the sign of the cross
"Show us wonderful signs." —Micah 7:15
The Lord wants to show us signs. One sign for our guilt-ridden world is that the Lord will not only remove our guilt, but also tread it underfoot (Mi 7:18-19). Guilt has a way of weighing on us, but Jesus has a way of stomping on it and thereby freeing us from it. Moreover, in our sin-sick world, sin clings to us (see Heb 12:1) with tentacles that imbed themselves into our flesh. However, Jesus will break the hold of sin in our lives, "cast into the depths of the sea all our sins" (Mi 7:19), and separate our sins from us "as far as the east is from the west" (Ps 103:12). These are two of the countless "wonderful signs" the Lord has shown us.
Jesus has done these "wonderful signs" by taking on human flesh and dying on the cross. We are freed from guilt and forgiven from our sins at the price of Jesus' shed blood and sacrificial death. The "sign of the cross" is the cause of the "wonderful signs" of freedom, forgiveness, victory, and salvation. Therefore, we say with St. Paul: "May I never boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!" (Gal 6:14) We pray with St. Francis of Assisi: "We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world." Make and live the sign of the cross.
Prayer: Father, may I make the sign of the cross not from habit but in awe.
Promise: "Whoever does the will of My heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to Me." —Mt 12:50
Praise: Patrick repented of his vasectomy, had reversal surgery, and was blessed with two more children.
Reference: (For a related teaching on Crucified to the World, listen to, or download our CD 40A-3 or DVD 40A-CH. 3 at presentationministries.com or order our tape on audio AV 40A-3 or video V 40A.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 20, 2016
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