On this eve of the Feast of the Holy Cross, I heard a priest from India speak at Vigil Mass about a tradition in his native country among Catholics: placing a cross at each corner of one's property for protection from the Evil One.
His homily reminded me of what Father Edward McCorkle, former Abbot of Our Lady of the Holy Cross Monastery, O.C.S.O., once said to me during spiritual direction when I was on retreat at the Guesthouse. Fr Edward told me that the first head of security for Dulles International Airport was a devout Catholic (I can't call up the name he told me). He insisted on burying Crucifixes at each corner of the property of that vast facility "for protection" from crashes.
The same man visited a funeral home that sported a magnificent Crucifix in one of its chapels for the spiritual benefit of its Catholic clientele. He saw it and had to get it, somehow, for the monastery chapel. What amount of money transferred from him to the funeral home, one will never know, but that same Crucifix now hangs above the altar in the chapel.
A blessed and peaceful Feast of the Holy Cross to you and your loved ones. And, if you get a moment, reflect on the Holy Father's words on monasticism and the foundations of Europe.
No comments:
Post a Comment