For the Passionist Family, September 14 and 15 invite us to spend two days close to the Cross.
On September 14, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The following day, September 15, we honor Our Lady of Sorrows. One feast draws our eyes to Jesus Crucified. The other brings us alongside Mary, who remained with her Son in his suffering.
Together, they lead us into the heart of Passionist spirituality.
A Cross Transformed by Love
The Cross confronts us with a mystery. How can an instrument of suffering and death become a symbol of hope?
The answer is found in the love of Jesus.
On the Cross, Jesus gives himself completely. He enters into the depths of human suffering and death, transforming the Cross into a sign of God’s boundless love. The Resurrection does not erase what happened on Calvary. Instead, it reveals that suffering and death will never have the final word.
For Christians, the Cross is therefore both a reminder of suffering and a promise of hope. It assures us that God does not remain distant from our pain. In Jesus Crucified, God enters into it with us.
Mary Remains Near
The next day, our attention turns to Mary.
Mary could not remove the Cross from her Son’s shoulders or spare him the suffering of Calvary. What she could do was remain near.
She accompanied Jesus and stood at the foot of the Cross when so much seemed lost. Her presence offers a powerful image of faithful love: a love that stays when there are no easy answers, a love that shares another’s sorrow simply by being present.
Our Lady of Sorrows can be especially close to those who know this kind of love — parents worried about their children, caregivers accompanying someone who is ill, families grieving a loss or anyone standing beside a loved one whose suffering they cannot take away.
Keeping Alive the Memory of the Passion
St. Paul of the Cross called Passionists to keep alive the memory of the Passion of Jesus. These two September feasts remind us that this memory is more than recalling something that happened long ago.
We encounter the Passion whenever we recognize Christ in those who suffer today. We live it when we choose compassion over indifference, remain beside someone in sorrow or bring hope into a place of pain.
The Cross teaches us that love can be stronger than suffering. Mary teaches us to remain close.
As we celebrate these two special days, perhaps we can ask ourselves:
Where do I see the Cross in my life or in the life of someone around me?
How might I, like Mary, simply remain near?
Whatever crosses we carry, we do not carry them alone.
May Jesus Crucified deepen our hope, and may Our Lady of Sorrows teach us to accompany one another with faithful and compassionate hearts.
