#crossofchrist — Public Fediverse posts

Philip James de Loutherbourg's vignettes for the Macklin Bible. Titus. Robert Bowyer (d.1834) expanded his copy of the Macklin Bible by inserting over 6200 different prints. The Bowyer Bible is housed in Bolton Museum. For these prints see https://archive.org/details/bowyer-bible
where Philip De Vere has created flip-books from Phillip Medhurst's photo-collection. #bible #MacklinBible #vignette #Loutherbourg #ChristianArt #BibleArt #BoltonMuseum #livingwater #crossofchrist #bishop #overseer #pastor #shepherd

The Cross: The Fullness of God — Silvio José Báez, ocd

On this Third Sunday of Easter, we hear the beautiful story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Two of Jesus’ disciples—witnesses of his crucifixion—sad and disillusioned, are on their way back to Emmaus.

As they walk, they talk about everything that happened in those days in Jerusalem (Lk 24:14). The death of Jesus—he in whom they had trusted, the one they had followed—left them deeply disappointed. They need to talk about it. They need to remember. They need to share what they’ve lived through. And yet, even as they talk, they are still trapped in the painful past. They can’t yet see any reason to hope.

Their experience brings to mind, almost spontaneously, the recent history of the people of Nicaragua. Eight years ago, the people rose up peacefully against a criminal dictatorship that reacted with violence—repressing and killing hundreds of Nicaraguans. The regime has imposed a repressive police state that has stripped away all freedoms and left a painful legacy of imprisonment, exile, and death. Like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Nicaragua is the walking wounded—often filled with uncertainty, but always longing for freedom, peace, and justice.

When we carry such a painful history on our shoulders, we run the risk of becoming discouraged, losing hope, like the disciples of Emmaus. They were walking, but they were still trapped in the painful events that had occurred just a few days earlier, when they saw Jesus die, without finding a reason to keep going.

Today’s Gospel is a joyful proclamation for the people of Nicaragua. It reminds us that we are not alone. The Risen Lord is alive and walks with us. He shares our suffering, desires to open our eyes, and to give us the strength to rebuild the country and to create a future of justice and freedom for all.

As those two disciples were walking along, Jesus drew near and began to speak with them. They told him about the sorrow caused by the crucifixion of their Master and the disappointment they were experiencing, because they had hoped that he would be the one to redeem Israel (Lk 24:21). They talk about what they’ve experienced, but limit themselves to the surface of events, to what is external, and see only a failure that has deeply disillusioned them.

Jesus begins to interpret those same events, moving beyond the surface and entering into their deeper meaning. He begins to explain to them “everything about himself in all the Scriptures” (Lk 24:27). He shows them that his death on the cross was the fulfillment of God’s entire history of love and salvation for us. His condemnation and his death on the cross were mysteriously part of the divine plan. Jesus explains: “Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” (Lk 24:26).

He speaks to them about his unjust death in light of the admirable action of God, who reorients everything, including criminal hatred, toward the triumph of good, so that, as if by a miracle, the splendid fruit of life springs forth from guilt. He speaks of his Passion and his death as a mysterious action of God, through which from the cross springs forth the victory of mercy and the wonder of divine salvation.

As they listen to Jesus, the two disciples begin to understand that the cross wasn’t God’s absence—it was his fullness. The Crucified One wasn’t a failure—he was the supreme embodiment of the mystery and the love of God.

They’re captivated by Jesus’ words. Later, they’ll say their hearts were burning within them. Jesus helps them interpret what they’ve experienced in the light of his Resurrection, so they can see reality with God’s own eyes. The mighty hand of God has been revealed not in criminal hatred and violence, but in the boundless love of the Crucified One. God’s hand has been revealed on the cross, where everything seemed impossible, where the absurd seemed to prevail.

The Risen Jesus offers reasons to hope and new strength to keep building a better future for the people of Nicaragua. With Jesus at our side, walking with us, the suffering we’ve endured can become a new impetus to keep going; in our powerlessness, we can discover the strength of God that propels us forward; our mistakes can become a lesson that sets us back on the right path; and our sadness and discouragement can become strength to change history.

We mustn’t fall into the illusion that the true victors are those who impose themselves with weapons. Nor should we let ourselves be deceived by the distorted reading of history put forward by those in power, who present themselves as victims and accuse the real victims. The Resurrection of Jesus assures us that, just as his crucifixion once seemed like a defeat, what happened eight years ago has in fact been the great victory of a people who are already rising again, because they refuse to submit to unjust oppression and to the theft of their own history.

The disciples invite Jesus to stay with them. As they sit at table, Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them (Lk 24:30). Then the eyes of the two disciples are opened, and they recognize him (Lk 24:31). In that broken bread, Jesus is present—he feeds us with the strength of his love in every Eucharist. In the Eucharistic bread, we find the strength that sustains us and the love that guides us. The people of Nicaragua are not only courageous, but also a people who believe. May Jesus, the Bread of Life, always sustain our journey and be our nourishment in moments of doubt and weariness.

Before that broken bread, the disciples finally came to understand the meaning of history. The Eucharist teaches us how the future is built: by becoming bread broken for the life of the world. The people of Nicaragua must not forget this. It’s not about seeking more victories, but about daring to lose out of love—giving ourselves generously so that others may live, and continuing to struggle so that a society marked by freedom, justice, and peace may take shape, without victors or vanquished.

The two disciples return to Jerusalem, where the others are gathered, to tell them what they’ve experienced. They return at night, but illuminated interiorly. Jesus leads us back along the paths of fear, failure, and sadness. He frees us from the temptation to flee to Emmaus. He sends us to others and restores us to our place in history. With the strength of the Risen Lord, and under the loving gaze of Mary Immaculate, Mother of our people, let us walk in hope, share the fire of faith, and always be ready to build, with optimism and generosity, the dignified future our people deserve.

Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.

Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily, 19 April 2026

Note: “Eight years ago” refers to the 2018 Nicaraguan protests, when peaceful demonstrations were met with violent repression.

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Nicaragua’s Mothers’ Day March on 30 May 2018 was a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with the mothers of those murdered, disappeared, and detained by the Ortega dictatorship. In the end, it was attacked by police and paramilitary forces, leaving eleven dead that day and about one hundred wounded. Image credit: Jorge Mejia Peralta / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

The Cross: The Fullness of God — Silvio José Báez, ocd

On this Third Sunday of Easter, we hear the beautiful story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Two of Jesus’ disciples—witnesses of his crucifixion—sad and disillusioned, are on their way back to Emmaus.

As they walk, they talk about everything that happened in those days in Jerusalem (Lk 24:14). The death of Jesus—he in whom they had trusted, the one they had followed—left them deeply disappointed. They need to talk about it. They need to remember. They need to share what they’ve lived through. And yet, even as they talk, they are still trapped in the painful past. They can’t yet see any reason to hope.

Their experience brings to mind, almost spontaneously, the recent history of the people of Nicaragua. Eight years ago, the people rose up peacefully against a criminal dictatorship that reacted with violence—repressing and killing hundreds of Nicaraguans. The regime has imposed a repressive police state that has stripped away all freedoms and left a painful legacy of imprisonment, exile, and death. Like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Nicaragua is the walking wounded—often filled with uncertainty, but always longing for freedom, peace, and justice.

When we carry such a painful history on our shoulders, we run the risk of becoming discouraged, losing hope, like the disciples of Emmaus. They were walking, but they were still trapped in the painful events that had occurred just a few days earlier, when they saw Jesus die, without finding a reason to keep going.

Today’s Gospel is a joyful proclamation for the people of Nicaragua. It reminds us that we are not alone. The Risen Lord is alive and walks with us. He shares our suffering, desires to open our eyes, and to give us the strength to rebuild the country and to create a future of justice and freedom for all.

As those two disciples were walking along, Jesus drew near and began to speak with them. They told him about the sorrow caused by the crucifixion of their Master and the disappointment they were experiencing, because they had hoped that he would be the one to redeem Israel (Lk 24:21). They talk about what they’ve experienced, but limit themselves to the surface of events, to what is external, and see only a failure that has deeply disillusioned them.

Jesus begins to interpret those same events, moving beyond the surface and entering into their deeper meaning. He begins to explain to them “everything about himself in all the Scriptures” (Lk 24:27). He shows them that his death on the cross was the fulfillment of God’s entire history of love and salvation for us. His condemnation and his death on the cross were mysteriously part of the divine plan. Jesus explains: “Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” (Lk 24:26).

He speaks to them about his unjust death in light of the admirable action of God, who reorients everything, including criminal hatred, toward the triumph of good, so that, as if by a miracle, the splendid fruit of life springs forth from guilt. He speaks of his Passion and his death as a mysterious action of God, through which from the cross springs forth the victory of mercy and the wonder of divine salvation.

As they listen to Jesus, the two disciples begin to understand that the cross wasn’t God’s absence—it was his fullness. The Crucified One wasn’t a failure—he was the supreme embodiment of the mystery and the love of God.

They’re captivated by Jesus’ words. Later, they’ll say their hearts were burning within them. Jesus helps them interpret what they’ve experienced in the light of his Resurrection, so they can see reality with God’s own eyes. The mighty hand of God has been revealed not in criminal hatred and violence, but in the boundless love of the Crucified One. God’s hand has been revealed on the cross, where everything seemed impossible, where the absurd seemed to prevail.

The Risen Jesus offers reasons to hope and new strength to keep building a better future for the people of Nicaragua. With Jesus at our side, walking with us, the suffering we’ve endured can become a new impetus to keep going; in our powerlessness, we can discover the strength of God that propels us forward; our mistakes can become a lesson that sets us back on the right path; and our sadness and discouragement can become strength to change history.

We mustn’t fall into the illusion that the true victors are those who impose themselves with weapons. Nor should we let ourselves be deceived by the distorted reading of history put forward by those in power, who present themselves as victims and accuse the real victims. The Resurrection of Jesus assures us that, just as his crucifixion once seemed like a defeat, what happened eight years ago has in fact been the great victory of a people who are already rising again, because they refuse to submit to unjust oppression and to the theft of their own history.

The disciples invite Jesus to stay with them. As they sit at table, Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them (Lk 24:30). Then the eyes of the two disciples are opened, and they recognize him (Lk 24:31). In that broken bread, Jesus is present—he feeds us with the strength of his love in every Eucharist. In the Eucharistic bread, we find the strength that sustains us and the love that guides us. The people of Nicaragua are not only courageous, but also a people who believe. May Jesus, the Bread of Life, always sustain our journey and be our nourishment in moments of doubt and weariness.

Before that broken bread, the disciples finally came to understand the meaning of history. The Eucharist teaches us how the future is built: by becoming bread broken for the life of the world. The people of Nicaragua must not forget this. It’s not about seeking more victories, but about daring to lose out of love—giving ourselves generously so that others may live, and continuing to struggle so that a society marked by freedom, justice, and peace may take shape, without victors or vanquished.

The two disciples return to Jerusalem, where the others are gathered, to tell them what they’ve experienced. They return at night, but illuminated interiorly. Jesus leads us back along the paths of fear, failure, and sadness. He frees us from the temptation to flee to Emmaus. He sends us to others and restores us to our place in history. With the strength of the Risen Lord, and under the loving gaze of Mary Immaculate, Mother of our people, let us walk in hope, share the fire of faith, and always be ready to build, with optimism and generosity, the dignified future our people deserve.

Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.

Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily, 19 April 2026

Note: “Eight years ago” refers to the 2018 Nicaraguan protests, when peaceful demonstrations were met with violent repression.

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Nicaragua’s Mothers’ Day March on 30 May 2018 was a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with the mothers of those murdered, disappeared, and detained by the Ortega dictatorship. In the end, it was attacked by police and paramilitary forces, leaving eleven dead that day and about one hundred wounded. Image credit: Jorge Mejia Peralta / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

More needed to be said.

https://forthright.net/articles/depths-despair-depression/

#Bible #depression #CrossOfChrist

More needed to be said.

https://forthright.net/articles/depths-despair-depression/

#Bible #depression #CrossOfChrist

More needed to be said.

https://forthright.net/articles/depths-despair-depression/

#Bible #depression #CrossOfChrist

Quote of the day, 24 October: St. Teresa of the Andes

Today, ever since I got up, I feel very sad. It seems that suddenly my heart is breaking.

Jesus told me that He wants me to suffer with joy. […] He told me that He joyfully ascended Calvary and laid His head on the cross for the salvation of humankind.

“Is it possible that you are the one searching for Me and that you want to be like Me? Then, come with Me and take up the cross with love and joy.”

Saint Teresa of the Andes

Her Intimate Spiritual Diary
24 October 1915

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2021, God, The Joy of My Life: A Biography of Saint Teresa of the Andes With the Saint’s Spiritual Diary, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: St. Teresa of the Andes before she entered the Carmel of Los Andes. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (By permission), modified with AI tools by Carmelite Quotes

#CrossOfChrist #joy #love #StTeresaOfTheAndes

Quote of the day, 14 September: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

I’m very tired, I haven’t the strength to hold my pencil, but I don’t have the courage to let Mama leave without sending you a word from my heart. I love you more than ever. I cover you and your angels with my prayer and my sufferings; you can draw from the chalice of your Sabeth: all that is hers is yours. I’ve read something so beautiful, listen: “Where then did Jesus Christ dwell but in suffering?” [cf. St. Angela of Foligno, Le livre des Visions et instructions].

O little child, it seems to me that I have found my dwelling place: it is the immense suffering that was also the Master’s; in a word, it is He Himself, the Man of sorrows.

I am begging Him to give you that love for the Cross that makes saints. Write me something of your interior life, little sister, I so love the story of your soul.

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity

Letter 311 to her sister, Guite
14 September 1906

Note: This letter dates from September 14, 1906, written during Elizabeth’s mother’s visit (cf. L 309). Elizabeth mentions she lacks “the courage to let Mama leave without sending you a word from my heart.” The September 14 date is confirmed by Elizabeth’s reference to making a novena “for October 2nd,” indicating the letter was written before September 23.

The dating is further supported by Elizabeth’s visiting pattern with her mother. On September 23, Elizabeth noted that her mother “came to see me every two weeks” and “is returning this week from the countryside.” This establishes a regular two-week interval between visits. The next scheduled visit would fall on the weekend of September 29-30, maintaining this pattern. No intermediate visit occurred between September 14 and 23, as this would have disrupted the already exceptional twice-monthly visiting arrangement that the Carmel had permitted, breaking from their usual monthly visits.

Additionally, in a letter written around September 21 (L 314), Elizabeth expresses joy about “seeing again” her family upon their return from the south of France at month’s end, without mentioning any imminent maternal visit.

Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2003, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity volume 2: Letters from Carmel, translated from the French by Nash, A, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Nighttime illumination of the medieval fortress city of Carcassonne in southern France, near the village where Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity’s family regularly vacationed in the Aude region. Image credit: © Little/Adobe Stock

#CrossOfChrist #ExaltationOfTheHolyCross #ManOfSorrows #StElizabethOfTheTrinity #suffering

Quote of the day, 12 September: Mother Agnès of Jesus

We must first taste the cross if we wish to taste love.

A desire for suffering is not indispensable to true love, and the simple desire to accomplish God’s Will in everything makes us participate in the same secret strength which enabled Jesus to tell His Father during His agony, “Thy Will, not Mine be done.”

Happiness is completely compatible with crosses and the austerities of a penitential life. We never have a reason for not being happy, as long as we do not somehow try to escape from the sweet yoke of God.

Our goal is not suffering, our goal is Heaven, for ourselves and many other souls; first, a Heaven of peace here below, and afterwards a heaven of glory. We must not complain of the length of our sufferings, for after all, they are only a road leading to a life of eternal blessedness in which the other will seem no more than a flash of lightning.

Mother Agnès of Jesus, OCD (Pauline Martin)

Little Counsels of Mother Agnès of Jesus, OCD

Little Counsels of Mother Agnes of Jesus, OCD Saint Therese’s Sister, Pauline (excerpt), Compiled by the Discalced Carmelite nuns of Ada (Parnell) Michigan

Featured image: A radiant cross shrouded in red light glows with a sunburst halo, evoking the glory of the Resurrection. Image credit: Oksana / Adobe Stock. Asset ID# 1124491169. Licensed under Adobe Stock standard terms. Generated with AI.

#CrossOfChrist #heaven #MotherAgnèsOfJesus #PaulineMartin #suffering

Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel 2025: Day 8

Day 8
With You Today

Scripture Reading
John 19:25–27

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

Pray with St. Edith Stein
ESGA 20, “Sint Michael,” 13 June 1942

“At the foot of the Cross I stood with you today
and I felt clearly as never before
that at the foot of the Cross you became our Mother!”

What About My Own Life?

Everything is a gift… And even when the Son dies, He still gives Mary another son: not to replace him, but so she might become the mother of all humanity. Today, I can look at whether I truly receive my life as a gift: whether I understand that I am first and foremost a son or daughter who has received everything, or whether I seek primarily to be in control of my own life.

NOVENA PRAYER

O Most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel,
Fruitful Vine, Splendor of heaven,
Blessed Mother of the Son of God,
Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity.
O Star of the Sea, help me
and show me herein that you are my Mother.

O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of heaven and earth,
I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart
to succor me in this necessity.
There are none that can withstand your power!
O help me and show me herein that you are my Mother.

Our Lady, Queen and Beauty of Carmel,
pray for me and obtain my requests!
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands!

Our gratitude to the Discalced Carmelite Friars of the Paris Province and the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Le Havre for their gracious permission to translate and publish their 2025 Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Joseph, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Edith Stein.

Let us unite in prayer

#CrossOfChrist #Mother #novena #OurLadyOfMountCarmel #prayer #StEdithStein #StTeresaBenedicta

Marie du jour, 6 May: St. Edith Stein

Divine virginity has a characteristic aversion to sin as the contrary of divine holiness. However, this aversion to sin gives rise to an indomitable love for sinners.

Christ has come to tear sinners away from sin and to restore the divine image in defiled souls. He comes as the child of sin—his genealogy and the entire history of the Old Covenant show this—and he seeks the company of sinners so as to take all the sins of the world upon himself and carry them away to the infamous wood of the cross, which thereby precisely becomes the sign of his victory.

This is precisely why virginal souls do not repulse sinners. The strength of their supernatural purity knows no fear of being sullied. The love of Christ impels them to descend into the darkest night.

And no earthly maternal joy resembles the bliss of a soul permitted to enkindle the light of grace in the night of sins. The way to this is the cross. Beneath the cross, the Virgin of virgins becomes the Mother of Grace.

Saint Edith Stein

Exaltation of the Cross, 14 September 1941

Stein, E. 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, translated from the German by Stein, W, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor (detail), Joos van Cleve and a collaborator, oil on wood, ca. 1520. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How does Mary’s strength beneath the cross shape my view of purity, suffering, and love?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#CrossOfChrist #darkNight #ExaltationOfTheHolyCross #purity #sinners #StEdithStein #VirginMary #virginity #vows

Quote of the day, 20 April: Père Jacques

Père Jacques de Jésus experienced and witnessed the power of the Resurrection in the concentration camps. One of his companions, Roger Heim, writes in his testimony:

“The last vision of Gusen, of this court of appeal where so many men had perished, is for me inseparable from the memory of the man, the priest who, once again, dominated all the disasters in this multitude and who, in the end, gave us victory, that of Man over the system born of matter and base instincts. The great victor was the one who had passed through these trials as the salamander is said to pass through fire. On 28 April 1945, Père Jacques was resplendent in his victory.”

In March 1945, Père Jacques, in a small note, distilled the message of faith and hope he wanted to leave his companions:

Per Crucem ad lucem !… Through the Cross toward the Light!…

Sine sanguinis non fit redemptio!… Without the blood, there is no redemption!…

Qui facit veritatem venit ad lucem. He who does the truth comes to the light.

In this way, he left his friends a sign of friendship and hope in a place where death lurked around the corner. These words spring from his priestly heart, filled with the Word of God. They represent the maturing of a whole life. “Per Crucem ad lucem! Through the cross toward the light.”

The first sentence evokes the Paschal Mystery, the Mystery of Death and Resurrection, with Life getting the last word. With these four words, he proclaims the faith of the Church. The Cross is not a goal but the path that leads to the light of the Resurrection.

Death and Resurrection are the two inseparable faces of a single reality: that of the Paschal Mystery of Christ Jesus. For a Christian, the Cross is always illuminated by the light of Easter, but this light is only fully discovered by passing through the Cross, the only path to Life.

These are just four words but what power of hope they delivered in this place of unspeakable horror and programmed death. What a proclamation of faith in the victory of Christ!

Father Didier-Marie Golay, o.c.d.

2024 Carmelite Online Lenten Retreat: Easter

Note: On 28 April 1945, just days before the liberation of Mauthausen, Père Jacques de Jésus, OCD (Lucien Bunel), was seen by fellow deportees in what one eyewitness later described as “resplendent in victory.” Gravely ill with pneumonia and extreme malnutrition, he remained behind in the Sanitätslager, the section of the camp where the sick and dying were left in horrific conditions. Whether by choice or because he was too ill to be moved, Père Jacques stayed—a quiet and luminous presence of faith, hope, and love amid despair. Survivors recognized in him the triumph of the Paschal Mystery: the victory of Christ’s light through the Cross, shining in the life of a priest who had given himself entirely to others.

Jacques, P 2005, Listen to the silence: A retreat with Père Jacques, translated from the French and edited by Murphy F, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Choumoff, P S, Un travail de très longue haleine, Monument-Mauthausen, https://monument-mauthausen.org/Un-travail-de-tres-longue-haleine.html, accessed 17 April 2025.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: A radiant cross shrouded in red light glows with a sunburst halo, evoking the glory of the Resurrection. Image credit: Oksana / Adobe Stock. Asset ID# 1124491169. Licensed under Adobe Stock standard terms. Generated with AI.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
What does it mean for me to walk per Crucem ad lucem—through the Cross toward the Light—in the places where hope seems most absent?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BloodOfChrist #CrossOfChrist #Easter #light #Mauthausen #PèreJacquesDeJésus #redemption #resurrection #truth

Quote of the day, 19 April: Blessed Marie-Eugène

Mary, Hope in the Night

At the foot of the cross, the Blessed Virgin stood—sorrowful, yet noble and strong, a true power. John was near her; he, too, was suffering. Among those whom Jesus had chosen, he alone remained at the foot of the cross. He welcomed the Virgin Mary, received her as his own.

What boldness, what grace—and at that moment, what a burden of sorrow! She followed where he led. She remained dignified, steadfast; conceived without sin, she was all purity and strength. There was not the slightest weakness in her will—and yet in her heart, what suffering, and in her spirit, what anguish!

Her Son, the Word made flesh, her King, was dead. He had been laid in a tomb like any mortal—He truly was dead, as the wound in His side made plain. There could be no illusions, not even for the most ardent love that longs to hope. Jesus was dead. And now, she no longer even had His body.

She was alone.

She was alone—the only true power that remained—but alone. And that strength, that fruitfulness, she carried with great pain, with deep sorrow.

The cross is our hope. O Mary, now you are our only living hope, and we come to stay near you.

O Virgin Mary, even today you reveal the power and effectiveness of Jesus’ final word on the cross: “Behold your mother.”

You truly are our mother. We wanted to comfort you, but in the presence of your strength, in the atmosphere you create, in the light and peace you radiate, we can only be—and we only want to be—your children.

O Virgin Mary, mother of Holy Saturday, impress our souls with the mark of this day; help us preserve everything that flows from you in this hour. We already knew you as our tender mother—we had never seen you so noble, so majestic, so powerful, and at the same time, so sorrowful. What a lesson for us: a lesson in trust, in hope in you, and a lesson for how we are to live.

Yesterday we asked to share in your motherhood—and that meant asking to share in your prayer, in your suffering, in your union with Jesus. You show us how to carry the weight of suffering so that it becomes fruitful, so that it brings forth new life in us.

O Virgin Mary, tomorrow—or even tonight—be a mother to us, mother of the life of the Risen Christ! Be a mother to each of us, to all those we love, to the Church, to the world. Make the world share in the peace that radiates from you.

Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus

Meditation for Holy Saturday, 13 April 1963

Marie-Eugène de l’Enfant-Jésus 1986, Jésus, Contemplation du Mystère Pascal, Editions du Carmel, Toulouse.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Ivan Meštrović’s Descent from the Cross, sculpted between 1942 and 1946, captures the moment when Christ’s body is gently lowered into the arms of His Mother. The sculpture is located in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, where it continues to invite silent meditation on the mystery of Good Friday. Image credit: Nheyob – Own work / Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
When I find myself alone in sorrow, do I entrust myself to Mary’s strength and allow her to shape my hope?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BlessedMarieEugeneOfTheChildJesus #BlessedVirginMary #CrossOfChrist #HolySaturday #hope #MotherOfAllTheFaithful #Pietà #trust

We explore the modern perception of the cross and how Jesus' sacrifice is viewed today. While many see weakness in the idea of worshiping a God who died, we uncover the profound strength and meaning behind His ultimate act of love. #PowerOfTheCross #JesusSacrifice #FaithInsights #ChristianPerspective #StrengthInWeakness #UnderstandingFaith #ModernFaith #SpiritualJourney #CrossOfChrist #Worship

“Hail, Cross, our only hope!”—this is what the holy church summoned us to exclaim during the time for contemplating the bitter suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. The jubilant exclamation of the Easter Alleluia silenced the serious song of the cross. But the sign of our salvation greeted us amid the time of Easter joy, since we were recalling the discovery of the One who had passed from sight.

At the end of the cycle of ecclesiastical feasts, the cross greets us through the heart of the Savior. And now, as the church year draws toward an end, it is raised high before us and is to hold us spellbound until the Easter Alleluia summons us anew to forget the earth for a while and rejoice in the marriage of the Lamb.

Our holy Order has us begin our fast with the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. And it leads us to the foot of the cross to renew our holy vows. The Crucified One looks down on us and asks us whether we are still willing to honor what we promised in an hour of grace. And he certainly has reason to ask.

More than ever the cross is a sign of contradiction. The followers of the Antichrist show it far more dishonor than did the Persians who stole it. They desecrate the images of the cross, and they make every effort to tear the cross out of the hearts of Christians. All too often they have succeeded even with those who, like us, once vowed to bear Christ’s cross after him.

Therefore, the Savior today looks at us, solemnly probing us, and asks each one of us: Will you remain faithful to the Crucified? Consider carefully! The world is in flames, the battle between Christ and the Antichrist has broken into the open.

If you decide for Christ, it could cost you your life. Carefully consider what you promise.

Taking and renewing vows is a dreadfully serious business. You make a promise to the Lord of heaven and earth. If you are not deadly serious about your will to fulfill it, you fall into the hands of the living God…

Ave Crux, Spes unica!

The world is in flames. The conflagration can also reach our house. But high above all flames towers the cross. They cannot consume it. It is the path from earth to heaven. It will lift one who embraces it in faith, love, and hope into the bosom of the Trinity.

The world is in flames. Are you impelled to put them out? Look at the cross. From the open heart gushes the blood of the Savior. This extinguishes the flames of hell.

Saint Edith Stein

Elevation of the Cross, 14 September 1939 (excerpts)

We present excerpts from the meditation for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a fervorino that Saint Teresa Benedicta wrote for the prioress to deliver to the nuns of the Carmel of Echt, Holland on 14 September 1939, her first opportunity to renew her vows as a Discalced Carmelite in her new community.

Edith mentions that “our holy Order has us begin our fast with the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.” Here she makes a direct reference to the Carmelite Rule of St. Albert of Jerusalem, No. 16:

You are to fast every day, except Sundays, from the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross until Easter Day, unless bodily sickness or feebleness, or some other good reason, demand a dispensation from the fast; for necessity overrides every law.

For centuries, Discalced Carmelite nuns have renewed their vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity—the order in which Edith presented the vows in her meditation—on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Although the Discalced Carmelite friars renew their vows and the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order members renew their Promise at Easter or during the Octave of Easter, the 1991 Constitutions of the Discalced Carmelite nuns indicate that they shall renew their profession twice each year:

In order to give common witness to religious consecration in following Christ, every year the sisters will renew their religious profession during the Easter Vigil or the octave of Easter, and on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, using the formula given in the Ritual. The communities may repeat this renewal on other occasions in order to strengthen their commitment to this way of life.

No matter what legislation Discalced Carmelites may observe, the essential purpose is clear: “to strengthen their commitment to this way of life.”

Stein, E. 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, translated from the German by Stein, W, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The Isenheim Altarpiece was executed in oil on panel by Matthias Grünewald and Nikolaus Hagenauer between 1512 and 1516, created for the Antonite order’s monastic complex at Isenheim. It decorated the hospital chapel’s high altar. It now is one of the principal treasures in the collections of the Musée Unterlinden in Colmar, France. Image credit: Musée Unterlinden (Public domain)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/09/13/edith-14sep39/

#BloodOfChrist #CarmeliteRule #CrossOfChrist #ExaltationOfTheHolyCross #flames #religiousProfession #StEdithStein #StTeresaBenedictaOfTheCross #vows #world

How can I fulfill the desires of my poor little soul?…

Ah! in spite of my littleness, I would like to enlighten souls like the Prophets and the Doctors; I have the vocation to be an Apostle…

I would like to travel all over the world to preach your name and plant your glorious Cross on the soil of the unbelievers; but, oh my Beloved, one mission wouldn’t be enough for me, I would like at the same time to proclaim the Gospel in the five parts of the world and even in the most remote islands…

I would like to be a missionary not only for a few years but to have been one since the creation of the world and to be one until the end of the ages…

But above all, I would like to shed my blood for you, O my Beloved Savior, down to the last drop…

Saint Thérèse of Child Jesus

Manuscript B, folio 3 recto

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Comboni Missionary Father David Bohnsack, m.c.c.j. captured this photo of a sweet girl at his mission in Chad. Image credit: David Bohnsack (Used by gracious permission)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/13/tej-msb3r/

#apostle #CrossOfChrist #desires #Gospel #inspiration #missionary #savior #StThereseOfLisieux #world

God’s will is a kiss of His love, it is an embrace of His goodness which lifts the soul out of its own misery in order to be comforted in His arms. The will of God is an act of tenderness which should make the soul want to abandon itself in love.

I want to write with my blood a countless number of times: ‘I love you, Jesus, save souls!’

I ardently desire to live in God’s will, I know that this is this way saints are made, and I want to become a saint to give glory to God.

Blessed Mary Josephine of Jesus Crucified

Excerpts from her autobiography and diary

Note: With gratitude to God, the Discalced Carmelites celebrate the feast day of Blessed Mary Josephine of Jesus Crucified throughout the entire Order. The Holy See extended the observance of her optional memorial with the new liturgical calendar that took effect on the First Sunday of Advent, 2023.

Catholic Church 1993, Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Rev. and augm.), Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome.

Featured image: Featured image: This is a detail from an artist’s rendering of a well-known photo of Blessed Mary Josephine, who was captured seated outdoors, smiling broadly. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/06/25/pina-kiss/

#abandonment #BlessedMaryJosephineOfJesusCrucified #CrossOfChrist #DiscalcedCarmelites #GiuseppinaCatanea #God #love #Saints #salvation #tenderness #willOfGod

People should rejoice, then, not in whether they possess and exercise these graces, but in whether they derive the second benefit from them, the spiritual: Serving God through them with true charity, for in charity lies the fruit of eternal life.

Accordingly, our Savior reproved the disciples who were glorying in their success at casting out devils: Do not desire to rejoice that the devils are subject to you, but that your names are written in the book of life [Lk 10:20]. In sound theology this is like saying: Rejoice if your names are written in the book of life.

Hence it should be understood that people ought not rejoice except in walking along the path that leads to life and in doing works with charity. What profit is there in anything that is not the love of God, and what value has it in God’s sight?

Ascent of Mount Carmel, Book III, chap. 30, no. 5

John of the Cross, St. 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Revised Edition, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K and Rodriguez, O with revisions and introductions by Kavanaugh, K, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Detail from a painting of St. John of the Cross by Teresa Satola. Image credit: ©Teresa Satola 2002. Explore more Carmelite art by Teresa Satola

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/23/juan-ascentiii30/

#ascent #charity #CrossOfChrist #eternalLife #grace #loveOfGod #service #StJohnOfTheCross #theCross #walking

Then they shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!” John 19.15 NET.

Prejudice will cause one to adopt extreme and ridiculous positions.

#Bible #BibleVerses #CrossOfChrist

Then they shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!” John 19.15 NET.

Prejudice will cause one to adopt extreme and ridiculous positions.

#Bible #BibleVerses #CrossOfChrist

Through his body on the cross, Christ set aside the law with all its commands and rules. He planned to create one new people out of Jews and Gentiles. He wanted to make peace between them. Ephesians 2.15 NIVr.

Jesus brought people together the right way, through his sacrificial death. That’s the only way to do it still.

#Bible #BibleVerses #CrossOfChrist

Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.” Matthew 26.38 NET.

The suffering of the cross caused Jesus great grief. He accepted it for our salvation.

#Bible #BibleVerses #CrossOfChrist

At that point

http://fellowshiproom.com/rejoice-in-him-there/

#devotional #Psalms #CrossOfChrist

But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6.14 NET.

Human beings have nothing within themselves to boast about. Nothing of theirs can recommend them to God. Christ’s sacrifice contains all their reasons for boasting ─ this is what occupies them and fills their conversations.

#Bible #Jesus #CrossOfChrist

But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6.14 NET.

Human beings have nothing within themselves to boast about. Nothing of theirs can recommend them to God. Christ’s sacrifice contains all their reasons for boasting ─ this is what occupies them and fills their conversations.

#Bible #Jesus #CrossOfChrist

One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at him, saying, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” Luke 23.39 NET.

Jesus could not save himself and save others. He had to choose one or the other.

#Bible #CrossOfChrist

Novena to St. John of the Cross, Day 1: What profit

Scripture

Jesus asked her what she wanted, and she said, “When you come into your kingdom, please let one of my sons sit at your right side and the other at your left.”

Jesus answered, “Not one of you knows what you are asking. Are you able to drink from the cup that I must soon drink from?”

James and John said, “Yes, we are!”

Jesus replied, “You certainly will drink from my cup! But it isn’t for me to say who will sit at my right side and at my left. That is for my Father to say.”
(Matthew 20:21-23)

Reading

“[I]t should be understood that people ought not rejoice except in walking along the path that leads to life and in doing works with charity. What profit is there in anything that is not the love of God, and what value has it in God’s sight?”

Ascent of Mount Carmel III:30

Prayer

O St. John of the Cross
You were endowed by our Lord with the spirit of self-denial
and a love of the cross.
Obtain for us the grace to follow your example
that we may come to the eternal vision of the glory of God.

O Saint of Christ’s redeeming cross
the road of life is dark and long.
Teach us always to be resigned to God’s holy will
in all the circumstances of our lives
and grant us the special favor
which we now ask of thee.

Mention your request

Above all, obtain for us the grace of final perseverance,
a holy and happy death and everlasting life with you
and all the saints in heaven.
Amen.

Let’s continue in prayer…

• Day 1 — What profit is there?
• Day 2 — An open wound
• Day 3 — Your heart in peace
• Day 4 — An imitation of his life
• Day 5 — Supreme goodness
• Day 6 — Guided through the dark night
• Day 7 — Surrender
• Day 8 — Inspired with love
• Day 9 — All things are forgotten

All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.

Let us unite in prayer

#ascent #ascentOfMountCarmel #carmel #carmelitas #carmelitasDescalzas #carmelite #charity #crossOfChrist #discalcedCarmelite #loveOfGod #novena #secularCarmelites #stJohnOfTheCross #teresianCarmel #theCross #walking