The annual Ecumenical Service of Salutations to the Holy Cross is frequently a joyous coming together of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. This year, however, it was “tinged with a certain somber tone and sense of urgency, as we are following with horror of the war being waged on our brother and sister Christians in Ukraine,” Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said in his homily at the prayer service hosted by San Francisco Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Gerasimos March 10.
“Perhaps, on the other hand, there could be no more appropriate occasion for us to exalt the Holy Cross, for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine are certainly bearing their cross at this time,” Archbishop Cordileone said.
“And after the manner of the vision of the Emperor Constantine, whom we also honor tonight in our hymns, at the Milvian Bridge, when the Cross appeared to him in the sky announcing to him that he would win with this sign, a luminous cross appeared above the Golden-Domed Monastery of St. Michael in Kiev last week,” Archbishop Cordileone said.
“What a powerful reminder that it is the Cross that is our ladder to heaven, which pulls us out of the violence, chaos and sin of this world into the peace and order of God’s Kingdom.”
Speaking to those gathered at the ornately decorated Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross, where there is a true relic of the Cross, Archbishop Cordileone said: “Truly there is no other way to heaven. We must pass through the Cross, there is no other way. Is this not the lesson of Lent? We fast, we intensify our prayer, we confess our sins to receive God’s absolution in the sacrament, we give alms to the poor and carry out other works of charity, as we keep our vision focused on the goal of this holy season: the Resurrection of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead, our pledge of eternal life with him. We must bear this in mind as the news of the loss of life, destruction of property, and threat of obliterating a deep and thriving Christian civilization cannot but fill us with anguish. With our prayers and material generosity, let us keep the Ukrainian people uppermost in our intentions and come to their aid with spiritual and temporal assistance.”
Separately, earlier in the week, the Archdiocese of San Francisco announced that the annual Catholic Relief Services collection on March 26-27 could be dedicated to relief for Ukraine.
The above comes from a March 11 posting on the San Francisco archdiocese website.
It is important to pray with (and for) our Orthodox brothers and sisters and, as the Archbishop noted, “we are following with horror of the war being waged on our brother and sister Christians in Ukraine.” And, “What a powerful reminder that it is the Cross that is our ladder to heaven, which pulls us out of the violence, chaos and sin of this world into the peace and order of God’s Kingdom. Truly there is no other way to heaven. We must pass through the Cross, there is no other way.”
Thank you, Archbishop.
“We bow to your Cross, O Christ (reverence), and we praise and glorify your holy Resurrection. For you alone are our God, and we know no other. We call you by name. Come all you faithful, let us bow to the holy Resurrection of Christ (reverence),for behold, through the Cross, joy has come to the whole world. Always blessing the Lord, let us praise his Resurrection. By enduring the Cross for us, he destroyed Death by death.” (from Byzantine Sunday Matins)
I hope he invited the Ukrainian Catholics
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is the largest of the Eastern Churches united with Rome.
I always see people reaching out to the Orthodox which is good.
Don’t forget our own.
Or the Greek-Russians, Our Lady of Fatima (G-R) is in San Fransisco. Do Greek Catholics need to be reached out to? For? Acknowledgment? An “attaboy” or two? Do you believe that ++ Cordileone hasn’t already been deeply connected with the same? (I always see people reaching out.) They (Orthodox) are separated; Greek-Catholics are not separated. That’s why they are Catholic.
Today, March 15th, the Vatican revealed that on Fri. March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation, the Pope will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, during a Penitential Celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica At the same time, his Papal envoy, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Apostolic Almoner, will likewise join the pope, and will make the same Consecration, at Fatima. This is in response to a request by the Latin Rite Catholic bishops of Ukraine. Of course, this is related to the controversial history of this Consecration, originally requested by Our Lady of Fatima in 1917, but that is too long to be presented here.
Of course, Pope St. John Paul II did this Consecration in 1984– but although Sr. Lucia reported that Our Lady accepted his Consecration, it also was not done exactly as Our Lady had
requested– and if her directions had been followed exactly, many more rich graces would flow from Heaven! Well, all of this is a little too controversial for me– so there it is! Anyway, I am sure the Consecration to be done on Friday will bring great graces, for both Ukraine and Russia, and help stop the war!
Stuff like this makes Catholicism seem like superstition.
There are even people saying the consecration by Pope Francis won’t count because they don’t think he’s the pope, and they insist that Benedict has to be there by his side when he does it otherwise it will have no effect because it won’t be accepted by Mary.
Superstition.
We grew out of that after Vatican II, or so I thought.
Using words like “stuff” makes Catholics seem ___? (fill in the blank) What stuff are you discussing, exactly? Sounds like you don’t know or care to know. Fatima is an approved apparition, (unlike others, like Medjugoje) by the Church, that means the Church has investigated the incident and the claims of Divine involvement are solidly reinforced by the surrounding facts. You don’t have to believe, personally, as a Catholic, as it is private revelation. You should not mock, however, what you don’t understand.
We all “grew out of that” post Vat. II….(or so you thought)….Well, again, what is the that which we grew out of? The very idea of ours being a supernaturally based church? Because, once you take away the supernatural (Immaculate Conception, Divine Nativity, Jesus’ miracles, miracles of the early Church, OT miracles, the Eucharist itself, and let’s not forget the Resurrection, Ascension) what are you left with? The Unitarian Church might be what you’d have in mind.
No. Our Lady is in Heaven, with Christ– and she is real. Most Catholics highly revere Our Lady of Fatima. And when the Pope does something spiritual and wonderful– prayers, Masses, or this Consecration, it is never viewed as superstitious. Catholics believe in an unseen, Loving God, Who created us all, sent His Son to teach and heal us, and to die for our Salvation. And God has many spiritual graces to bestow, from Heaven, to help us with many things– especially, in times of our painful earthly sufferings. Say a Rosary, offer up a Lenten sacrifice, pray for peace, and an end to the war in Ukraine. It will greatly help. There is a God Who loves us, and hears our prayers.
I guess praying rosaries for peace in Ukraine is supposed to make people forget about when they were asked to pray rosaries for an end to the Covid pandemic. Never ends, does it?
All of our holy Sacraments are of Christ, mystically, in Heaven– they are miraculous, and contain multitudes of fabulous graces! The Holy Eucharist is the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ! He has always continued to be with us, even after His death and Resurrection– He is still with us, helping us on earth, with millions of graces!
IF any one wants to know why many Catholics are uncomfortable with “the spirit of Vatican 2”.. it is summed up right here..
I’m comfortable with Vatican II. So should you if you’re Catholic. It was a general council of the church that taught things for all Catholics to follow.
Would that this act of aggression be the catalyst for Christian unity.
Two months ago in Daily Mass was the reading from 1Sam15 in which Saul, after having been told to put the Amalekites under the ban, and destroy everyone and everything, returns with the best herds and flocks, and King Agag himself. He is soundly rebuked by Samuel for his disobedience, yet presistantly, hard-headedly insists that he has obeyed the command of the Lord. For that his kingship is revoked, and is soundly condemned:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.””
(1Sam 15:22-24)
If the command to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary were promulgated by a hierarch, say, a pope, instead of the Blessed Virgin herself, failure to do so would be seen as disobedience, or even an act of schism. The popes who have “tried” to obey are indeed fortunate that it was the Blessed Virgin and not a pope or bishop. Let us pray that God is more merciful now than he was in the days of Saul.
Many Catholic bishops have called for a Novena to lead up to the Pope’s IHM Consecration on March 25th. Archbishop Mokrzycki, of the Archdiocese of Lviv, is leading a worldwide Novena, to start on Mar. 17, today, to lead up to the Papal Consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, on Friday, March 25th. Details are on the Lviv Archdiocese website– I think English translation on the Internet is a available. I bet the Novena prayers will also be widely published in all languages, by many Catholic sources.
Many are using the Annunciation Novena and praying the Rosary daily, also, for the Novena leading up to the IHM Consecration on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25th. That is also what I chose to do.
I don’t like the flowery, saccharine language of a lot of Marian devotions and piety. Consider this, which I saw on a parish website. No man is going to pray like that unless he has some mommy issues or arrested development. Prayer to Mary is good. It doesn’t have to be like this. Ain’t nothing wrong with the regular Hail Mary prayer.
I greet you, Ever-blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Throne of Grace, miracle of Almighty Power! I greet you, Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity and Queen of the Universe, Mother of Mercy and refuge of sinners!
Most loving Mother, attracted by your beauty and sweetness, and by your tender compassion, I confidently turn to you, miserable as I am, and beg of you to obtain for me from your dear Son the favor I request in this novena:
(mention your request).
Obtain for me also, Queen of heaven, the most lively contrition for my many sins and the grace to imitate closely those virtues which you practiced so faithfully, especially humility, purity and obedience. Above all, I beg you to be my Mother and Protectress, to receive me into the number of your devoted children, and to guide me from your high throne of glory.
Do not reject my petitions, Mother of Mercy! Have pity on me, and do not abandon me during life or at the moment of my death. Amen.
Thanks for posting that. I like it.
Mi mucho gusto