Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I share a refection by St. Andrew of Crete on the mystery of the cross. "Had there been no cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, life itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if life had not been nailed to it, there would be no steams of immortality pouring from Christ's side, blood and water for the world's cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be canceled, we should not have attained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the gates of paradise would not stand open. Had there been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled."

With St. Paul we too can  proclaim, "May I never boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through it, the world has been crucified to me and I to the world." So when we make the sign of the cross, may we remember what Jesus has done for us. When we wear a cross around our neck, may we wear it as a sign of victory. When we look upon Christ crucified, may a prayer of gratitude well up in our heart. For with the cross, according to God's mysterious plan, we have been set free and given the gift of salvation. Hail Christ crucified and exalted for the world to see the magnificence of God's love for us!