Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross:The Cross, Prayers and Indulgences

Christ Carrying the Cross by Titian

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Today we honor the Cross of Christ.  "Devotion to the Holy Cross dates back to the earliest days of Christianity. The feast itself has been celebrated since the fourth century. Today the Church commemorates the recovery of the True Cross by the Emperor Heraclius following his victory over the Persians." (In Conversation with God, Vol 7, p.140). I recommend reading some of St. Josemaria Escriva's reflections. For now, I would simply like to share some prayer and indulgences related to the Cross. All were obtained from the Handbook/Manual of Indulgences.

22 En ego, o bone et dulcissime Iesu
Prayer before a Crucifix 
Good and gentle Jesus, I kneel before you. I see and I ponder your five wounds. My eyes behold what David prophesied about you: “They have pierced my hands and feet; they have counted all my bones.” Engrave on me this image of yourself. Fulfill the yearnings of my heart: give me faith, hope, and love, repentance for my sins, and true conversion of life. Amen.

(Psalm 22:17-18; Roman Missal, pp. 935-936.) On any Friday during Lent a plenary indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who, after communion, devoutly recite the above prayer before an image of Jesus Christ crucified. On other days of the year the indulgence is a partial one.

55 Signum crucis
Sign of the Cross 
A partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who devoutly sign themselves with the cross while saying the customary formula: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

63 Viae Crucis exercitium
Stations of the Cross
A plenary indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who devoutly make the Stations of the Cross. This devout exercise of the Stations of the Cross helps renew our remembrance of the sufferings that our divine redeemer underwent on his journey from Pilate’s praetorium, where he was condemned to death, to Mount Calvary, where for our salvation he died on the cross. The norms for obtaining this plenary indulgence are the following:

1. This devout exercise must be performed before stations of the cross that have been lawfully erected. 
2. Fourteen crosses are required in order to erect the Stations of the Cross. As an aid to devotion these crosses are customarily attached to fourteen tableaux or images representing the Jerusalem stations.
3. In accord with the more common custom, this devout exercise consists of fourteen pious readings to which are joined some vocal prayers. But in order to perform this devout exercise it is required only that one devoutly meditate upon the passion and death of the Lord. It is not required that one meditate upon each of the individual mysteries of the stations.
4. Movement from one station to the next is required. If this devout exercise is carried out publicly and such movement by all present cannot be done without some disorder, it is sufficient that the person who is leading the exercise move from station to station while the others remain in their places.
5. Persons who are legitimately prevented from fulfilling the above requirements can obtain this indulgence if they at least spend some time, e.g., fifteen minutes, in devout reading and meditation upon the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Equivalent to this devout exercise of the Stations of the Cross — even with regard to obtaining the indulgence — are those other devout exercises which have been approved by competent authority and which call to mind the remembrance of the Lord’s passion and death in a manner similar to the Stations of the Cross.
7. In order to obtain this indulgence, the patriarchs can establish some other devout exercise in memory of the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ for those Eastern Christian faithful whose usages do not include this exercise of the Stations.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis, formerly Jorge Cardinal Bergolio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was announced as the 265th Successor of Saint Peter. He is 76 years old and his pontificate marks a few firsts. He is the first pope from the Americas, the first Latin American and the first Jesuit pope.

I was moved by his humility in asking first that the people bless him before he gave his blessing to them. Thousands (200,000+) of people standing and kneeling in the square were silent as he bowed his head to receive their blessing. He also began with prayer, leading the people in praying the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. He also issued a plenary indulgence for all those who watched or listened in person or on media.

For some reason, our new Holy Father reminds me of Pope Paul VI.

I am sure we will be hearing more about our new pope in the hours and days ahead. For now you can visit these links for more information:

• Plenary Indulgence, Happy Catholic
• 10 Facts About Pope Francis, Dr. Taylor Marshall
• Habemus Papam! Pope Francis, Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction
• Argentine Cardinal Bergoglio elected Pope Francis, Catholic World News
• New Pope was Runner-Up in 2005, John Allen

Joe Catholic & the Catechism

Photo by Thicke

If you will notice from the image above, the Joe Catholic logo includes a representation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church - the green book with the keys.  We included this to symbolize that we are men faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Yesterday morning, the men of Joe Catholic packed into a classroom to gather to break open the Catechism. Why? Because many of us had never even opened a Catechism let alone own one AND, more importantly, because our Holy Father instructed us to read the Catechism.

Year of Faith
When Pope Benedict announced that the Church would be celebrating a Year of Faith, he suggested we read the documents of the Second Vatican Council and that we read the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). This makes sense because this year is the 50th anniversary of Vatican II and it is also the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism.

Norm for Teaching the Faith
The CCC is only the second universal catechism handed down by the Church. The Catechism of Trent is the other and it was written in 1566 primarily for priests. The CCC is one of the fruits of Vatican II and it is intended as resource for ALL members of the Church. Blessed John Paul II called the CCC "a sure norm for teaching the faith" and he asserted that it would help "serve the renewal" of the Church. He continued in Fidei Depositum (Deposit of Faith), explaining that the CCC "is a statement of the Church's faith and of Catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, Apostolic Tradition and the Church's Magisterium."

Important Functions
According to the USCCB, the CCC serves several important functions. They include: 

• Conveying the complete, essential and fundamental content of Catholic faith and morals in a summative way.
• It acts as a point of reference for the development of national and diocesan catechisms like the "burgundy" one developed by the USCCB.
• It is a positive, objective and declarative exposition of Catholic doctrine.
• It aids those who have a duty to catechize, namely promoters and teachers of catechesis. I contend this includes parents, who are the primary instructors of the faith to their children.

Four Pillars of the Faith
Pope John Paul II called the Four Pillars of Faith the "four movements of a great symphony." They include: 

1. Profession of Faith (The Apostle's & Nicene Creeds) - what the Church believes 
2. Celebration of the Christian Mystery (The Sacraments & Liturgy) - what the Church celebrates
3. Life in Christ (Commandments and Beatitudes) - what the Church lives
4. Universal Call to Prayer (Our Father) - what the Church prays 

CCC's Organization
The Catechism is made up of 2,865 paragraphs. This is how we find things in the CCC - we look up the paragraph number that has been referenced. I liked the way the New Evangelizers referred to the CCC as being written like an encyclopedia, dictionary and history book all in one. In the back of the "big green" version of the CCC are a number of cross reference tools for scripture, papal documents and documents of the councils. It is written in easy to understand prose and calls upon Sacred Scripture and the writings of the Church fathers, the saints and the Magisterium.

How to Use the CCC

When you first look at the CCC, it can look a bit intimidating because it is as thick as many phone books (do people still use those or are they just thrown in the recycling bin?). While one can certainly read it from cover to cover as FlockNote has attempted through daily emails, it is not necessary nor intended to be read that way. Instead, it is meant to be used as a reference for studying or growing deeper in the faith. Have a question about faith and morals? Pop open the Catechism. 

Tips to Get Started

I recommend two ways to get started reading and utilizing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. First, I recommend sitting down with the family and just looking up answers to common questions you or your children may have. Make it fun. Let the kids ask the questions to see what you can find. Remember to be patient because so many of us have become spoiled by the likes of Google searches. You might actually have to narrow down or even change the key words or terms you are using to look up in the INDEX. For example, yesterday we were looking up cloning. There is no reference to cloning in the index, but there is one for LIFE and a subcategory for "snares of human life." That's where we found our answer.

During Lent we are urged to pray, fast and give alms. The Catechism is a great source for learning more about improving your prayer life. As we continue the period of Lent, we could read portions of the Catechism devoted to Prayer.

Plenary Indulgence

If you didn't have enough reason to open the CCC. Here's one more.  The Church has attached a plenary indulgence to the study of the Catechism. Joe Catholic intends to sponsor two more talks on the CCC in the coming months. Here are the requirements (remember that the other requirements of a plenary indulgence are required too):

(A) Each time they attend at least three sermons during the Holy Missions, or at least three lessons on the Acts of the Council or the articles of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in church or any other suitable location. (USCCB)