This weekend we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This is an unusual feast for a couple of reasons. First, it is one of those rare events when a feast on a certain date – September 14th – replaces the regularly scheduled Sunday Mass, which would have been the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time. That shows the importance of this Feast in the estimation of the Church, which brings up the second unusual point.
Why exalt the Cross? Wasn’t that a dark moment in our faith history?
The cross, or more specifically the Crucifixion of Jesus, is a dark moment in our faith history, but it remains the central teaching of our Christian faith. We listen today to John’s Gospel, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). The beautiful crosses that many wear as jewelry reflect this high esteem of Jesus’ sacrifice for you and me, for all humanity. He freely chose to suffer and die to pay the price for our sins.
The historical roots of this feast date back to the 4th century, when the Roman Emperor Constantine erected churches in Jerusalem to mark the spots of Jesus Crucifixion and burial. These churches and shrines would be destroyed by the Persians in 614, rebuilt, then destroyed again by the Muslim invaders to Jerusalem in 1009. The current Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem was dedicated in 1149, and encompasses all these sacred places within the one large structure.
Having been blessed to visit Jerusalem several times, something that always strikes me in this sacred building is often missed by pilgrims. Down in the lower level, below where the Crucifixion took place, there is a small, 2’ x 2’ glass window which shows the rock formation that stood beneath the Cross, and it is fractured through and through with cracks. This area, outside the Walls of Jerusalem at the time of Our Lord, was originally a quarry site, where massive stones were being cut for the Temple Mount area. They needed to abandon that quarry site because all the stone had been compromised by cracks. And so, right there in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we find the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy, also quoted by Jesus Himself: “The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22, Matthew 22:24).
The Cross became a means of execution by the Roman authorities, but remains for us a true reason to celebrate: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”
- Father Jim
Bishop’s Anniversary Mass
Burlington County Sunday, October 5th Cathedral of St. Mary the Assumption in Trenton, NJ. To sign up for the Blessing and Mass, please click here.
Hospice Care Information
Faith at Home
These links provides you with the latest one-page resource for families, Faith At Home; it connects to the theme of the upcoming Sunday Liturgy. This resource is updated each week and can be found on the diocesan webpage at www.dioceseoftrenton.org/faith-at-home and en Español at www.dioceseoftrenton.org/fe-en-casa.
May God continue to bless us and keep us close to Him.
Please support the Society of St. Vincent de Paul so that together we can help local families in need. Those needing help should call the SVDP helpline at 856-291-7313. Click this link to visit the SVdP website: www.SVDPmoorestown.org
Local food pantries include:
St. Matthew's Church, 318 Chester Ave.
First Baptist Church, 19 West Main St., Moorestown
Bethel AME, 512 N. Church St., Moorestown
Prince of Peace 61 E Rte 70, Marlton, NJ 08053
SVDP also has Thinking of You cards available. A gift can be given to the poor in the name of someone special at your
request. You will be remembered in the prayers and works of the Moorestown Vincentians. We are so very grateful for your
generous ongoing donations.
Our Promise to Protect
The Diocese of Trenton is committed to the initiatives outlined in the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in regard to the reporting and investigation of sexual abuse allegations involving minors. The Diocese has in place a Victim’s Assistance Coordinator, who is available to obtain support for your needs and help you make a formal complaint of abuse.
If you have been sexually abused as a minor by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or if you know someone who was, you can report that abuse through the diocesan Abuse Hotline: 1-888-296-2965 or via email at abuseline@dioceseoftrenton.org.
The Diocese encourages anyone with an allegation to also report that abuse to their local law enforcement agency. The Diocese reports all allegations received to the appropriate county prosecutor’s office.
ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS
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