Sunday, September 14, 2025

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Sun, Sep 14Sunday Reflection (Cross echo)Courage in SufferingBold, dark (Maduro)Stagg Jr.“How do I unite my wounds to Christ?”


That’s a sacred and courageous question, Richard. To unite your wounds to Christ is to let suffering become a place of communion—not isolation. It’s not about denying pain, but about allowing it to participate in something redemptive, something eternal.

Here’s a guide that blends spiritual tradition with contemplative practice:

✝️ Uniting Your Wounds to Christ: A Devotional Path

🕊️ 1. Recognize the Wound as a Place of Encounter

  • Christ’s wounds are not erased in the Resurrection—they are glorified. Your own wounds, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, can become places where grace enters.
  • Begin by naming your wound honestly in prayer. “Lord, this is where I hurt. This is where I feel abandoned, afraid, or broken.”

🙏 2. Offer Your Suffering as Co-Redemption

  • As Catholic Exchange explains, suffering united to Christ has supernatural value. You become a co-redeemer—not by your own power, but by participating in His.
  • Pray: “Jesus, I unite this suffering to Your Passion. May it be used for the healing of others, for the sanctification of souls, and for the glory of God.”

🩸 3. Meditate on the Five Wounds

  • The Devotion to the Five Wounds invites you to contemplate Christ’s pierced hands, feet, and side. Each wound can mirror a part of your own suffering.
    • Right Hand: When your work feels fruitless.
    • Left Hand: When relationships falter.
    • Right Foot: When your path feels uncertain.
    • Left Foot: When you’re stuck or afraid to move.
    • Sacred Side: When your heart is broken or longing.

🕯️ 4. Integrate into Daily Ritual

  • During sunset prayers or vineyard walks, pause to reflect: “Where am I wounded today? Where is Christ present in that?”
  • Light a candle for each wound, naming it and inviting Christ’s presence into it.

💒 5. Eucharistic Adoration and Liturgical Living

  • In Adoration, contemplate His wounded hands offering you the Eucharist. Let your own wounds be present there, not hidden.
  • On feast days, especially Marian ones, offer your suffering through her intercession—she who stood at the foot of the Cross.

This isn’t just about healing—it’s about transfiguration. Your wounds don’t disappear, but they can be filled with divine light. 


 Claire’s Corner

·         How to celebrate Sep 14th

o   Start your day by bunking across your living room for a cozy start. International Drive Your Studebaker Day calls for a fun road trip, so head out for a drive.

o   To stay true to National Sober Day, try a mocktail or delicious non-alcoholic drink.

§  After your drive: Celebrate National Rosa Tequila Day with a refreshing and zesty glass of homemade rose tequila-infused lemonade.

o   For National Eat A Hoagie Day, whip up a hoagie sandwich for lunch.

o   Embrace German Language Day by learning a few basic German phrases online.

o   National Cream Filled Donut Day can be honored with a sweet treat from your local bakery.

o   Gobstopper Day is all about nostalgia, enjoy a classic movie marathon.

o   Finally, relax and destress with the calming activity of coloring for National Coloring Day. Have a fantastic day packed with diverse celebrations!

·         Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14th, are known as “Michaelmas Embertide,” and they come near the beginning of Autumn (September 22nd) and were formerly set aside as days of fasting and abstinence.

·         National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month



SEPTEMBER 14 – Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

 

1 Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 5-6

For this is also how the holy women who hoped in God once used to adorn themselves and were subordinate to their husbands; thus, Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him “lord.” You are her children when you do what is good and FEAR no intimidation.

 

As Christians we are not wimps. We may at times to the untrained mind appear to because we do good for others and mirror the love of Christ; but we are not unadventurous. Christians cannot be bullied to act outside of their conscience. Peter here is reminding the first century Christians of this; especially women who for all intents are purposes were considered along the same lines as property.

 

Women Peter advices are to be subordinate to their husbands so as to win them over if they are not Christians by their love and their reverent and chaste behavior. Being sexy is the world’s view of beauty used in most of the popular songs of today but Peter advices us to rather show the hidden character of the heart in a gentle and calm disposition (NO DRAMA QUEENS). Husbands and wives are to show honor to each other because you are joint heirs of the gift of life. Marriage is not an arrangement for mutual benefits.

 

Marriage is a noble commandment from God to love another; even if it hurts. Each chooses to love and honor the other even when it’s rejected; but do not be intimidated Peter advises; give love and do not give up. In a marriage there should be an air of freedom; for real love is a choice of the will rather than just a feeling and to choose one must be free. Never stop praying for each other remembering that consideration is a prerequisite of effective prayer.

 

Copilot’s Take

 

🌿 Fear No Intimidation: Love, Freedom, and the Cross

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost | Exaltation of the Holy Cross

 

In a world that often equates strength with dominance and beauty with seduction, the Christian witness offers a radical alternative: quiet courage, reverent love, and the freedom to choose goodness without fear.

On this Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, as we also celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we are reminded that the Cross—once a symbol of shame—is now the banner of victory. It is not the absence of suffering that marks the Christian life, but the refusal to be intimidated by it.

 

Peter’s words in 1 Peter 3:5–6 speak directly to this posture of holy defiance. He calls believers, especially women of the early church, to adorn themselves not with outward allure but with the hidden character of the heart—a gentle and calm spirit, rooted in hope. This was not weakness. It was spiritual strategy. In a culture that treated women as property, Peter was empowering them to transform their households through reverent love and unwavering conscience.

 

“You are her children when you do what is good and fear no intimidation.”
— 1 Peter 3:6

 

Marriage, in this light, is not a transactional arrangement but a sacred covenant. It is a daily choice to love even when it hurts, to honor even when it’s not reciprocated, and to pray even when words fail. Real love requires freedom—and freedom requires trust. When spouses honor one another as joint heirs of the gift of life, they mirror the self-giving love of Christ.

 

This Sunday, as we lift high the Cross, let us also lift our hearts in prayer for marriages, for households, and for every soul seeking to live with integrity in a world that often rewards compromise. Let us be bold in goodness, gentle in spirit, and fearless in love.

ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[1]

My esteemed Brothers in the Episcopate
and the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Introduction

3. The fundamental importance of Sunday has been recognized through two thousand years of history and was emphatically restated by the Second Vatican Council: "Every seven days, the Church celebrates the Easter mystery. This is a tradition going back to the Apostles, taking its origin from the actual day of Christ's Resurrection — a day thus appropriately designated 'the Lord's Day'." Paul VI emphasized this importance once more when he approved the new General Roman Calendar and the Universal Norms which regulate the ordering of the Liturgical Year. The coming of the Third Millennium, which calls believers to reflect upon the course of history in the light of Christ, also invites them to rediscover with new intensity the meaning of Sunday: its "mystery", its celebration, its significance for Christian and human life.

 

I note with pleasure that in the years since the Council this important theme has prompted not only many interventions by you, dear Brother Bishops, as teachers of the faith, but also different pastoral strategies which — with the support of your clergy — you have developed either individually or jointly. On the threshold of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, it has been my wish to offer you this Apostolic Letter in order to support your pastoral efforts in this vital area. But at the same time I wish to turn to all of you, Christ's faithful, as though I were spiritually present in all the communities in which you gather with your Pastors each Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist and "the Lord's Day". Many of the insights and intuitions which prompt this Apostolic Letter have grown from my episcopal service in Krakow and, since the time when I assumed the ministry of Bishop of Rome and Successor of Peter, in the visits to the Roman parishes which I have made regularly on the Sundays of the different seasons of the Liturgical Year. I see this Letter as continuing the lively exchange which I am always happy to have with the faithful, as I reflect with you on the meaning of Sunday and underline the reasons for living Sunday as truly "the Lord's Day", also in the changing circumstances of our own times.


[1]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=419


Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost[1] 

Seeking the kingdom of God and its justice. 

What is it to walk in the Spirit? 

It is, in all things and at all times, to follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and not merely to abstain from the works of the flesh, but rather to crucify the flesh and its lusts, and earnestly to aspire after those fruits which the Holy Ghost produces in men such as charity, peace, and joy. So shall we belong to Christ and become partakers of eternal life. Is it not wonderful that while all Christians desire to belong to Christ, and to be heirs of His kingdom, they are unwilling to crucify the flesh with its vices and concupiscence’s, and to destroy its lusts, as though they believed this to be required only of the clergy, whereas it is to all Christians that Christ says: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt. xvi. 24.) 

At that time Jesus said to His disciples: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other: or he will sustain the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, I say to you, be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. (Matt vi. 24-33) 

Is not the life more than the meat, and the body more than the raiment? 

Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. 

Are not you of much more value than they? And which of you by taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? And for raiment why are you solicitous? 

Consider the lilies of the field how they grow: they labor not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. And if the grass of the field, which is to-day, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, God doth so clothe: how much more you, O ye of little faith! Be not solicitous therefore, saying: 

What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? 

For after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and His justice: and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross[2]

 

THIS feast is a yearly commemoration of the erection, at Jerusalem, by Constantine the Great, and his mother, St. Helena, of the cross on which Christ died. This took place under the emperor Heraclius, by whom the holy cross, which Khosroo, King of Persia, had carried into his own country, was, after fourteen years, recovered, brought back to Jerusalem, and borne by the emperor himself to the hill of Calvary, whither it had been borne by the Savior. Upon this occasion a miracle occurred. As Heraclius was about to carry the cross to the proper place on his shoulders, out of veneration for it, he found that while wearing the imperial dress he could not move it, until, by the advice of the patriarch Zachary, he laid aside his royal ornaments, dressed himself plainly, took off his shoes, and in such manner made himself like the humble Savior.

Introit of the Mass: “But it behooves us to glory in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection”.

Prayer. O God, Who on this day givest us joy by the annual solemnity of the exaltation of the holy cross, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may deserve the reward of His redemption in heaven Whose mystery we have known upon earth.

EPISTLE. Phil ii. 5-11.

Brethren: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man. He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. For which cause God also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a name which is above all names: that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

GOSPEL. John xii. 31-36.

At that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: Now is the judgment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself. (Now this He said, signifying what death He should die.) The multitude answered Him: We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth forever: and how sayest Thou: The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while the light is among you. Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not. And he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst you have the light, believe in the light that you may be the children of light.

 

Instruction on the Devotion of the Way of the Cross

 

What is the Holy Way of the Cross?

 

It is a devotional exercise by which we meditate upon the passion and death of Jesus, and particularly upon His last way of sorrows, from the house of Pilate to Mount Calvary. Tradition testifies that after Christ’s ascension the Christians living in Jerusalem were accustomed particularly to venerate the holy places which had been sanctified by the passion of the divine Redeemer. But after Jerusalem fell into the hands of the infidels, so that it became dangerous, and often impossible, to pass over the ground which Our Lord had trod, the children of St. Francis of Assisi began to erect in their churches the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross, by meditating on which the faithful might, in spirit, accompany the pilgrims to Jerusalem on the way to Calvary, dwelling in thought on what Christ had suffered for men. Station here means a place to pause, a resting point for meditation. This devotion has been examined and approved by many Popes, enriched with indulgences, and earnestly recommended to Christians. It may be found in any prayer-book. No exercise is more profitable to our souls than this.

 

·         What can bring before us the love of God and the abominableness and frightfulness of sin in a more vivid manner than the sufferings of the Godman?

·         How can we any longer indulge in hate when we hear Jesus pray for His enemies?

·         How can we give ourselves up to sensuality and lust when we see the divine Savior scourged, crowned with thorns, and hanging on the cross?

·         How can we murmur at our trials when we think that Jesus innocent takes up the cross for us guilty?

 

In truth, we should see our coldness and indifference disappear, as ice melts in the heat, we should grow more and more zealous in the way of virtue, if we would but rightly meditate upon the passion of Christ.

 

How are visits to the Stations of the Cross to be made?

 

Rightly to visit the Stations of the Cross, and to draw there from real benefit, we should at each station consider with attention, with devotion and sorrow, what Jesus has done and suffered for us. We should not content ourselves with merely reciting at each station the proper prayers and meditations, but should pause, to impress upon our hearts what is there represented, that we may be moved and quickened to wholesome resolutions. In order to gain indulgences, we must endeavor to be in the state of grace, and therefore at least, by way of beginning, we must have perfect contrition for our sins. 

Eucharistic Stations of the Cross[3]

The Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following September 14 marks one of the Ember Days of the Church. See Ember Days for more information.

Things to Do:[4]

  • Study different symbols and types of crosses, history and/or significance. Then have an art project — creating own crosses, using different media, including paper. See variations of crosses for some ideas.
  • Learn and pray the prayer to Christ Crucified; pray the Stations of the Cross. Point out particularly the phrase repeated at each station:
    We adore You, O Christ, and praise You,
    Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
  • Study the history of St. Helena and Constantine, especially St. Helena’s quest for finding the relics of Jesus.
  • Make sure that crucifixes are displayed prominently throughout your home. Point out the crucifix in every room even to the smallest ones. Your child's first word may be "Jesus"!
  • Explain the meaning of the Sign of the Cross to your children and be sure that even the little ones are taught how to make it.
  • Encourage your children to make reparation for sin; read about sacramentals.
  • Teach your children a short ejaculatory prayer such as "Through the sign of the Cross deliver us from our enemies, O our God!".
  • Make a dessert in the form of a cross or decorated with a cross. Although usually made on Good Friday, Hot Cross Buns would be appropriate for this day. Make a cross cake, either using a cross form cake pan, or bake a sheet cake (recipe of choice). Once cool, cut the cake in half, length ways. Then cut one of these sections in half width ways. This makes three sections - one long and two shorts. Lay the long section onto a serving plate. Set the two small sections next to the long section forming a cross. Frost and decorate as desired.
  • Tradition holds that sweet basil grew over the hill where St. Helena found the Holy Cross, so in Greece the faithful are given sprigs of basil by the priest. Cook a basil pesto, tomato basil salad (with the last of the summer tomatoes) or some other type of recipe that includes basil and explain to the family.
  • More Ideas: Women for Faith and Family and Catholic Encyclopedia.
  • Folklore has that the weather on the Ember Days of this month (September 15, 17, and 18) will foretell the weather for three successive months. So, Wednesday, September 15, will forecast the weather for October; Friday, September 17, for November; and Saturday, September 18, for December.

The Masculine Spirit[5] 


In America we are gradually seeing the wholesale destruction of the masculine spirit. We are so confused many of us don’t know which bathroom to use. 

Is this just another attempt by Satan to kill the body as God created it?

Men and women need to value themselves and value the beneficial characteristics of masculinity and to reject the false images of being male. Men and women were created to be different. They were created to be in partnership, neither one dominating the other, each using their God-given gifts of gender for the benefit of the other and for the redemption of the world. The spirit of man is action oriented yet at times it is imperative that men to be fully men of God; must borrow from the female spirit the art of reflection. We must become aware of the wounds from our childhood that drive us toward destruction and trap us in unhealthy behavior as adults. We must reflect on and learn from our mistakes, so we are not doomed to repeat them. As we reflect, we can see most men fall into one of four Archetypes—King, Warrior, Magician, and Lover. Archetypes are blueprints, primordial images that affect how we think, feel, and react to life’s situations. A balanced man can be all four simultaneously directing his energy to the problem at hand, but problems come when a man gets stuck and becomes trapped in one archetype. Each type has positive and negative characteristics of which a balanced man can tap to be a hero or a villain.

Daily Devotions

·         Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Catholic Politian’s and Leaders.

·         Religion in the Home for Preschool: September

·         Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

·         Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

·         Universal Man Plan

·         Rosary


[1]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896

[2] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.

[5] Max Olivia, The Masculine Spirit, 1997.


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