Veritas - From the APRIM

Veritas - From the APRIM

First Communions and the Exultation of the Cross

Friday 14 September is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. My guess is that if you lobbed onto Earth with no historical, cultural or religious knowledge of the Cross, and were told what it was used for, then realise it is actually exulted by Catholics with a feast, you’d think the near two billion Christians that inhabit this planet are mad! Such is the theological depth of our Christian understanding of resurrection, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that only a saint could near adequately explain this exaltation. Br Brendan O’Hearn OP provided the reflection/prayer for our Thursday morning staff prayer gathering, which is taken from St Andrew of Crete; I have presented this amazing summary below:

We are celebrating the feast of the cross, whereby darkness was dispelled and light restored; wherein the crucified was raised up, leaving behind the earth and sin so that we may possess what is above.

If there had been no cross, Christ would not have been crucified. If there had been no cross, Life would not have been nailed to a cross.

If Christ had not been nailed to the cross, the streams of everlasting life would not have flowed from his hands, feet and side. Our sins would not have been washed away, we would not have obtained freedom, we would not have enjoyed the tree of life, paradise would not have been opened. If there had been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, the underworld would not have given up its spoils.

How great is the cross! Through which we have received a multitude of blessings because the miracles and sufferings of Christ have been victorious. The cross is the sign of the victory of Life over Death. And we are the recipients of this great victory. The cross has become the common salvation of the whole world.

The cross is called the glory of Christ, and his exultation; it is the chalice for which he longed, the consummation of his sufferings on our behalf.

“When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself.’ 

“Glorify me, Father, with the glory I had with you before the world was made.”

“Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.”

Six of our Year 4s; Alessandro dos Santos, Antony Barresi, Hudson Page, Marcus Gill, Nathan Bishop and Max Sampson, as well as Year 6, Ross Calabria, will finalise their initiation into the Catholic Church through their First Holy Communion on either Saturday 6.30pm 15 September or Sunday 10.00am 23 September at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish Church, Prospect. These students have been participating in sessions to prepare for their sacraments and I have observed that they have gained just an inkling of the wealth of our Catholic faith, but they are on their way to a deepening understanding. Before writing more about this path, I must congratulate these young men and moreover their parents for passing on this gift of faith. It cannot be understated – it is akin to the gift of life.

For these young men and all Catholics, the Holy Body and Blood of Christ is a gift only made possible through the Holy Cross. Being a fully initiated Catholic provides someone the choice to receive Christ regularly through the Eucharist. As we journey through life we experience immense suffering at times. Hopefully the suffering for our young students has been minor and short-lived, so they really only have an inkling of what Christ’s suffering, sacrifice and resurrection can represent to them in their own lives. For those for which age has revealed the inherent pain of being human, through the grief that accompanies the death of loved ones, the illness of children, the fracture of important relationships, job losses and financial stress, personal ailments, and worse of all – our own inadequacies, etc our albeit dim understanding of Christ helps us love Him more and comforts us with the promise of eternal life. As Christ was reborn, we too have the chance for rebirth through reconciliation which is inherent in the Mass for venial sins, and through Confession for mortal sins. Such is God’s love for us.

So, for all Catholics and most of all, our newly initiated ones, exalt the Holy Cross. Each time you make the sign of the cross, recognise you are tracing the suffering Christ on yourself. When done communally, recognise the suffering Christ in others. Most of all, recognise the image of God in yourself and others – the sign of the cross makes this obvious. Especially recognise the image of God in all people, regardless of their religious affiliation if any, and aim to shine the gift of your faith on all, as Jesus did in His life and continues to do through the sacraments.

Mr Matthew Crisanti

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL: RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND MISSION (ACTING)