The Saint Brigid Parish Stations of the Cross are Amazing

This Lent let's focus on the words rather than the images.

The first panel says:

We Adore Thee
O Christ
And
We Bless Thee
Because
By Thy Holy Cross
Thou Hast
Redeemed
The World

The cross of Christ is the greatest of all paradoxes. 

The cross was the darkest hour in history

yet it was the time of greatest light.

It was the most tragic event in the history of the world,

yet the most wonderful thing that ever happened. 

It was the saddest spectacle man ever beheld,

yet it was the most stunning defeat Satan ever suffered

   and the most glorious victory Christ ever won. 

He won by losing. 

He conquered by surrendering. 

We see man's hatred for Christ in the cross, 

yet we see Christ's love for man. 

There we see human vengeance as the crowds cried for His blood, 

yet we see divine forgiveness as Jesus prayed, 

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

The cross portrays man’s sinfulness and God’s holiness;

 human weakness and divine strength. 

It demonstrates man's inability to save himself 

and God's ability and power to do this for him. 

The cross, from the human standpoint, is foolishness;

yet it is a revelation of the highest wisdom of God. 

💗

St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians that "for the Jewish people the cross is a scandal 

and for the Greeks (Gentiles) the cross is foolishness, but to those on the way of salvation -- 

Jew and Gentile alike -- Christ the power and wisdom of God!"

Make your Lenten prayers ... prayers for peace.

As we begin Lent, our 40-day season of prayer, sacrifice, and almsgiving in preparation for the celebration of Easter, I would suggest we offer our sacrifices and prayers for the people of Ukraine. We watch in horror as peaceful communities are turned into arenas of violence, families are separated, and young men young fathers pick up weapons. We see missiles destroy places of refuge and safety, and lives are abused, wounded, and lost, including innocent children. Millions must flee their homes with just the clothes they can carry. We all want to do something to help! And we can! As we begin our Lenten traditions, let all of us remember that prayer is powerful. Pray for peace! Pray for Ukraine. Ask God to pierce Putin’s heart.   

O God, author and giver of peace,
in whose image and likeness each of us has been created
with a human dignity worthy of respect on earth
and destined for eternal glory,
Listen to the cry that rises from every corner of this fragile earth,
from our human family torn by violent conflict:

Give peace in our time, O good and gracious God,
that peace which, as your son Jesus Christ told us
and as we have experienced in these days,
is a peace which the world cannot give.

To world leaders grant the wisdom
to see beyond the boundaries of race, religion, and nation
to that common humanity that makes us all your children
and brothers and sisters to one another.

To those who have taken up arms in anger or revenge
or even in the cause of justice
grant the grace of conversion to the path of peaceful dialogue
and constructive collaboration.

To the innocent who live in the shadow of war and terror,
especially the frightened children,
be a shelter and strength, their haven and hope.

And to those who have already lost their lives
as victims of human cruelty,
open wide your arms and enfold them all
in the embrace of your compassion, healing, and everlasting life.

Grant this through Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord.

Mary, Mother of all and Queen of peace, pray for us.

- Peter J. Scagnelli