September 15, 2004

Dear Friends,

From The Church’s Year of Grace, by Pius Parsch: Yesterday’s feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross had an emphasis on Christ’s kingship with the cross praised “as the sign of objective redemption” and victory over Satan, sin and death. “Today’s feast (Our Lady of Sorrows) sees the human, the suffering Christ, it emphasizes Mary’s role as a co-sufferer… Everyone is familiar with today’s glorious sequence Stabat Mater by friar Jacoponi da Todi.” Mary is revealed as the New Eve with Jesus the New Adam, standing at the cross – the New Tree of Life.

Taken together, these two days “afford us a chance to reconsider the meaning and importance of suffering in union with Christ. It is a first principle in ascetics that the closer a Christian stands to his Lord, the nearer must he be to the cross. Mary, therefore, was made to taste most deeply of Christ’s sufferings. That is for all of us a great consolation. Be conscious, then, that your spirituality must include not only prayer, not only charitableness, not only the ordinary acts of Christian virtue, but suffering bound up with the cross of Christ and consecrated through the Mass.” It is at the foot of the altar of the Mass that we, like Our Lady at the foot of the altar of the cross, offer the sacrifice of ourselves in union with the one offering of the Savior. Jesus did not suffer and die so that we now don’t have to. Jesus suffered and died so that we now can suffer and die with great hope and peace. Take up your cross and follow me…

Pondering the image of the Sorrowful Mother standing at the foot of the cross, I am reminded of this day three years ago. We said the meaningful prayers of the Triumph of the Cross from the breviary while standing at the foot of the smoking heap of the fallen twin towers. Praying for mercy and guidance, we were joined by some of the search team. How providential that we, as Franciscans, were there to pray a blessing over the dogs which were guiding the effort to find the bodies. I was not surprised when they found the cross at Ground Zero. If we turn to Him in prayer, God is with us, even in the worst moments. Mercy. Forgiveness. Trust.

May the Lord give you His peace,

Fr. Luke Fletcher, CFR
Vocations director, residing at St. Joseph Friary in Harlem
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