Exaltation of the Cross – September 14

This year, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross falls on Sunday. In the sorrows, violence, and challenges to hope that touch our lives so deeply, our faith turns our eyes to the profound mystery that Jesus embraced all human sin and suffering in the redeeming sacrifice of Calvary.

Historically, the feast commemorates the finding of the true Cross around the year 326 on that hill outside of Jerusalem by St. Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine. In the second century, under the Emperor Hadrian, the top of Mount Calvary was leveled and a temple to the pagan goddess Venus was built; he also cut away and leveled the hillside where Jesus’ tomb stood and built a temple to the pagan god Jupiter Capitolinus. Then, about the year 326, the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus was demolished, and the workers began to excavate the area. They discovered the remains of the tomb that was reported to be that of our Lord Jesus. They built a new shrine over the tomb, which has been modified over the centuries, but today stands in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Helena found several crosses, but the remains of only one of them proved to have the power to heal a woman with a terminal illness.

The Cross is the quintessential Christian symbol; but for us, what then is the Cross of Christ? It can stand for many things in our lives; but one of them is that is the very specific, concrete means that the Son of God used to offer the sacrifice of perfect and redeeming love.

The Father’s will that all should be saved and come to know the truth came down to this: two particular pieces of wood, on a certain Friday afternoon, on a specific hill outside Jerusalem, where Jesus would lay down his life for his friends, and die out of love for us. It is fairly easy for us to have good intentions about our own obedience and love for God, but when it becomes so specific, it can become difficult for us to surrender: to say, here and now, I will not repeat this gossip, I will write this check to charity, I will spend these 15 minutes in prayer, I will not watch that show – all out of love for God and the will to help others. With such a high bar, we will often fail; but the redeeming love of Jesus revealed on the Cross will never fail.

Masses of Healing and Remembrance for Those Who Have Died by Suicide --Weekend of September 27-28

In conjunction with Bishop Neary and all the parishes of the diocese, we mark the last weekend in September as Suicide Healing and Remembrance Weekend, We will pray for all affected by loss of loved ones through suicide and for all who work with those troubled by suicidal thoughts and mental health struggles. We recognize the profound and often complicated grief that accompanies such a loss and the pressures and various factors of mental health that can lead individuals to taking their own lives. This Mass will be a sacred space for prayer, remembrance and the sharing of hope. As part of this observance, we will:

-hear a brief recorded message from Bishop Neary before Mass begins

-have a Book of Remembrance near the sanctuary, next to the Easter candle, for people to enter the names of those who have died through suicide at any place or time

-have an opportunity for those who wish to come forward after the homily and light a candle in memory of a loved one who has died through suicide

-have printed resources available for suicide healing and mental health ministry Jubilee Year of Hope Pilgrimage

All are welcome to join us on September 27 for a day of local pilgrimage to several of our diocesan Jubilee Year of Mercy sites.

We will be leaving from Sacred Heart via tour bus at 10 a.m. The day will include prayerful visits to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Sauk Centre, St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, the Grasshopper Chapel in Cold Spring, and the Poor Clare Monastery in Sauk Rapids. We will return to Sacred Heart in time for the 5:00 p.m. Mass. Lunch is provided.

More than a tour or outing, a pilgrimage is a sacred journey, undertaken with prayer and a desire to encounter God’s presence.

Participants are asked to prepare in prayer and consider some specific intention for this day, making it a sacrificial gift of charity and through it, meeting the mercy of God and the hope that comes to us in Christ’s love.