The Sign of the Cross

By DEACON ROBERT YERHOT, MSW

Today, every day, without ceasing, God’s love is readily available. How will I experience God’s love in a particular manner today?

I could consider the depth of a mother’s love, the strength of a father’s care, the fidelity of friends, the bond of brothers; for me, these are lived realities, giving me a glimpse of the magnitude of God’s love.

Yes, God’s love is so enormous that it is like an iceberg nearly completely sub merged in water. I see only the tip. I readily recognize only the fraction. To go deeply, I must be able to see, not only with the eyes of my body, but also with the eyes of faith which penetrate the depths.

God’s love often comes in hidden ways. It is subtle, a mere whisper at times, a slight breath. Nothing I can imagine is adequate in description, for it is too vast. Volumes have

been written attempting to do so. Yes, I use human terms and images which move my heart to some extent, but they cannot definitively convey the

God wants us to thrive, not die, and to live eternally. He says, “My grace is enough for you. It is available to you now. Be still and receive what I give.” If I wish to see the face of God, the source of all love, I look to the assumed humanity in Jesus. How often I wish to see, touch, and speak with Jesus! Equally often I am reminded that I can see, touch, and speak with him now in the lives of the people to whom I am sent as a deacon. I can recognize in their faces his love ever present to me. In the people through whom he has chosen to reveal himself and to whom I have been sent - the unborn, the poor, the condemned, the hungry, and the homeless - I begin to accept God’s love.

I recognize him in the Eucharist and in all the sacraments. Most urgently today, I recognize him on the cross. Indeed, the cross is the great sign of mercy, love, and obedience. From the cross mercy flows, grace abounds, love is shown, humility lived, forgiveness given, and fidelity consummated. The cross was the boast of St. Paul and it is my only permitted boast. Though a scandal to the unbeliever, derision to earthly powers, and mere foolishness to so many, the cross is ever present and in it I find God’s love and grace which bursts forth into the brilliance of the resurrection. I can and must witness to the cross. I apprehend, in it, the love of God,

The cross is the image that bests captures the immensity of God’s love and grace given to me. The cross has sustained the hope of generations, and it sustains me. In it, in the lives of so many to whom I am sent as a deacon, I encounter God’s love.

Gaze upon the crucifix! I challenge you to do so. Every day, gaze on the crucifix and allow God’s love to penetrate your life. If you do not have a crucifix, get one. Spend 15 minutes a day simply gazing upon it. Your life will change. May God bless each of you.

Deacon Robert Yerhot serves the parishes of St. Mary in Caledonia and St. Patrick in Brownsville