August 26
By the cross the martyrs were strengthened
e who worship
Christ on the cross must try to grasp the greatness of his power and all
the wonders he has wrought through the cross on our behalf; the holy David
says: Our God and eternal King has wrought salvation throughout the
world. For through the cross the nations were caught as in a net and
the seeds of faith were sown everywhere. With the cross, as though with
a plow, the disciples of Christ cultivated the unfruitful nature of humankind,
revealed the Church's ever-green pastures, and gathered in an abundant
harvest of believers in Christ. By the cross the martyrs were strengthened,
and as they fell they smote down those who struck them. Through the cross
Christ became known, and the Church of the faithful, with the scriptures
ever open before her, introduces us to this same Christ, the Son of God,
who is truly God and truly Lord, and who cries out: Any who wish to
come after me must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from
Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman
