Mary for Her compassion, Her prayers for us, and Her example.  In every trial She remained faithful to God.  She can teach us also to be faithful to God in all circumstances and She can teach us never to lose hope.

That is why we have Marian prayer.  We pray through Mary, our Mother, our role model, our intercessor.  Marian prayer includes  praying the Rosary, wearing the Brown Scapular, and practicing the First Saturday devotion.

The Rosary

The Rosary is a set of prayers that were given by Mary to St. Dominic.  In the Rosary, we meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary in the Gospels.  We meditate on these mysteries because we want to imitate the example of Jesus and Mary. We focus on Jesus because we want to be more like Him.  We meditate on Mary because She is the example of the perfect Christian.  She can show us how we can also become more like Christ by imitating Her example.

The Brown Scapular

The brown scapular is a piece of cloth that is worn over the shoulders.  This scapular was first given to St. Simon Stock in 1251 A.D.  Mary appeared to him as Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  Her promise to all who wear this scapular is: “Whosoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.”  She further says, “Wear the scapular devoutly and perseveringly.  It is My garment.  To be clothed in it means you are continually thinking of Me, and I in turn, am always thinking of you and helping you to secure eternal life.”

This is not a magical formula.  In wearing this scapular, we are conscious of Mary.  We find ourselves thinking often “What would She do in this situation? How would She respond?”  In stopping to reflect in this way, we slowly break bad habits and become more like our role model.  When She sees us trying so hard, She prays even more intensely for us.  This brings us even more graces and more mercy from God.  The result is that we respond more to God and receive more mercy,  This is why Her promise is fulfilled;  no one who loves God and tries to please Him will go to hell. 

The First Saturday Devotion

In Fatima, Portugal in 1917 Mary appeared to three shepherd children.  (She is referred to as Our Lady of Fatima.)  She asked people to practice a special devotion that would bring God’s grace. On the first Saturday of each month, go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (between 7 days prior to, or 7 days after the first Saturday) and receive the Eucharist in a state of grace.  Then after Mass, meditate for at least 15 minutes by praying the Rosary.  This devotion brings blessings from God because we are receiving His presence in the sacraments and communicating with Him in prayer.  This will lead us closer to Him.  It brings joy to Mary’s heart to see people getting closer to God.  All people who practice this devotion will receive these graces.

She Leads Us Home

Mary’s purpose as Mother, role model, and intercessor is to lead us closer to God.  She brought Christ to the world by giving birth to Him.  She now wishes to bring the world to Christ by calling us to prayer and receiving the sacraments Jesus gave us.[2]

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.  To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.  Turn then most gracious  advocate, Thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.  O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, pray for us O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

 

 


 

[1] The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Liguori Publications, 1994. Paragraph #491.

[2]
The following references were used for this article:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Liguori Publications, 1994. Paragraphs #495-511, #963-975.

Garment of Grace, Immaculate Heart of Mary Publications, 1990. Has the Imprimatur of the Church.

A Woman Clothed with the Sun, by John J. Delaney, Doubleday & Co., 1961. Has the Imprimatur of the Church.

 

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Read more about the article The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

The knowledge of faith is possible only in the Holy Spirit: to be in touch with Christ, we must first have been touched by the Holy Spirit.[1]

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love.  Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created, and you will renew the face of the earth.  Amen.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity and is the Person of God with whom we have the most difficulty conceptualizing.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus and does not have a human form.  He has symbolically revealed Himself to mankind in the form of a dove (at Jesus’s Baptism – Mt 3:16) and as the wind and tongues of fire (at Pentecost – Acts 2:3-4).  In understanding who the Holy Spirit is, it is easier to start by describing what He does and what gifts He brings to His people.

The Paraclete

Jesus called Him the Paraclete (Jn 14:15-17).  He assists us in living a Christian life on a daily basis.  He is present in all aspects of our worship of God and our pursuit of holiness.  St. Paul says that no one can confess Jesus is Lord except through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:3).  It is the Holy Spirit who enlightens our hearts to recognize God and His truths in our world.  The Holy Spirit writes God’s truth in our hearts.[2]  As children, we readily recognize these truths.  As children, we believed in God; we believed in the angels that He sends to guard over us.  As adults, we often forget God’s truth that is written in our hearts.  When we open ourselves to God in prayer, it is then that the Holy Spirit can intercede and once again enlighten us of the truths we have forgotten and bestow on us new gifts to help us advance in holiness.[3]

The Gift of Reconciliation

The gifts the Holy Spirit gives us are necessary for our salvation.[4]  The first and foremost gift is the spirit of contrition for our sin.  Without this gift we would not feel impelled to seek reconciliation with God for our sin.  In the Sacrament of Reconciliation we encounter the Trinity: the Holy Spirit impelling us to seek reconciliation,[5] Jesus who covers us with His blood and washes us clean of our sin, and the Father who looks upon us covered in the blood of Jesus and finds us acceptable to Him once again.[6]  In being covered with the blood of Jesus, Our Father then heaps graces and mercy upon us which we could not have received in our previous state of sin. [7]  The guilt we feel when we sin is the intervention of the Holy Spirit upon our conscience.  The Holy Spirit desires that we be reconciled with God.  When we are reconciled with God we can once again receive His graces.  If we refuse the mercy of God and refuse the forgiveness that the Holy Spirit desires that we seek then we will not receive graces and mercy, but God’s justice and will be required to pay the penalty for our sin.  Because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Love, He desires that we do not separate ourselves from God and urges us to reconcile when we do separate ourselves from God through sin.

The Gifts of The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit  works in our lives by giving us graces to assist us in attaining holiness and helping others attain holiness as well.  (To attain holiness, we must love God and seek to do His Will.)  Every gift He gives us is meant to be shared with our brothers and sisters.  He gives different gifts to different people.  Because we are called to be a community of believers, each of us is expected to use our gifts for the common good and benefit of all (1 Cor 12:4-7).

Therefore, we are not to be jealous of one another’s gifts:  the Holy Spirit gives us all the gifts either directly, or through another person.  In a community that shares its gifts with one another, all members become recipients of all gifts.  A concrete example of this:  a father gives his son a pear and his daughter an apple.  Each child cuts his fruit in half and gives one half to the other. Thus, both children have an apple and a pear.  There is no cause for jealousy that one has more than the other or that one received a better gift, because by sharing their gifts, the children received both fruits.

This is an important issue in the life of the believer because we are required to share what we have been given.  To those who are given more, more will be required of them.  God does not give us gifts for our personal glory, but for our growth and His glorification.  There is nothing that we have which was not given to us by God; all gifts belong to Him and He lets us borrow everything we have on earth from Him for the short time we are here.  We are merely stewards of the gifts we possess, and are required by God to share our gifts with others.

The Holy Spirit gives us many gifts at Confirmation:  wisdom, understanding, knowledge, piety, fear of the Lord, counsel, and fortitude (Is 11:13).  These are the gifts that we need as adult Christians to respond to God’s call to the fullest measure.  The more we pray for these gifts, the more abundantly we will be given them.

Ministering Gifts

The Holy Spirit also gives different people ministering gifts to build up the body of Christ.  The gifts that are most commonly encountered are: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, teaching, prayer, and discernment (also called distinguishing of spirits).  Other gifts are tongues, interpretation of tongues, working of miracles, and prophesy.  These gifts are given to glorify God and to enrich the people of God in their faith and love for God (1 Cor 12 and Rom 12:5-16).

The Holy Spirit  does not give us His gifts only at Confirmation or at specific times in our lives.  He continually gives us gifts.  The more we pray and are open to His gifts, the more abundantly we will receive them.  We should continually ask Him for the gifts we need and thereby continually grow in grace.

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is manifested in our lives in many ways.  Jesus Himself taught us how to distinguish whether or not the Holy Spirit is working in our lives by the fruits that are manifested.  If the Holy Spirit is truly working in the life of a person, he or she will grow spiritually.  The fruits of the Spirit are:  charity (love), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, mildness, and self-control (chastity or modesty) (Gal 5:22).

Because He does not want us to be led astray, Jesus cautions us to examine the fruits.   He gave the analogy that a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit (Mt 12: 33, 35-37).  The meaning of the parable is this:   many people claim to do good works or preach in the name of Jesus.  If they are really inspired by God, their teaching will lead people toward God and toward the truth.  Their own lives will have manifestations of the grace of God working in them – namely the fruits previously mentioned.  If someone is not working for God but instead has ulterior motives, his teachings will not lead us to God; his teachings and miracles will lead to himself, or worse, to satan.  His life will be void of the fruits of the Holy Spirit; his life will be marked with a lack of joy, disharmony, chaos, impatience, meanness, disloyalty (unfaithfulness), aggressiveness, rudeness, and/or lewdness.

We must be cautious in our approach, however.  We are not called to judge anyone (Mt 7:1).  Everyone makes mistakes, even those who truly seek God.  If another’s teaching is not good, we are not to follow it but we are to pray for that person.

Discernment in Matters of Faith

We are given many tools of discernment. We are given God’s Holy Word in scripture.  If a teaching contradicts scripture, it is wrong.  In interpreting scripture, we have the Catholic Church as the final authority on all matters of faith.  Pope St. John Paul II, out of love for the people of God, commissioned the magisterium of the Church to put in writing the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  The Catechism teaches the Catholic faith and takes into account all aspects of our modern world which must be dealt with in the field of morality.  After years of writing, research, prayer, and guidance from the Holy Spirit, the Catechism has been written and translated into English for us.  It is an excellent resource and guide for teaching us the truth.  Sacred Scripture and the Catholic Catechism are two treasures to help us grow in holiness.

Come Holy Spirit, enlighten my heart to see the things which are of God.  Come Holy Spirit into my mind that I may know the things that are of God.  Come Holy Spirit into my soul that I belong only to God.  Sanctify all that I think, say, and do, that all may be for the glory of God. Amen.

Recommended Reading

1 Corinthians 12

[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, Liguori Publications, 1994. Paragraph #683.

[2] Ibid.,  paragraph #683.

[3] Ibid., paragraph #688.

[4] Ibid., paragraph #688.

[5] Ibid., paragraph #1433.

[6] Ibid., paragraph #1423-4.

[7] Ibid., paragraph 1432.

Continue ReadingThe Holy Spirit
Read more about the article Jesus

Jesus

The Desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to Himself.  Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.[1]

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is the fulfillment of God Our Father’s promise to mankind.  Because Jesus became man and walked among us, He is the face of God that we find the most approachable.  To know Jesus, it is necessary to read scripture.

The Word

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God; and the Word was God”  (Jn 1:1).  John introduces us to Jesus as “The Word.”  Before Jesus became a man, He existed as the Word.  He first revealed Himself to the world as the Word of Sacred Scripture.  The Bible was divinely inspired and through reading The Word, we come to know Jesus.  Because the Word in Scripture is Jesus, the Church venerates the scripture.  This scripture is not a design of human plan and thought, it is a communication from God Himself.  God is the author of Scripture and He reveals Himself to us through it.[2]  It is because these words are from God that man cannot undertake to change the words or remove verses or entire books from the Bible (Rv 22:18-19).  The Bible in its entirety is the truth; to change scripture is a distortion of the truth and distorts our understanding of the person of Jesus.

Why did Jesus decide to become man?  St. John tells us the reason:  “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness grasped it not” (Jn 1:4-5).  Jesus is our life. Through Him we have eternal life (1 Jn 5:11-13).  We had lost our eternal life through our sin, so Jesus came to earth to restore life to us.  Because the penalty for sin is death, Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sin by dying in our place.  In His resurrection, He also restored our life to us.  In the Memorial Acclamation of the Mass, we proclaim “Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life.[3]” This is why Jesus came to earth.  We had lost our way in the darkness of our sin and He came to show us the light, to lead us to salvation (Jn 4:9).

The Holy Name of Jesus

When the time came for Jesus to enter the world, God sent His angel Gabriel to a young virgin named Mary.  He said to her, “Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son and shalt call His name Jesus” (Lk 1:31).  The name “Jesus” means “savior.”  He was given this name by God because He was sent to save the people from their sins.  Therefore, every time we pronounce the Holy Name of Jesus, we give God glory because we offer Him all the infinite merits of the Passion and Death of Jesus.[4]

Simply speaking the Name of Jesus is a prayer.  The devil hates the name of Jesus so much that when we speak the name of Jesus in petition to God, we can overcome many temptations.  In times of sorrow, speaking the name of Jesus brings us comfort because He who suffered more than any man comes rushing to our side to comfort us.  When we desire to love Him more, we can speak His Name and He comes to us and He fills us with His love and His peace.

The King of Kings

Jesus came to establish God’s kingdom of love here on earth (from the Our Father).  In Heaven, Jesus is recognized as King.  In time, all people will recognize that He is King (Phil 2:9-10).  Jesus is our king because He is the Son of God, but He is also a king in the human sense.  He is the direct descendent of David, the anointed king of Israel.  His lineage and rightful claim to the throne of David is given to us in scripture.  In the Gospel of Matthew (1:1-16), we are given the lineage of Jesus through Joseph, His virgin father. Joseph was a descendent of David through David’s son Solomon.  Although Joseph was not genetically Jesus’s father, he was legally Jesus’s father because he was the husband of Mary.  Therefore, the throne would have passed from Joseph to Jesus. 

In the Gospel of Luke (3:23-38), we are given the lineage of Jesus through Mary.  Verse 38 states that Joseph was the son of Heli.  This was a common practice when referring to a son-in-law.  In the time this Gospel was written, the Jews never referred to the woman’s name, so when Mary’s lineage is given, they referred to her husband as the “son.”  (We can distinguish the difference between the lineage in the Gospels because Matthew uses the word “begat.”  This means that the father is the genetic father of the son. Luke simply says “son of” which in Hebrew times was a recognition of any legal father-son relationship, such as that of “son-in-law.”)  The name of Heli is the same as Mary’s father’s more well-known name Joachim. (This interpretation of scripture was given by St. Augustine and St. Jerome.)[5]  Mary is a direct descendent of David through David’s son Nathan on her father’s side.  It is also a common opinion of the Doctors of the Church that Mary’s mother, Anne, was the sister of Joseph’s father Jacob, thus, Mary was also a descendent of David through Solomon on her mother’s side.[6]

In understanding that Jesus was in the line of kings from both sides of His family, we recognize that He was the rightful King of Israel.  He is the king of Kings because His kingship surpasses the kingship of all His predecessors.  Of all the kings of Israel He is the most glorious because His kingdom is eternal.  Of all the powerful kings that ever existed, He alone can grant eternal peace in His kingdom and eternal life to all who bow down to Him and glorify His Name.

The Good Shepherd

Jesus who came in perfect humility, did not announce Himself as our King in order for us to bow down to Him.  He called Himself Our Shepherd and referred to us as His sheep because He wanted us to love and trust Him (Jn 10:1-18).  In this parable He says, “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know Me” (Jn 10:14).  To understand this parable, it helps to understand the customs of the time.  In those days, the shepherds would gather all their sheep into one barn at night.  In the morning, the shepherds would come to the sheepfold and call out each sheep by name.  Each shepherd had a name for each sheep and could distinguish his sheep from the others.  The sheep each knew the voice of their own shepherd.  The sheep would not leave the sheepfold until they heard their own shepherd’s voice calling their own name.  Then, the sheep would follow their shepherd to their pasture where they would graze for the day.

Jesus uses this image as the shepherd to show us how much He loves us.  Each of us is a unique individual that is precious to Him.  When He tells us, “I have called you by name,” that is exactly what He means. When He says that the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, He is foretelling what He intends to do for us (Jn 10:14-15).  He is so full of love for us that He never wavered in His mission.  He came to save us, and that is exactly what He did.

The Lamb of God

Jesus is also referred to as the “Lamb of God.” After the consecration of the Mass when Jesus is present on the altar, we address Him with the prayer: “Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.”

The image of the lamb comes to us from a rich tradition in Hebrew scripture.  The first sacrifice of the lamb was celebrated at the first Passover in the book of Exodus.  Moses went to Pharaoh on God’s authority and asked him to free the Israelite slaves.  Pharaoh refused several times and after each refusal the plagues that descended on Egypt grew worse and worse.  The final plague was the death of the firstborn of every family –humans and animals alike.  Before this plague occurred, Moses instructed the Israelites to take a spotless lamb, slaughter it, then smear the blood of the lamb over their doorways (Ex12:7).  The angel of death would “pass over” (this is where the word “Passover” comes from) all the houses that were covered with the blood of the lamb and they would be saved from death (Ex 12:13).

The Passover occurred again – physically and spiritually – on Good Friday.  Jesus is the spotless lamb, the One untouched by any stain of sin, who was sacrificed.  It is His Blood that covers us, just as the lamb’s blood covered the doorway of the Israelites’ homes.  Because He covers us with His Blood and removes our sin, we escape from eternal death (hell).

Why was Jesus willing to die for us?  Because He loves us.  All things were created through Him (Jn 1:13) because of His infinite love.  He gave us life and we destroyed it.  Because He could not bear the thought of eternity without His beloved people, He gave life back to us by His own death and resurrection.  It is in contemplating His suffering and death for us that we begin to understand the depth of His love for us.

Recommended Reading

First Epistle of John

The Wonders of the Holy Name by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan, O.P.

Catechism of the Catholic Church: Sacred Scriptures (paragraphs 101-133) and Jesus Christ (paragraphs 422-478).

[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, Liguori Publications, paragraph #27.

[2] Ibid., #104.

[3] This article was originally published by the author in 1996. In the Revised Roman Missal in 2010 this Memorial Acclamation was changed to: “Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.”

[4] The Wonders of the Holy Name, by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. p.3.

[5] The Life and Glories of St. Joseph, by Edward Healy Thompson, Augustine Publishing Co., chapter 3.

[6] Ibid., chapter 3.

Continue ReadingJesus
Read more about the article The Sign of the Cross

The Sign of the Cross

What is the Sign of the Cross?

The Sign of the Cross is made by touching one’s forehead, then the heart, and then the left shoulder and across to the right shoulder. While doing this, one says “In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.” The Sign of the Cross has been used since the earliest Christian times and is still used in the Catholic Church today. Catholics make the Sign of the Cross at the beginning and end of every prayer. The Sign of the Cross is used at the beginning and end of every Mass (which is the most perfect prayer); we come together as a Christian community and begin the Mass with the sign of the cross and the priest blesses us at the end of the Mass with the Sign of the Cross.

What Does It Mean?

The Sign of the Cross has been rich in meaning in the Church since the earliest times. First, when we make the Sign, we remind ourselves of the horrible instrument used to crucify Our Lord. In making the Sign of the Cross, we remind ourselves of His sacrifice for us. In our remembrance of His sacrifice we glorify Him. The Sign of the Cross is the prayer thanking Him for the gift of salvation.

A Sign of Unity

The Sign of the Cross is a sign of who we are. As Christians, it is a symbol that reminds us that we are united to each other. By His Blood He adopted each of us; we are now one family (Mt 12:50). In coming together as a group in prayer, we all make the Sign of the Cross which symbolizes our unity through Jesus.

When we enter the community of believers through Baptism, our godparents (or sponsors) and the priest make the Sign of the Cross on our foreheads.[1]  According to St. Paul, the Sign of the Cross is the sign that we are members of the body of Christ; we are participants in the new covenant. St. Paul explains to us that circumcision was a sign of the believer of the old covenant (Rm 3:11). Now Jesus calls us to a new covenant (Mt 26:28) and He marks us with the Sign of the Cross.

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me

The Sign of the Cross reminds us of Jesus’s words to us to “carry our crosses” (Mt 5:12 and Mt 10:38). Jesus, out of love for us, struggled with His cross up the hill to Calvary and then was nailed to it. He took our punishment when He died for our sins. We now have daily little crosses in our lives which He asks us to carry for love of Him (Mt 16:24).

Our crosses are the difficulties and suffering we have in our daily lives––a minor or major illness, a sick relative, a difficult neighbor, a job we don’t like, even a headache is a little cross. It is by accepting these things (especially those that we cannot change) and bearing with them patiently that we grow closer to Jesus. As Christians we seek to imitate Christ. He lovingly carried His cross for us, now He asks us to do the same for Him.

A Sign of Blessing

The Sign of the Cross is a sign of blessing. We bless ourselves when we make the Sign. The priest blesses us with the Sign at the end of every Mass. We can also bless others (e.g., our children) with this Sign. The Sign made with faith confers blessings and protection on the one being blessed (1 Cor 1:18).  It is very powerful as a blessing and as a shield of protection because we are invoking the Name of each person of the Trinity––and God listens with His ear to our mouths when we invoke His Name. It is powerful also because we are glorifying Jesus for His sacrifice for us, and God always blesses those who glorify Him.

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Recommended Reading:

Matthew, Ch. 26-27

James Ch. 1-2

[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, Liguori Publications, 1994. # 1235.

Continue ReadingThe Sign of the Cross

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