Crucifix’s value

In Presov, Slovakia, on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Pope Francis said: “Crucifixes are found on necks, in homes, in cars... What good is this unless we stop to look at the crucified Jesus and open our hearts to him, unless we let ourselves be struck by the wounds he bears for our sake, unless our hearts swell with emotion and we weep before the God wounded for love of us? Unless we do that, the cross remains an unread book whose title and author we know, without it having any impact on our lives. Witnesses of the cross have one strategy, that of the master: humble love. They don’t look for triumphs; they know the love of Christ bears fruit in daily life, renewing all things from within, like the seed that falls to the ground, dies and produces much fruit.”

Giving service

During his Angelus last Sunday, Pope Francis said: “The word ‘service’ appears a bit hackneyed, worn out by use. But it has a precise and concrete meaning in the Gospel. To serve is not a courteous expression: it means to act like Jesus, who, summing up his life, said he had come ‘not to be served, but to serve’ (Mk 10:45). If we want to follow Jesus, we must follow the path he traced, the path of service. Our fidelity to the Lord depends on our willingness to serve. This often costs, because ‘it tastes like a cross’. The more we serve, the more we are aware of God’s presence.”

Non-negotiable

At a service attended by political leaders, Cardinal Celestino Aós Braco, OFM Cap, said: “We give thanks for all those who seek to respect and protect non-negotiable values: The respect and defence of human life from conception to its natural end, the family founded on marriage between man and woman, the freedom of parents to choose the model and establishment of education for their children, the promotion of the common good and the subsidiarity of the state that respects the autonomy of organisations and collaborates with them.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)