Mystery of the Cross

Excerpt of the homily of Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D. during the 3rd Parochial Fiesta Celebration of Sta. Cruz Parish, Talicud Island, IGaCoS.

The remembrance that we ought to celebrate today is the mystery of the Cross.

In other words, the core of what we discern for now is the mystery of Salvation of God among us.

Jesus was crucified and its meaning is what we are celebrating now.

Hence, this fiesta is indeed full of meaning. I am glad to be here with you today along with the other priests from our Archdiocese.

This parochial fiesta is the principal one while other GKKs belonging to this parish also hold their own fiesta. Its date belongs to the old calendar, May 3.

This has a personal bearing to me because the place I was born and baptized, the parish’s patron is San Vicente Ferrer but its official parish name is Sta. Cruz parish.

This is really an old tradition of the church. So, I urge you not to worry when you get bashed because we make the sign of the cross. They just don’t get it.

Ours is really wonderful. Ours is correct. The mystery of the unfathomable love of God manifested in the Cross while His Son was crucified.

On the one hand, we are also attacked because we commemorate the memory of the cross that equates to pain and defeat. Yes, that is partly true but that is not the totality. Let us remember that the cross reminds us of pain, shame, defeat, and the like, but let us not forget, this is also a reminder of the unfathomable love of God that despite the pain, defeat, death, persecution, and shame, the Son of God did not turn his back on that cross because He truly loves us.

Thus, we should never be ashamed of the sign of the Cross because shame was defeated by the Cross and by the love of the Lord.

The remembrance of the Cross is with us through doing the sign of the cross, the crucifix, pins made either of wood or gold or others. But it bears a common reminder to us.