Freedom of the Cross

Posted by Adrienne

St. Raphael was blessed by the return of former pastor Monsignor Mike Wilson who preached to the Women of St. Raphael Evening Prayer.  The following are excerpts from Monsignor Mike's inspiring talk on the Freedom of the Cross. 
Be sure to read all the way to the end for a special Lenten recommendation from Monsignor and...a free giveaway!

From fear to freedom

How did Christ get from his fear in the Garden of Gethsemane, to his freedom – abandoning himself to the will of his Father?  It was through prayer.  Jesus spent his agony in the garden prayerfully putting himself before the Father.  So that he would be able to do the will of his Father.

Fortunately for us, unlike Christ we don’t know the future.  We just know the present and that’s enough to scare us.  But it doesn’t have to.  We can learn from the witness of Christ to turn in prayer to the Father.    

The choice to be free
Instead of reacting in anger or disappointment to the crosses in our lives, we can make a choice to respond with purpose – for love of God or love of neighbor.  We can choose to accept the crosses in our lives, not as a burden but an opportunity to die to ourselves and come alive in Him.  We can experience the freedom that comes every time we make that choice.

Freedom to love

The freedom of the cross is that we are empowered by God through the grace of our baptism, the nourishment of the Eucharist, and the great gift of Reconciliation to turn to God in prayer.   The power of Christ is sufficient to overcome our cross; it is a choice we have to make.  When we make the choice, we can become free to love God the way God desires us to love Him.

Do something nice for yourself

Monsignor Mike's most favorite book ever, ever, ever is now available after being out of print for years.  My Other Self: Conversations with Christ on Living Your Faith was written by the late Clarence J. Enzler, a Deacon in the Archdiocese of Washington and father of thirteen(!) children, including Monsignor John Enzler who is pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish in Washington, DC.  Deacon Enzler wrote the book as if Christ is speaking to the reader – we are God’s “other self”.

This is such a wonderful, uplifting book of God’s unconditional love for us, that no matter what your cross is, the freedom that Jesus Christ offers in his love will always overcome that cross.  This book helps you hope, helps you believe, helps you to try again.

Do something nice for yourself and get this book and read it for Lent – it will make you hope and give you the belief that you can become the person God wants you to be.

Women of St. Raphael book giveaway!

Just add a comment to this article to register to win a free copy of My Other Self.  One commenter will be chosen at random on March 31st at noon.  Check back to see who the lucky winner is!