As difficult as it is to gather beneath the cross, we know that through it our God makes all things new, and we are grateful! In the Psalm God promises that those who go out weeping will reap songs of joy. In the gospel Mary anticipates this new life, anointing Jesus’ feet with costly perfume in preparation for the day of his burial that leads to resurrection for us all. In the second reading Paul recalls his transformation from the persecutor Saul into an apostle. In baptism, God’s new person (you!) rises daily from the deadly mire of trespasses and sins. We are marked with a sign of the cross on our foreheads to remind us that as people of God, we live every day beneath the cross and live in gratitude for the new life it has brought us! Join us – and Mary – this Sunday as we gather beneath the cross in gratitude!
Image: A Precious Gift to Share by Huibing He (with permission of Overseas Ministries Study Center, Princeton, New Jersey). Copyright Ó Huibing He. All rights reserved. Used by permission.