December 2003
Crib and Cross
THE EDITOR
The insane yet widely held Modernist proposition that "Christ did not always have the consciousness of his Messianic dignity" was condemned by Pope St. Pius X in Lamentabile (1907). In fact, from the very first Our Lord was conscious of His Divine mission - to appease His Father's just anger and redeem us - and longed for its consummation.
Swaddled in His manger, Jesus not only contemplated His cross, He desired it with every loving stroke of His newly beating Sacred Heart.
The joy of Christmas should never blind us to this sublime nexus between the Nativity and Calvary, expounded so simply and beautifully in Father Grou's Meditation, which I commend to one and all. Indeed, as socio-political and ecclesiastical storm clouds continue to gather ominously on the horizon, the lessons and perspective it provides have never been more crucial to a peaceful, balanced spiritual life. They challenge, inspire and console us in equal measure: challenge us not merely to tolerate but to embrace the individual and collective crosses we bear in the sapping David and Goliath battle we wage; inspire us to imitate the total submission and unconditional fiat of the vulnerable Child in the Christmas crib; console us through the sacrificial Love that did not stint on our behalf, bearing our sins in one unbroken tissue of suffering from first breath to last
The spiritual overflow of such reflections is ultimately manifested in the selfless courage and conviction of Catholic heroes and heroines, whose Christ-like example has never been more valuable in reinforcing our determination to hold fast to the Faith of our Fathers despite ever mounting pressures to compromise from all sides. The two exemplars who follow - who lived the Christmas message - are thus offered to bolster and reinvigorate our loyal readers, and with grateful thanks for your unflagging support, encouragement and generosity this past year.