VATICAN CITY (CNS) Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholics to rediscover a simple but profound symbol of their faith – the sign of the cross.
The Eucharist and the cross of Christ’s crucifixion have a deep connection that deserves contemplation by the faithful, the Pope said at a Sunday blessing on September 11.
Pope Benedict said a perfect occasion for reflection was the September 14 feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
He said that just as every celebration of the Eucharist is a remembrance of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, the cross is the manifestation of the “act of infinite love with which the Son of God saved man and the world from sin and death”.
Pope Benedict said the cross was not a “passing incident” but the means through which Christ “entered into his glory and reconciled all humanity, overcoming all hatred”.
He said that Mary, the mother of Christ, who was present at the foot of the cross, is also present in the Church’s eucharistic celebrations.
