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Reflections from The Cross, Our Only Hope

The Lord Jesus was crucified. But the Father raised him to glory, and Christ breathed his Spirit into his people, the church. Dying and rising with him in Baptism, his followers are sent to continue his mission, to hasten along the kingdom. — Holy Cross Constitutions

The love of God revealed in the Crucifixion, resurrection, and pentecost is the source of our hope, the food for our faith, and the catalyst for the zeal with which we pledge our lives to the mission of Holy Cross. How exciting, yet humbling, to be called to this mission which is very simply the mission of Jesus, our Savior. Our efforts, stemming from our prayer, brotherhood, and life in community, are not rooted in who we are but rather in who he is since they are really his efforts. Be it in the classroom, parish, homeless shelter, or in a land or culture foreign to us, we are all missionaries of his hope who proclaim the kingdom of justice, peace, and love.

The mission of Jesus, shared by all the baptized, is often misunderstood, rejected, or frustrated by conflicting values. Indeed, we are walking with him on the road to Calvary when we are mocked, ignored, or reviled for being preachers and teachers of the mission. Hope can be hard for us to sustain when we feel the kingdom impeded rather than hastened. Weariness can dampen our zeal or even create for us a Gethsemane of the spirit. In these times we are reminded that just as the mission is that of Jesus, so also is the strength for it. He sustains us. His unending love for us restores our hope and fires our zeal. And since God loved us first, we are capable of sharing, and yearn to share, that love with others. It is a love that hastens us along in our mission.

— David T. Tyson, C.S.C.

From The Cross, Our Only Hope: Daily Reflections in the Holy Cross Tradition, ed. by Andrew Gawrych, C.S.C., and Kevin Grove, C.S.C., Copyright 2008 by Priests of Holy Cross, Indiana Province. Used with permission of Ave Maria Press (www.avemariapress.com).