Reflection

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Reflection by Nick Brodie

The message of the Cross is not condemnation, but salvation. Not despair, but hope.

Such themes are strongly evident in Pope Leo’s comments on migrants and refugees. ‘In a world darkened by war and injustice,’ he says, ‘even when all seems lost, migrants and refugees stand as messengers of hope. Their courage and tenacity bear heroic testimony to a faith that sees beyond what our eyes can see and gives them the strength to defy death.’

Indeed, he suggests, they ‘remind the Church of her pilgrim dimension, perpetually journeying towards her final homeland.’

‘Their presence, then,’ the pope declares, ‘should be recognised and appreciated as a true divine blessing, an opportunity to open oneself to the grace of God, who gives new energy and hope to his Church.’

We too, in turn, have the opportunity to ‘be a living witness to hope, one that is understood as the promise of a present and a future where the dignity of all as children of God is recognised.’

We are called therefore to be people who welcome the stranger, manifesting the hope of the Cross where and when we can.