The Mystery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross! There is Only One Key to Truly Knowing Jesus!
Father Hugh Gillespie, SMM
The Mystery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross! There is Only One Key to Truly Knowing Jesus!
We celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14th).
It is important we take the word Exaltation seriously! Why? Because in today’s world, the cross appears seemingly everywhere. It appears on buildings, we begin our prayers by making the cross, we bless ourselves by means of it and we talk about carrying our crosses.
Given all this, it’s amazing how impoverish our knowledge of this Mystery really is in today’s world. Many are guilty of repeating this over and over again without really thinking or meditating on the depth of this mystery.
What does it really mean to communicate and pass on the faith? It starts with understanding the first word of today’s Feast Day . . . Exaltation.
One exalts something that you value and appreciate. One exalts someone well, only to the extent that you know that one. This mystery is not about Jesus carrying the Cross today! It is not simply about Jesus dying on the Cross today! The issue is what is our relationship to this Mystery? How well do we see how deep and broad it is?
There Is Only One Key to Truly Knowing Jesus Christ!
There is only one key to truly knowing Jesus Christ! Only one! There are not many! St. Louis de Montfort would often say and write: To seek to know all things, and not know Jesus Christ, is to know nothing. To know Jesus . . . is to know enough! To seek to know Jesus, and not know this key, is not to know Jesus at all!
The Cross is the key that unlocks everything! It is the secret to understanding the identity of Jesus. It is the secret to understanding scripture. It is the secret to knowing the greatest truth of our faith! Listen more within the Homily!
On this Feast Day, the Church celebrates the mystery of the tree that undoes the tragedy of the earlier tree. Celebrate the Victory of Life that comes to us!
Hear more within this first of two Conferences on this Feast Day. Listen to this Meditation Media. Listen to:
The Mystery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross! There is Only One Key to Truly Knowing Jesus.
Pieta and The Cross
A nighttime image of the Pieta, Holy Scripture and The Cross at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island.
Return to Meditation Media
Conference #2 Appears Below
Audio #3 Appears Below
Conference #2: The Beauty Jesus and Christianity Sees in Suffering When We Embrace the Mystery and Exaltation of the Cross (Select to Display Description)
Conference #2: The Beauty Jesus and Christianity Sees in Suffering When We Embrace the Mystery and Exaltation of the Cross
After reciting a hymn that is at least 1400 years old about The Cross, the Homily tells us of the fate of The Cross. The Persians in conquering Rome, also conquered Jerusalem. In doing so, they carried away numerous icons. They also carried away Jesus’ Holy Cross. We also hear of its return to Jerusalem. Listen more within the Homily.
We hear about the requirements The Cross has upon its bearers. The king of Jerusalem tried to carry the Cross and could not until he was properly disposed. Hear more within the Homily and its implications for us!
The Cross is Glorious, Exalted, Luminous and even Radiant. Hidden within these ideas is something very important. Normally, when our bodies weaken with advance age, when illness can dimmish, humans see things differently. We see Poverty, and Victims of violence differently. All of these things break us down. The normal tendency of man is to look away from these things.
Exalting the Cross Says Something Different
Exalting the Cross says something different. It is into these conditions that something glorious happens in the Mystery of the Cross. There is a hidden radiance inside the life that normal humans look away. There is value in the life of those that suffer. Hear more within this Homily.
In this Mystery, one sees beauty in the suffering that comes to all of us. Not because it is suffering. But because Jesus has brought it upon Himself. When we can embrace this Mystery, it changes how we frame everything.
This is important for the history of the world! One of the impacts of the Church’s spirituality of Jesus Christ is this: Prior to Jesus, there is no culture on earth that valued its sick. There is no society that finds dignity in the weak. There is no culture, prior to Christianity, that values suffering.
Note what that means.
Listen to this conference. Listen to:
Conference #2: The Beauty Jesus and Christianity Sees in Suffering When We Embrace the Mystery and Exaltation of the Cross
Audio #3: A 30 Second Audio Outlining Montfort's View of The Cross (Select to Display Description)
Audio #3: A 30 Second Audio Outlining Montfort’s View of The Cross
In Conference #1 we hear about the words St. Louis de Montfort uses in his writings to describe the secret and Mystery of The Cross. In Conference #1, the significance of his view is discussed.
Listen to this Thirty Second Audio of St. Louis de Montfort’s Secret and meditate on the words.
The Mystery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross! There is Only One Key to Truly Knowing Jesus!
Conference #2: The Beauty Jesus and Christianity Sees in Suffering When We Embrace the Mystery and Exaltation of the Cross
Audio #3: A 30 Second Audio Outlining Montfort’s View of The Cross
