I’ve been blessed to be in Assisi for over 3 weeks now to study more Italian and to read some theology. In the midst of reading Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’s (Pope Benedict XVI) Spirit of the Liturgy I was drawn to share a reflection on blessings after reading a section of the power and significance of blessing ourselves with the sign of the Cross. The sign of the Cross is the “most basic Christian gesture in prayer... [it] is a confession of faith... [Christ] transformed the sign of shame into a sign of hope and of the love of God that is present within us... By signing ourselves with the cross, we place ourselves under the protection of the Cross...The Cross shows us the road of life---the imitation of Christ... [It] is a remembrance of Baptism...a sign of the Passion, but at the same time it is a sign of the Resurrection...Whenever we make the sign of the Cross, we accept our Baptism anew.”

Read this fragmented quote over again at least once--it’s a good source of reflection.

This explanation of the significance of the Cross gives reason for its usage at the beginning and end of (and is integration within) every Christian liturgy, because it is a sign that points to the principal mystery of our faith: the Resurrection that won our redemption from sin.

Ratzinger also points out that the “Tav”,the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet written in the form of a cross (T or + or X) and spoken of in Ezekiel 9:4f became “the seal of God’s ownership. It corresponds to man’s longing for God, his suffering for the sake of God, and so places him under God’s special protection.” The manifestation of the symbol of the cross therefore pre-dates and prophetically announces the cross of Christ. This “Tav” marked many Jewish graves (pre-dating Christ’s death) found in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Ratzinger later recalls the devotion of his parents, who made the sign of the Cross (a blessing) on the forehead, mouth, and breast of him and his siblings whenever they were departing on a journey. It was done not only to guide them on their way, and to “make visible the prayer of our parents, which went with us”, but was also “a challenge to not go outside the sphere of this blessing”. From the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Question 551) on "What is blessing?", we hear that "The prayer of blessing is man's response to God's gifts: we bless the Almighty who first blesses us and fills us with his gifts." How true Benedict was a blessing and a gift to his parents and now even more so to us (as Pope), but how also true it is that the blessings and prayers we receive require a response.

Having read and reflected upon that, I want to make a response and to make it clear to all who read this blog or any of my works, who receive my letters, who write me or send me emails, who support me financially, who think about me, but most importantly those of you who pray for me that your prayers are blessings that daily and even hourly (at times) are a challenge for me. We may be 6 times zones apart or more, we may never talk on the phone, we may not even write to each other, but I have felt and sensed and received graces through these prayers and blessings that strengthen my resolve to give all I can for you as a future priest. As difficult as the "road less traveled" has been, I have always found strength in your encouragement and prayers, and although they would never be enough to keep me in the seminary if this were not my vocation, each Cross becomes bearable when I remember who the sacrifice is for.

Thank you! Keep praying for me and know that I really do pray for you whole-heartedly when I say it.