The Church celebrates the Triumph of the Holy Cross on Sunday, September 14. This Solemnity is an opportunity to reflect on the motto of our religious community, “The Cross is our Only Hope.” The core of Christianity is made visible in the image of the cross, that death gives way to eternal life. We live in such a reality not only at the end of our earthly lives, but in everyday life. The Cross of Christ becomes a symbol of mercy and love in which we view our earthly existence, our past, our future, and even the chaos of the present. We pray to the Lord.
For we who wish the past could have been different. The past always looks crystal clear in the present. We may wish we could have seen more clearly our role in the suffering of others. Our threatened pride, our naiveté, becomes a source of prayer under the cross. The redemptive love of Christ heals the present and challenges us to let go of mistakes and sins of the past. For all these moments of regret, we surrender to the wood of the cross. We pray to the Lord.
For nations besieged with fierce wars and never-ending violence. The Cross of Christ embraces nations and all hostilities. The redemptive love of Christ is not only a private devotion. The holiness of Jesus’ death embraces all who live in pain, and most especially, the suffering that never seems to end. From the rising to the setting of the sun, our hope is planted firmly in a life that remains long-lasting, even beyond our lifetime. For lasting peace. We pray to the Lord.
For those of us who are constantly trying to please others. The Cross of Christ is genuine. This grace is offered to us in our authentic lives. True grace touches our lives that are honest and only ours. We cannot live other people’s lives, nor can we receive the mercy that is offered to another person. The Triumph of the Cross settles into our lives and our needs. Mercy is offered to us in our own personal journey. For all the ways we do not allow God to touch our genuine pain. We pray to the Lord.
For friendless youth bullied online and in school hallways. Many young people face the daily barbs of bullying. Receiving the physical pushes and punches and the online knocks becomes pure anguish. Many young people will never recover from the blows of verbal assault. Carrying this cross requires others in the family and the community to stop the violence. We pray to reach out to those torn apart by street violence and online predators. We pray to the Lord.
For elder Holy Cross missionaries and their silent witness. For decades, our Holy Cross missionaries planted the cross in communities across the globe. They witnessed deep hope when the good news of Christ was translated into profound actions of education, housing, and food. In retirement, they often are unable to fully articulate the suffering they witnessed from the extreme horror of wars, from dictators, and crumbled governments. For so many brothers and priests, beauty and suffering remain silent in their hearts. We pray for our Holy Cross Missionaries who changed the world. We pray to the Lord.
For those of us who think we save ourselves. We may think the world revolves around us because of our positions of power or influence. Living in the center of the Cross, we realize our deep humility and profound surrender to God. The Cross of Christ shows us that we need mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. Salvation does not come from our own accomplishments or our will, or our desires. So often, we need to get out of the way so God may do God’s work. We pray for humility, realizing we do not live in the center of all life. We pray to the Lord.
For mothers who grieve the loss of a child. We carry some losses our entire adult lives. In the silence of nighttime, we grieve how life might have turned out. Many of the tragedies we face may never be fully healed or forgiven, or forgotten. The Cross of Christ witnesses to us in every tragic loss that hope is possible with time, with compassion, with deep faith in God’s mercy. We pray for the hurts and losses that remain in our hearts. We pray to the Lord.
For we who wait in joyful hope. As believers in the dying and rising of Christ Jesus, we hold hope within us. No matter the suffering of our present moment, we know that God’s compassion and love will heal us and save us. Hope is not abstract or ultra-pious. Hope lives at the center of our lives in the mystery of our daily suffering. The Cross of Christ is our true home on earth. God’s love awaits us who surrender our hearts to such love alone. We pray to the Lord.
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About: Rev. Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C., serves as religious superior of Holy Cross House, our retirement and medical facility at Notre Dame, Indiana. He is an award-winning author, blogger and visual artist. Learn more: ronaldraab.com
Artwork: Fr. Ron created this colorful collage a few months ago of the symbol of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the Cross and Anchor. Fr. Ron’s artwork has been published in parishes, dioceses, and ecumenical settings around the world.
Published August 2025
