Welcome back friends. The third charism of the congregation of Holy Cross is: The Cross, Our Only Hope. I'm going to reflect on this charism in two parts. This week I'd like to spend our short time together thinking about the The Paschal Mystery.
The way of the Cross seems to be imprinted in nature. Spring comes with new life that grows, blossoms, bears fruit in summer, and in the fall, withers and fades into winter. A grain of wheat falls to the ground to grow and yield one hundred fold. God seems to like to work this way!
Suffering and sin entered the world through mankind’s own bad choices and misuse of freedom. There is no magic fix for that without doing away with us! So the Lord chose the way of the Cross, the “Paschal Mystery”, giving His own life and taking on the sin of the world. He is the “Suffering Servant” that Isaiah prophesied, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. By His sacrificial death, our sin is forgiven and by His Resurrection, He conquers death and opens the way to life.
So His Cross is truly our only hope, a way He calls us to share. “Take up your cross and follow me,” He tells us, while He asks us to trust Him as He leads us through crises like COVID-19. We don’t know the road map, but we know that it leads to life! We know, too, that following Him on that way means loving and caring for others.