Feast of St Paul of the Cross

"Everything is contained in the Passion of Jesus. Do your best to stay hidden in the wounds of Jesus. In this way you will become rich in everything that is good and filled with God’s true light, so that you will be able to fly to perfect holiness. Be as simple as a child: always see the best in everyone and, with good intention, excuse the one who hurts you, seeing whatever harm he does as the result of some temptation. What destroys community is judging other people’s actions while losing sight of one’s own." - In the Heart of God, the Spiritual Teaching of St. Paul of the Cross

Joyfully celebrating the feast of St. Paul of the Cross, we ask the God of love and mercy to preserve in the family of the Passion the spirit of [their] founder. We cry out to him: Lord, through the passion of your Son, make us holy. Lord, you gave up your Son to die for us, and in his name you wish the whole world to be saved – make us true apostles in promoting the mystery of the cross. Lord, you pardoned the penitent thief through the merits of your Son’s passion – may all sinners look upon Christ Crucified that they may be converted. Lord, you willed that through the St. Paul of the Cross the family of the Passion should flourish in the Church – grant that all the members of this family may persevere in the calling with which you have honored them. Lord, you made St. Paul of the Cross an ardent lover of the passion of your Son – may we follow his example by contemplating the Passion and thus grow in love.

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