Dear Participants,

Welcome to day thirty of our retreat! Today's topic is the love of the Cross.

It is when Jesus offers himself as a sacrifice on the Cross that he learns to be victorious. Victory begins on the instrument of humiliation and death.

Jesus knows it all - and by being nailed to the tree of shame, he becomes intimately acquainted with suffering. By bearing our sins, there's nothing he ignores of the human weaknesses and perversions. 

Therefore, we ought to hide nothing from the Lord: what we are going through, our pain, our anxieties... It is not a no-go zone for God's presence; He can enter there too. It's not easy, but we are called to this as well, and this is why we rely on the community of the faithful. 

And when we encounter someone in distress, we can support him/her and console him/her by remaining to his/her side, like Mary who accompanied Jesus at all time. We try to find in our heart the means and strength to help the one who is in pain, and with Mary's grace, we can understand and support to the best of our abilities.  It is one of the mysteries of Christian vocation.

The love of the Cross is evident in Father Lamy. Before Mary tasked him to build his congregation, he was a good, devoted priest. But once he received Mary's grace, he underwent a tremendous transformation: his heart will remain in constant communication with the Lord, in extraordinary ways. Thus, he can find again, by the grace of Mary, the One to whom his heart longed, and let Him act in his life. 

Same for us: to Jesus, through Mary. By Mary's grace, let us allow the Lord into our heart, and let make Him work in our life, with all His love and gentleness.  There is room for the Lord in our world, and it is up to us to set up a place for Him!

Let us pray:

For the Community prayer, click on the "Pray" button below.

Artwork: Virgin Mary and Jesus, by Olexander Ohapkin.