I took this dramatic photo of the cross against a bleak November sky in the village of Saint Maurice d'Orient (Aveyron). The cross bears the instruments of the Passion and is surmounted by Saint Peter's rooster. It was, at one time, common in rural France to erect crosses to commemorate parish missions. Ad te levavi animam meam, Deus meus!
The encounter with Him [Christ Judge and Saviour] is the decisive act of judgement. Before his gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves. All that we build during our lives can prove to be mere straw, pure bluster, and it collapses. Yet in the pain of this encounter, when the impurity and sickness of our lives become evident to us, there lies salvation. His gaze, the touch of his heart heals us through an undeniably painful transformation “as through fire”. But it is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of his love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God. In this way the inter-relation between justice and grace also becomes clear: the way we live our lives is not immaterial, but our defilement does not stain us for ever if we have at least continued to reach out towards Christ, towards truth and towards love. Indeed, it has already been burned away through Christ's Passion.
Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi
His Excellency, the Bishop of the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma has given
Father Mark a special mandate to live in adoration before the Most
Blessed Sacrament, in a spirit of thanksgiving and intercession, that he
might make reparation before the Eucharistic Face of Jesus for all his
brothers in Holy Orders. At the same time, he is available to the
priests and deacons of the Diocese for spiritual and sacramental
support in their pursuit of holiness.
I, too, am very pleased to read your regular posts again.
I'm very much enjoying the excerpts from the Pope's encyclical. It is a pleasure to read and full of encouraging words.
It's just what the faithful need in this time of preparation.