Cross

The Exsutlet

DVRodriguez2023-04-17T07:03:11-04:00

At the Easter Vigil we sing the Exsultet. It is a great Christian hymn praising the sacrificial Lamb and victory of our King. It proclaims the Cross. By the Cross He conquered; from the Cross He reigns; His wounds heal. The Cross puts the devil to flight, brings conversion, and bestows innumerable graces. The principal reason we have not received more graces and blessings is because, rather than embrace and love the Cross, we complain and reject the Cross. Yet the Cross is the source of all blessings and the cause of all graces. We must truly believe this.

The ExsutletDVRodriguez2023-04-17T07:03:11-04:00

Key to the Beauty of Catholic Life

DVRodriguez2023-03-02T09:27:16-05:00

For good or ill man desires that which is 'new.' This desire has lead to advances in civilization and destruction. Man also desires 'nostalgia.' The Greek root of this word means the pain from an old wound. Too often we look for what is new and avoid the old as we strive towards God. Yet the answers for the human soul lie not in something new but in the pain of a very old wound. You shall be restless until you rest in the Cross.

Key to the Beauty of Catholic LifeDVRodriguez2023-03-02T09:27:16-05:00

Do You Live in Suffering?

DVRodriguez2022-07-23T11:07:20-04:00

One reason Catholic missionaries had great success is because they preached "the word of the dead man on the wood." This differs greatly from the false gospels of riches, greatness and wonders. But Catholics today are so accustomed to the easy life that we can't relate to such a God. Sacrifice is the only thing that matters for the Catholic because it is the only way for us to be made like Christ. So why do we consistently refuse it? See sacrifice not as a burden to carry, but as God's badge of honor.

Do You Live in Suffering?DVRodriguez2022-07-23T11:07:20-04:00

See My Glorious Wounds

DVRodriguez2022-06-07T12:48:08-04:00

The world speaks endlessly about love but knows not how to love. This we must learn from Christ on the cross. His Easter message calls us to reflect upon and contemplate His glorious Wounds. The waters of salvation flow eternally from His open side (vidi aquam). Familiarize yourself with the private relations of Sister Marie-Martha Chambon (+1907) concerning devotion to Christ's Holy Wounds (these include a Rosary, a Chaplet, and beautiful promises). To offer to the Father the Sacred Wounds of Christ is to offer to God adequate honor and glory!

See My Glorious WoundsDVRodriguez2022-06-07T12:48:08-04:00

Rejoice Over the Crosses God Sends You

DVRodriguez2021-03-21T15:56:06-04:00

Today, the Church calls those who have been in sorrow to rejoice. This joy is not one connected to pleasures of the senses, but is a fruit of the Holy Ghost which brings great peace and tranquility of soul. It is a spiritual joy that comes from following Christ. It is a lenten joy that does not come without the Cross. It is a joy that comes through much pain and sorrow, yet it endures (unlike the passings joys of the senses). The Cross alone nourishes our love of God. So rejoice and be glad when God favors you with one [...]

Rejoice Over the Crosses God Sends YouDVRodriguez2021-03-21T15:56:06-04:00

Never Jesus Without His Cross

DVRodriguez2021-03-19T08:10:46-04:00

We must always adore Christ - that is at the center of our holy religion. We just die to our self love and offer Him our body, mind and heart. Yet no one can truly adore Christ without adoring His holy Cross. Our love of God is weak because our love of the Cross is weak and our rejection of the Cross all too frequent. Attachment to the world and love of self are so strong in us, that we must unceasingly strive to purify ourselves by fasting, prayer and almsgiving. This is the only way to grow in our love [...]

Never Jesus Without His CrossDVRodriguez2021-03-19T08:10:46-04:00

Pray to Accept and Love the Cross

DVRodriguez2021-03-16T13:03:11-04:00

Without the Cross, there is no growth in holiness. If we eliminate the Cross, we eliminate Christ. The sign of the Cross is a most terrible weapon against the devil. And yet the Cross remains a scandal and stumbling block - even for very devout Catholics. In theory, we praise it; but in practice, we lose courage, complain, and run away as soon as the possibility of suffering arises (just think how Mass and the public practice of our faith have recently been cancelled). The Cross is precious because: [1] It make us resemble Christ. [2] When well carried, it is [...]

Pray to Accept and Love the CrossDVRodriguez2021-03-16T13:03:11-04:00

A Spirit of Entitlement

DVRodriguez2021-03-09T08:48:24-05:00

There is a an entitlement complex among many youth: as if the world owes them something. Bitter complaints follow unrealistic and unmet expectations. This problem is not new. Man wishes to divorce Christ from His Cross and take the glory of Tabor without the passion of Calvary. The post-Christian West has created a cheap effeminate Christ by expecting resurrection without a cross. Today’s feast reminds us that these two mysteries of Christ (His transfiguration and death) are intimately related. This connection between glory and humiliation both moderates our joys and comforts us in our trials. A price must be paid for [...]

A Spirit of EntitlementDVRodriguez2021-03-09T08:48:24-05:00

Crux Fidelis

DVRodriguez2021-03-16T10:13:47-04:00

The Cross has has the power to convert and sanctify, even the most hardened sinners. Lent brings the Cross before us in a more spiritually intense way. Consider the Good Friday Liturgy as a powerful example. Jesus prays and fasts in the desert for forty days and endures temptation, especially to prepare Himself for His passion and death on the Cross. Should not we catholics do the same? Do your best this Lent to grow in devotion for the Cross. Prayer, fasting, and alms giving are the means to detach us from sin, the world, selfishness and attach us profoundly to [...]

Crux FidelisDVRodriguez2021-03-16T10:13:47-04:00

Love Your Cross

DVRodriguez2021-02-15T06:36:45-05:00

What if this was your last Lent? It may be, so make it count! Love Lent and deepen your appreciation for it. Lent is a time to practice loving God more than self; a time to place neighbor before self; a time to love soul more than body. Man has the ability to merit by his sufferings because he has a body. Thus, Lent is a time to voluntarily embrace all our crosses, that we not be caught off guard by anything the world, flesh and the devil might throw in our path. If we flee from the cross, then we [...]

Love Your CrossDVRodriguez2021-02-15T06:36:45-05:00