The Cross has become the sign of victory over sin and death, a sign that unifies Christians all over the world, yet in the time of Jesus, it was an instrument of death, a painful and ignominious death. The cross itself is now a sign of contradiction, a sign of life over the death for which it was invented to cause. As we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross today, we might remind ourselves that our lives as Christian Catholics are also, or should be, signs of contradiction: our humility exalting the grace of God working in us; our wounds and sufferings bringing healing to the soul; dying to ourselves, giving birth to eternal life.
We share this day with the Jewish community world-wide, which is celebrating Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year. Jews spend the day in prayer in the synagogue, asking pardon for the sins of the past year as they enter into a new year. We also might look into our lives, confess our sins and see if we can live up to our calling to be signs of contradiction against the standards set by our ever increasingly secular society. Keeping our eyes on the Cross will help us focus on this vocation.
Bro. Rene
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