“May I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord”

The feast day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Sept. 14 was celebrated in a special way at the National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague. After the Mass and Holy Hour, the parishioners engaged in enhancing the Shrine landscaping, especially the cross-shaped flower bed near the statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague. 

Red roses were planted to beautify the cross and emphasize its relevance as a sign of Christian faith and a powerful witness of Christ. Parishioners vividly discussed the example of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (a French Carmelite nun) who made it a regular habit to strew rose petals at the cross of her monastery as an expression of love for the crucified Christ and in surrender to him in all actions and activities of the day.

During his homily, Father Tran, pastor and rector of the Shrine, explained the practical meaning of witnessing to the cross. 

“Our church has a special role to play, because of its mission as the national shrine but also because of its location directly at the State Highway 99/ US-377. Many people are driving by, many pilgrims visit with us every day. The cross at our Shrine, visible to all, unites us in Christ and brings everyone to the love of Christ regardless of who we are, where we come from and where we are going,” Father Tran said.

He continued, “We are called to be witnesses of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross … and we do it on this feast day by highlighting that the cross is the sign and reassurance of Christian salvation.”

Father Tran went on to explain how the cross transforms and unites Christians around the Resurrection. 

“Without the dark day on Calvary on Good Friday, there would be no light on Easter Sunday. The same regards the Church … despite many persecutions over the past 2,000 years, the Holy Spirit has always been powerfully working within the Church of Christ,” Father Tran said. 

Father Tran also discussed how making the sign of the cross is a constant reminder that being Christ’s disciple means to be like Christ, to live for Christ, carry everyday crosses and courageously bear persecutions. 

“The cross is very powerful. Christ’s Incarnation, Death and Resurrection are combined in and encompassed by the cross. Without the cross, there would be no hope of salvation for us,” Father Tran said. He cited Saint Paul to stress that only those who are humble can recognize the power of the cross, “Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles …” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23)

Mary and Richard Piorkowski, pilgrims from Holy Cross Catholic Church in Mesa, Arizona, expressed their appreciation for the efforts of renewing the Shrine grounds and highlighting the meaning of the cross. 

“The Holy Cross helps us to better understand crosses in our lives and enables us to unite them with Jesus and his suffering. The beauty of roses draws attention to Jesus and Mary sharing in his sufferings on the cross,” Richard said. 

Mary added, “Sometimes it is hard to understand our sufferings, but when, with God’s grace, we truly get to understand them, suffering out of love for Christ can be sweet. Roses carry this sweetness also. Oftentimes we bring flowers to people who suffer, and these roses seem to express our love for Christ’s suffering on the cross.” 

After sharing her personal story, Mary continued, “We love visiting the Shrine. The prayer atmosphere here is spiritually enriching and we have experienced miracles from the Infant Jesus of Prague in our lives.”

Father Tran concluded by saying: “With our simple and humble parish activity today, we want to show people how to exalt the cross. We want to uplift people’s faith, the pilgrims and the faithful here in Prague, including those who have fallen away from the Church, we invite them back to our community of believers. There is no division in the cross of Christ, but there is true unity for all.”

He thanked the parishioners for their time and dedicated service to the church, “God’s glory is manifested on the cross. We need to show it to people by adoring and exalting the cross we see right before us.”

Jad Ziolkowska is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.