JOYFUL GOSPEL LIVING
“We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You…”
Typically, the Gospel acclamation is a verse from Scripture, proclaimed in song by the cantor. This weekend, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Although the feast’s Gospel acclamation is not a verse from Scripture, it is very familiar to Catholics in our Stations of the Cross.
This little prayer is an enduring legacy of St. Francis of Assisi, whose three loves of Christ were the Crib in Bethlehem; the Cross; and Communion. As penitents, St. Francis taught his followers to say this prayer whenever they entered any church:
“We adore You, O Lord Jesus Christ,
here and in all the churches of the world,
and we bless You,
because by Your holy Cross,
You have redeemed the world.”
For many people, the Hallow application for portable electronic devices has become a powerful daily prayer tool, with so many ways to connect with God in podcasts, Scripture reflections, study guides, trivia games, meditative music, and many other spiritual delights. This year, Hallow offered the 40-day St. Michael’s Lent, a period of prayer and fasting that began on the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and will conclude on the feast of St. Michael the Archangel on September 29th. It was during a retreat like this on Mount La Verna in Tuscany in 1224 that St. Francis received the stigmata on this weekend’s feast day.
Because of his great love of prayer in solitude, St. Francis patterned his life by the example of the self-emptying (kenosis) Christ on the Cross. Besides his active evangelical ministry, he deliberately withdrew throughout the year to pray and fast with Christ.
During our Franciscan study pilgrimage in 2019, my husband Jeff and I visited Lago (Lake) Trasimeno, the largest lake in Italy, where St. Francis spent the Lent of 1211 in solitude on Isola Maggiore, praying and fasting from Ash Wednesday until Holy Thursday. The Little Flowers of Saint Francis (7) records that the man who rowed him to the island and back was amazed that St. Francis took with him only two loaves of bread; he returned with one and a half loaves!
In our Pilgrim’s Companion to Franciscan Places, there was a challenging spiritual reflection:
“Lago Trasimeno reminds us of one of the main tenets of Francis’ spirituality: the call to a life of penance. Penance for Francis meant total conversion to God. His experience on the island concretizes this focus for us. Here we can also challenge ourselves to the mystery of fasting:
- What fills us up?
- What fills our hearts?
- What kind of fasting is necessary in our lives so that God becomes greater and idols become less?
- How is our spiritual life bound up with the liturgical year?”
On September 1st, the Church commenced the celebration of the ecumenical Season of Creation (SOC), which will conclude on the feast of St. Francis (October 4th). The theme for this year is “Peace with Creation.” It coincides with the Franciscan family’s observance of the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures, a hymn of praise written in the Umbrian dialect by St. Francis just before his death. What are we doing to give praise to our Creator? How does our lifestyle bring about a more just society that respects all of God’s Creation?
In his message for the 10th World Day of Prayer for Creation (September 1st), Pope Leo XIV wrote:
“Now is the time to follow words with deeds. ‘Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience’ (Laudato Si’, 217). By working with love and perseverance, we can sow many seeds of justice and thus contribute to the growth of peace and the renewal of hope. It may well take years for this plant to bear its first fruits, years that, for their part, involve an entire ecosystem made up of continuity, fidelity, cooperation and love, especially if that love mirrors the Lord’s own self-sacrificing Love.”
Next Sunday (9/21), the United Nations observes the International Day of Peace: Act Now for a Peaceful World. How appropriate that this celebration occurs during the SOC! As Christians celebrate the 1500th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, the SOC Celebration Guide 2025 noted:
“In our troubled, unequal, and divided world, we are strengthened by the confession of faith and by the ecumenical communion established in Nicaea to follow Isaiah’s call and stand firm in our witness for God’s promise of peace for all Creation. Therefore, in the face of conflicts and strife, let us proclaim God’s promise: ‘The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.’ (Isaiah 32:17)”
Christ invited all of us to take up our crosses and follow Him. That invitation does not have an assurance that it will be easy. Rather, Jesus told His followers in the Beatitudes that they would be blessed when they were persecuted or insulted by wicked people.
The Gospel reminds us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” This treasured Scripture quote inspires gratitude for a love revealed on the Cross by our Savior. Our adoration for Christ then has certitude as we knowingly and deliberately follow Him:
“…because by Your Cross, You have redeemed the world.”
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
