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F
EAST
OF
S
T
. M
ATTHIAS
Acts of the Apostles 1:15-17, 20-26
Psalm 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
John 15: 9-17
S
UMMARY
"
...love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends."
R
EFLECTION
All during my 12 years of Catholic school education and then my two
decades as a Catholic educator, I was daily exposed to a crucifix
hanging front and center in the classrooms and offices, as well as in
my homes. Sometimes, when I would reflect on the crucifix, I would
be most grateful for the love of God, my Father, and the loving sacri-
fice of Jesus, His Son and my Brother. Other times, especially during
Lent, I would be more sorrowful because He had endured such brutal
suffering.
In all honesty, however, I was too often unmindful of the crucifix and
its implications. Praying facing the crucifix was often ritualistic and
mundane--its symbolism was lost in the urgent need to move on to
something else.
Surely inspired by the Holy Spirit, one Sunday several years ago, I had
the opportunity to attend Mass in a Catholic Church that I had never
before attended. There, behind the altar, was a life-size crucifix. Not
only were the dimensions accurate, but the figure of Jesus was in true
and vibrant color. Even from the entry at the back of the Church,
anyone could immediately recognize the blood-colored wounds from