PAUL OF THE CROSS, 

ST. PAUL  ON  THE CROSS 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my sermon is, “St. Paul of the Cross and St. Paul on the Cross.”

This is a sermon more than a homily – a homily being reflections on the readings of the day. A sermon is a conversation – thoughts – on the saint of the day or what have you.

TODAY OCTOBER 20^TH

Today, October 20^th, we celebrate the feast of St. Paul of the Cross.

His name was Paul Danei.

He was born in Ovada – which is near Genoa – now Italy.

His dates were 1693 – 1775.

He died October 18, 1775. October 18 is the feast of St. Luke – so they moved his feast to today.

He founded the Bassoonists – priests and brothers – and then later on – near the end of his life, the Passionist Nuns.

St. Paul of the Cross.

LIKE REDEMPTORISTS

The religious who staff this parish of St. Mary’s, Annapolis are Redemptorists.  We were brought up hearing about the similarities of the Passionists and the Redemptorists. Both we founded roughly at the same time in Italy – one in the north – and the other in the south. Both ended up doing roughly the same work: preaching parish missions, doing retreats in retreat houses, and here the U.S. doing some parish work.

THE CROSS

Paul of the Cross is called just that by many sermons and writings on the cross.

Like many statues of saints, Paul is often pictured with a cross in his hands.

You can read his writings and hear over and over again his messages about the cross in our lives  - connecting our sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

Like St. Alphonsus he stands there with the cross in his hands.

St. Alphonsus is famous for pushing the Stations of the Cross – to help us when are walking the tough roads, ways, paths of life.

THEOLOGY OF THE CROSS

If you do enough spiritual reading, you’ll pick up that different writers, different sayings, different people stress different this and that's.

TAKE SUFFERING

Saint Paul, the Saint Paul of today’s first reading – often talks about suffering.

Listen to this message from Colossians 1: 24-25, “It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up for all that has to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church.”

St. Paul has various comments about suffering – as I’m sure he was trying to figure out the mystery of pain, struggle, sufferings, sickness in his life.

Obviously, when talking about suffering he reflected on the sufferings of Christ and he made some sense of the mystery of life and its crosses in, through, and with Christ.

What has been your story, your take on your sufferings so far in life?

How have you changed, grown, this and that, about the cross.

This church here, St. John Neumann, church didn’t have this big cross up front right away.  Only afterwards did they put up this enormous big cross, central for reflection by people facing it while in church.

St. Mary’s, our other church downtown Annapolis, features Mary – much more than the cross.

St. Francis of Assisi for centuries had St. Francis standing there holding a cross.  Then there were all those images of Francis with a bird in his hand.

It was a change in emphasis: how to deal with sufferings – how to experience nature and creation.

In my work in Spirituality I’ve seen a vast change in thoughts about the cross, suffering.

One major change is to call folks away from hurting themselves, wanting to suffer, and ask God for more and more suffering – to be a victim soul.

Take St. Rose of Lima as someone who cut and disfigured herself to sufferer more for others.

I think we have taken on a healthier spirituality – when it comes to suffering.

Each person has enough suffering, the crosses from family, ageing, each other, addiction, abuse.

CONCLUSION

What’s your thoughts and prayers about the Cross?

How have you grown through the years understanding the meaning and meanings of carrying your cross.

Do you see life as more than the Sorrowful Mysteries of life? What about the Joyful, Glorious, and Light Giving moments and mysteries of life?