Priests as Spiritual Fathers

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 19 June 2010)

(Year for Priests June 2009 ~ June 2010)

This week, in our series of sharings in conjunction with the Year for Priests, and remembering Fathers’ Day, we will talk about priests as spiritual fathers.

I would like to share with you this beautiful article written by Thomas Connelly, a seminarian in Rome.

Father Mike, Father Jim, Father Mark... without much effort we can name a score of priests, but no matter what the name they all have something in common, the title “Father” always comes first. Why “Father” and not something like “Elder,” or just “Priest?” Does fatherhood have anything to do with priesthood?  Why do we call priests “Father?” The first reason is that they represent God the Father as his ministers, and the second is the spiritual fatherhood they assume in the care of the souls entrusted to them.

The parish priest is a spiritual father for his parishioners, since he guides and leads them on the path of spiritual growth. He cares about all of them just as a father cares for his children, though in the spiritual realm. The priest steps in at all the important moments of our lives with the sacraments. He is there at the beginning of our life in the Church when he baptizes; he is there to bless our marriages; he is there at life’s close to help us make the step from here to heaven. All throughout this time he is there to call God down from heaven and make him really present for us in the Eucharist, where Christ is our spiritual food, and strength for the journey.

St John Vianney, who the Pope has called us to recognize in a special way this year, was a father of souls. He was renowned for his curing of souls in confession. Hundreds of people would flock to the tiny village of Ars just to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. The devil hated him for all the conversions he was bringing about and tempted him strongly, many times not giving him a chance to sleep. The Curé of Ars never allowed himself to be disturbed by this, because he discovered that the more Satan bothered him at night the bigger the sinner who would come to him the next day for confession.

Another firm example of a father of souls was the Italian saint Don Bosco. He saw the many boys who lived on the streets who needed someone to guide them and watch over their spiritual growth. At least for starters they needed to know right from wrong. Perhaps he could have just preached fire and brimstone to them to try to put them in line, but none of us want to listen to someone who doesn’t care about us. So he went about it in a different way. He sought to be a spiritual father for them, not just teaching them how to obey the law, but also putting his entire person at their disposal. He put enormous trust in them and they responded with openness and loyalty. At a certain point he had the spiritual care of a group of boys who were in prison. The guards let them leave the prison for a day to go with Don Bosco. The condition was that if he didn’t bring them all back, he would be the one to go to prison. When it was time to return in the evening there were two missing from the line as they filed in. The guard gave Don Bosco a stern look but just before he could open his mouth the two came bolting around the corner and up to the prison door. They had been tempted to make a break for it, but their loyalty to their spiritual father was stronger than the urge to escape.

"Through his celibacy, the Priest becomes the ‘man for others’, in a different way from the man who, by marriage also becomes, as husband and father, a man ‘for others’ . . . The Priest, by renouncing this fatherhood proper to married men, seeks another fatherhood.  The pastoral vocation of priests is great . . . The heart of the priest, in order that it may be available for this service, must be free. Celibacy is a sign of a freedom that exists for the sake of service" (Ioannis Pauli PP. II, Epistula ad universos Ecclesiae Sacerdotes, adveniente Feria V in Cena Domini, 8, die 8 apr. 1979: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, II (1979) 854 s.).

The spiritual fatherhood of the priest is born form his desire to bring all souls to heaven. He is the intermediary between God and man, a footbridge that allows us to cross the abyss that separates us from God. It isn’t through his own merit, but by the grace of God, who chooses his priests as instruments. God is the artist of the masterpiece of a soul’s holiness; he is the one who deserves all the credit. The priest, through his ministry, strives to transmit to us this love of a father, the love of God, Our Father.

Thomas Connelly, LC studies for the priesthood with the Legionaries of Christ in Rome.

Taken from www.catholic.net.

Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

(Homily at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 12 June 2010)

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

Every year we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Saturday after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Although these 2 feasts became prominent through apparitions, visions and miracles, they have significantly different histories and purposes.

On the cross, where Christ was hung, He suffered the direct blows of human cruelty and in His heart, He bore the sins of the world. In the Sacred Heart we see the wounds of sin inflicted upon Christ’s Heart; and in return for our sins, is the outpouring of His love for us. However, right below the cross of Christ was another Heart which according to Simeon was a heart pierced with a sword. Mary. Mary although was not struck physically, bore the same sufferings of Christ on the Cross, in her heart. Hence the Immaculate Heart also bears the pains and sorrows of mankind.

The Immaculate Heart became significant when in 1917 our Lady appeared to three children named Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco in a small village in Fatima, Portugal. Our Lady revealed to them the secrets in which the Fires of Hell was shown to them. To avoid hell, she asked for the Communion of Reparation on First Saturdays so that souls may be saved. She also asked for the consecration of Russia and of the entire world to be made to the Immaculate Heart of Mary so that “Russia will be converted, and there will be peace in the world”.

Let us listen to what Our Lady has to say concerning Communion of Reparation:

“all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep Me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making Reparation to Me.”

We go to Mary in times of need knowing that Our Lady of Perpetual Help will never fail us. By the help and graces we constantly receive, we are also encouraged in turn to give ourselves to God through Mary. This we could do by consecrating ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the salvation of our souls and that of the world. Through regular Confession, receiving Holy Communion, praying and meditating on the Rosary mysteries and making sacrifices, we draw ourselves closer to God and witness the fulfillment of the promise of peace in our world.

On this Feast Day of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, let us pray to Mary.

The Sacred Heart, the Eucharist and the Priesthood

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 5 June 2010)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

To Jesus through Mary. So it is that our devotion to Mary last month leads us to Jesus in the month of June, which is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

This year, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on 11 June, which is next Friday. After Eastertide, as we move from the Solemnities of the Most Holy Trinity, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ or Corpus Christi, and His Most Sacred Heart, our spirit is guided by God towards the centre of our faith, as highlighted by Pope Benedict XVI (Angelus, 1 June 2008).

Fr. Thomas Williams (ZENIT, 26 Apr 2010) said that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is “devotion to Jesus himself,…and, in a particular way, to the love of God in human form”. Pope JPII said that in the Sacred Heart of Jesus “beats God’s infinite love for everyone, for each one of us individually.” [cf. Neilson, 1988] It is a celebration of the love of Christ’s Sacred Heart, the love of God who sacrificed Himself for us. Thus, Pope Benedict XVI said, the devotion is absolutely important “for our faith and for our life in love”.

The Holy Father said that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus means:

“adoring that Heart which, after having loved us to the end, was pierced by a spear and from high on the Cross poured out blood and water, an inexhaustible source of new life”. (Angelus, 5 June 2005).

When we adore the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist, we adore the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Fr. Richard Neilson wrote in his beautiful article The Sacred Heart and the Eucharist, that the Sacred Heart, the Holy Eucharist, and Love itself, are one and the same thing. I quote him further:

“…for in the Eucharist dwells Jesus, in Jesus His Heart, and in His Heart is infinite love. The Eucharist can be explained only by love; the love of Jesus is the love of His Heart, and so the Eucharist is explained only by the Sacred Heart.” (Neilson, June 1988)

Tomorrow’s Corpus Christi celebration is one of God’s giving of Himself in the Eucharist. So it is that when we visit the Blessed Sacrament, and gaze upon the One "whom they have pierced" (Jn 19: 37; cf. Zc 12: 10), we receive from Him “life and holiness”, “peace and reconciliation”, and all the graces of His Sacred Heart. Didn’t Jesus say in Mt. 11: 29, “Learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart”? Only then can we be transformed to live our lives for others and be God’s instruments. Pope Pius XII in his famous encyclical, Haurietis Aquas, declared that “devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the most effective school of the love of God…”

Jesus revealed to St. Margaret Mary, that in the Garden of Gethsemane, His great suffering was due to men’s ingratitude, especially towards the Blessed Sacrament. Do you know, brothers and sisters, our Lord thirsts to be loved in the Blessed Sacrament? When we pass Him by in the tabernacle without a thought of Him, receive Him unworthily in Holy Communion, or do not bother if we receive Holy Communion or not, we grieve our Saviour so. As reparation, Jesus asked for Communion every first Friday, as part of the devotion to His Sacred Heart.

This devotion also calls for consecration of ourselves to the Sacred Heart as an act of offering and binding ourselves to Jesus Christ. (Pope Leo XIII, Annum Sacrum, 1899)

By now, you must have known this quote of the Curé of Ars: "The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” Out of His infinite love, Jesus instituted the priesthood, to remain with us in the Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Neilson wrote: “In His priests, Christ perpetuates Himself, living through them unceasingly His life of love for all mankind.” Therefore, “…It is especially to priests that the Sacred Heart wishes to show His love so that they can communicate it to the world.” It is in the Heart of Christ that priests can achieve the ideal holiness that they are especially called to. As Pope JPII once pointed out, it is no coincidence then, that the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests is also celebrated on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As the special Year for Priests ends on the Solemnity next Friday, let us pray that priests and seminarians may spiritually “enter into the Heart of Jesus”. May they then become, as our present Holy Father said, “men of true love, mercy, humility and patience, renewed in holiness and pastoral zeal”.

Amen.

References:

Neilson, R. 1988. "The Sacred Heart and the Eucharist." in Lay Witness (June, 1988). Downloaded on 28 May 2010 from the Catholic Culture website: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=8988

Mary’s Role as a Disciple

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 22 May 2010)

Every human being is God's creature, directly (soul) and indirectly (body) the fruit of God's love. This means that we all have -- ingrained in our spiritual genetic code -- a fundamental orientation towards God our maker and perfection. The notion of creator comprises the idea of father and master.

• As father, God is the giver, essentially pouring out His love for us to be and exist.

• As master, God shows us how to become sons and daughters of His.

Here lies the root of our vocation as disciples and the fundamental reason we call Mary: disciple. She is expressing this realisation, in fact the only real self-definition we have of Mary, by saying: I am the servant of the Lord. In this self-awareness Mary recognises her being a creature, meaning loved by God and called into His service. 

She reconfirms this through her yes at the moment of the Annunciation. Through this yes pronounced globally, anticipating the future of her role as Mother of God, she constituted herself as disciple, willingly and consciously.

Through her yes she says that she is willing to act according to God's will. God's will needs to be discerned as we know, and as we can see from Mary's own life. She ponders much and speaks little, meaning she wants to understand God's ways and designs.

Mary's vocation as mother-disciple evolves according to the following stages:

1) Discernment: At the Annunciation Mary listens to the angel, and compares his message to her own situation, debates whether to say yes, and ponders the pros and cons.

2) Commitment: Declaring her willingness to be mother of God she also declares herself to be willing to act as God's and the Spirit's disciple (I am the servant). She commits herself to a type of existence largely unknown, and she does it wholeheartedly.

3) Acceptance: Much of what we know about Mary's life could be qualified as adaptation to the unknown and unpleasant (circumstances of conception, birth, flight into Egypt). One of the learning abilities most appreciated in a disciple is his/her flexibility, sense of adaptation, acceptance of the unknown, and ability to deal with it. Mary is learning as the loving, faithful and trusting servant.

4) Pondering: Mary faces situations of utter incomprehensibility, personal doubt (not of her commitment but its practical expression). In all of these situations, she works towards a deeper understanding of things happening to her, puts them in perspective with her vocation as mother of Jesus Christ, allows for growth in patience and perseverance.

5) Participation: The true disciple engages in his master's projects and hopes. As disciple Mary associates her concerns -- and that of others -- with those of her Son. She shows initiative, courage, concern for others... and respect for Christ's own mission. The wedding of Cana is such an example of participation in her Son's mission. Again, this example shows that Mary attunes her desire to help to Christ's own mission. She learns to respect His "hour."

6) Transformation: Radical discipleship can lead to personal transformation. Such is the case for Mary as she stands at the foot of the cross. She suffers with her Son because she is unable to avert his passion and death. She understands that the “horror” (monstrosity) of his death cannot be changed if salvation is to become reality. But Mary's most important transformation occurs when Jesus asks her (John 19, 25-17) to take care of His brothers and sisters in the Spirit. At the foot of the cross she becomes our spiritual mother. She has to accept a new way of being mother. In losing her son, her call takes on a new significance and leads her into a radically new understanding of her role as Mother.

7) Communion: There is a social dimension to discipleship. Disciples of a same master learn from each other and develop existential bonds. Together with Christ's other disciples, she follows the inspiration of the Spirit sending them to the ends of the earth to disseminate Christ's message.

In summary, it clearly shows that Mary learns and adapts to being Christ's first and faithful disciple. Therefore, as God’s faithful children, let us also emulate Mary and be true disciples of God.

Editor’s note: This topic’s relevance to the Year for Priests is Mary’s discipleship as a model for priests.

Redemptorists’ Marian Spirituality

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 10 April 2010)

Good evening, my brothers & sisters in Christ. My name is Paul Kang and I am a parishioner of SFX.

I was a Redemptorist as a seminarian in Singapore from 1985 to 1988. I am here today to share a particular aspect of the Redemptorists; the Marian spirituality.

The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer – Congregatio Sanctissmi Redemptoris – that’s why professed members of this religious order sign off with the initials CSsR – popularly known as the Redemptorists. The Redemptorists, founded by St. Alphonsus Ligouri have the motto “With him is plentiful redemption”. They have a primary mission, to Preach the Good news to the Poor, which gave rise to the strong charism of preaching among the Reds. In 1866, Pope Pius IX asked the Reds to make Mary known; which started the additional devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help (OMPH). This supplementary mission has resulted in thousands of people being drawn to devotions to OMPH all over the world.


In Singapore, the Novena Church draws 14,000 people in total every Saturday to 10 sessions of the Novena. Every year, on the 1st Sunday of Sept, about 30,000 faithful come together to honour our Blessed Mother at the annual procession. For those of you who have not had the benefit of the novena experience, here are some pictures for your benefit. This was last year’s theme. The picture which is at the shrine of Our Lady in Novena Church is carried in procession. Notice the crowd and see if you capture the fervent prayer. Over 100,000 families in Singapore sign up to be consecrated to the intercessory care of our Blessed Mother. The statistics are awesome and it is no surprise that the novena is so well known in Singapore. It is a little known fact that 75 years ago, the Novena started in Singapore in 1 small parlour with less than 20 people (including the Redemptorists who were members of that community). How did it happen?

It was a conscious process of growing in faith; of deepening the relationship with our blessed mother; the Marian Spirituality. If we could sum up the process: Learn, Pray, Live & Novena Experience.

Learn – the Redemptorists develop their Marian spirituality by attending special Marian classes while in the seminary and reading books.

Pray – in daily prayer, the Divine Office, a special prayer to the Blessed Mother is included even though it is not part of the standard office prayer. Every Redemptorist is encouraged to make his own 15-decade rosary while in the novitiate. It is a labour of love but nevertheless painful process over 3 months during which time, the novice starts to appreciate our Blessed Mother and starts praying the Rosary.

Live – the Redemptorists live it by sharing with each other, their own experiences of grace through the intercession of our Blessed Mother right from the seminary. Mary has a very special place in the life of every Redemptorist community. As they progress in formation, final year seminarians onwards start preaching the novenas and giving special Marian retreats.

The 1st 3 arrows pertain to the way Redemptorists develop their Marian spirituality.

The last block, the Novena Experience is how the faithful developed their own Marian spirituality, together with the Redemptorists who serve their community. Faithfully, the community attended the novena to be nourished by the sermons of the Redemptorists. They were encouraged to write letters of petitions. As they experienced graces through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, they wrote letters of thanksgiving. In Singapore, Novena Church alone receives a few hundred letters weekly and in the week preceeding the annual procession, over 600 letters are received by Our Lady. The letters encourage everyone within the community.

When they prayed, they prayed with great fervour – for example, the 1st row of the faithful today kneels more than 10 feet away from the microphone used by the priest during the benediction. The volume of the prayers of the people in the 1st row is picked up by the microphone and reverberates throughout the speakers of the whole church, encouraging everyone to be even more fervent in prayer.

This same formula of growing the Marian spirituality has worked all over the world. How does it apply to us?

Learn – we can grow in our knowledge of our Blessed Mother by attending faith formation sessions, learning from the sharing during our own novena sessions and maybe even researching the internet for the right materials.

Pray – Let us be faithful to the Rosary and include a special Marian prayer when we pray as a family.

Live – while it may seem awkward, let us share with our own families, accounts of faith we hear at the novenas when we reach home or our own faith experiences. In our BECs, have the confidence to share with other members.

Through our own Novena Experience let us deepen our Marian spirituality:

Pay close attention to the sharing by members of our own Marian Devotion Group. It will also enrich your knowledge and deepen your faith.

We are all here for a reason. Many of us have special intentions – make a point to write letters of petitions to our Blessed Mother. When your prayers are answered, make a pledge to write letters of thanksgiving. This will greatly encourage our community.

Today, let us pray to our Blessed Mother with greater fervour. I invite each and every one to commit to pray for 1 extra person to come to this Novena. Let the Novena Experience of SFX draw people to Jesus through Mary - that by the time SFX celebrates its 50th anniversary, we will need to have 2 sessions of the Novena every Saturday with 1,000 people attending each session.

Let us now pray to this same mother who has helped grow the faith and fervour of the community in Novena Church in Singapore over the last 75 years and all over the world for the deepening of our own Marian spirituality.

Let us, as a community, pray in a loud voice and with great fervour, the powerful prayer of the Memorare…(the sharer continued with the presentation of the Novena…)

Priesthood and Sacrifice

(Homily at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 27 March 2010)

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

As we are in the Year For Priests, the sharing for today is entitled “Priesthood and Sacrifice”. Here, the word “sacrifice” would mean personal sacrifice or self-sacrifice which we do and offer up to God rather than Christ’s sacrifice through the ministerial priesthood.

The Liturgical colour in the season of Lent is purple; signifying a time of pain, suffering, sorrow, mourning and penitence. However last Thursday, the Liturgical colour was white; which is a symbol of joy, light, purity, and innocence. Every year on the 25th of March, we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation.

On the Annunciation when Mary said “yes” to God, it was a mark of joy because with that “yes”, the process of salvation for mankind began to unfold. Yet after this joy of saying “yes” to God comes also the prophecy to Mary that “a sword will pierce her own soul” as foretold by Simeon in the Temple. Imagine the joy of Mary embracing the new born baby – the Son of God – in her arms during Christmas and later in her life, bearing the pain of receiving the same body of Jesus but now cold and lifeless in her bosom on Good Friday. Mary bore these moments with great patience and fortitude in her heart.

When a priest says “yes” to God, he follows Mary’s footsteps to embrace Christ into himself. And in the Sacrifice of the Mass, the priest makes Christ present when he acts in persona Christi i.e. by taking “the place and person of Christ himself”. By saying yes to God, the priest embraces the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ and with it the joys, sufferings and sorrows of Christ.

I remember when I was living with the Jesuit communities in the mission fields, I noticed that the old Jesuit missionaries were particularly gentle in their manner and wise in their way of life. I also noticed that almost, if not all of them carried and prayed the rosary. Old as they are, they still turn to Mary and pray and ask for her intercession and protection. Why? Because life in the mission field can be very difficult. And they know that only Mary, their Mother can understand them and help them to continue to live and work in the land they were sent.

Have you seen any priests who are struggling or are facing some crises? Or do you have any complaints against your priests? Pray for them and ask Mary to help them.

What about yourselves? Are you or your loved ones going through hard times or difficulties? Turn to Mary, our Mother of Perpetual Help to pray for us and be with us always.

Let us learn from Mary that we could do sacrifices to God by first saying “yes” to Him. And we know that the “yes” we say will come with much joy and sorrow. But we can always turn to Mary for help, guidance and protection as we journey with her in this world. Amen.

The Priesthood of Christ – Sacrifice

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 20 March 2010)

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

To continue to journey in the Year of the Priest and in conjunction with the season of Lent, this
week my sharing will be based on the topic “The Priesthood of Christ – Sacrifice” .

In the Old Testament, priests are by definition intermediaries ("those in the middle") between God and humanity, between the spiritual world and the earthly world. They are called to a special holiness and set apart for service which allows them to perform special rites and sacred duties in the temple, as intermediaries.

It is in this capacity that they offer sacrifices to the gods to appease for the sins of the people. These sacrifices had to be offered repeatedly since the human person remained a sinner and it was essentially humankind’s effort to make up with the gods.

The letters to the Hebrews is the specific book in the New Testament that sheds a new light to this old idea of priests. This letter tells us of how Jesus became the new high priest to play the role of the intermediary. Whereas in the past there were many priests who offered sacrifices to the gods, Jesus, in His capacity as God-Man, offered His very self to God for us. This was the greatest sacrifice that Jesus Himself offered to God willingly for our sake and on our behalf. There is no need for any High Priest to repeat this sacrifice to God any longer because Jesus, as fully human and fully divine, in offering Himself as the sacrifice makes it once and for all eternity.

This icon shows Jesus Christ as our Eternal Great High priest and this is seen in the fifteenth century Greek prototype. Here Christ is shown in Latin Rite vestment with a golden pelican over His heart. It is the ancient symbol of self-sacrifice.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or better known as CCC, Christ’s self-sacrifice and His offering of Himself to the Father for our sins is further explained in 2 main aspects :

1) Christ's whole life is an offering to the Father
In article #606 it states :
The Son of God, who came down "from heaven, not to do [his] own will, but the will of him who sent [him]",413 said on coming into the world, "Lord, I have come to do your will, O God." "And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."414 From the first moment of his Incarnation the Son embraces the Father's plan of divine salvation in his redemptive mission: The sacrifice of Jesus "for the sins of the whole world"416 expresses his loving communion with the Father. "The Father loves me, because I lay down my life", said the Lord.

2) "The Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
In article #608 it states :
After agreeing to baptize him along with the sinners, John the Baptist looked at Jesus and pointed him out as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world".422 By doing so, he reveals that Jesus is at the same time the suffering Servant who silently allows himself to be led to the slaughter and who bears the sin of the multitudes, and also the Paschal Lamb, the symbol of Israel's redemption at the first Passover.423 Christ's whole life expresses his mission: "to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Now, having heard of the Priesthood of Christ in terms of His Sacrifice offering, perhaps we can ask ourselves how does this relate to our priests today and how do we personally relate to this?

As Christ’s whole life expressed his mission to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many, in the same way, our priests dedicate their whole life to God to as an expression of this same sacrifice of Jesus. They do this by imitating and living-out Christ’s love and sacrifice in their daily lives by their humble service of the people of God and humanity.
Jesus, as the High Priest, offered Himself as a loving sacrifice to the Father. In the similar way our priests continue to bring alive this loving sacrifice at mass. Our priests also show this by their selfless services offered to all especially to the poor, the marginalized, the migrant workers, the sick, dying and infirmed and many other acts of charity.

Each time the priest or any one of us does a loving sacrifice, we identify ourselves with the ever loving sacrifice of Jesus Himself. His priesthood continues to live in us because we allow ourselves to participate in Him. As lay people we too can collaborate in supporting and assisting our priests in these loving services.

Hence, dear brothers and sisters, in conclusion, the CCC states in Article #618

The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the “one mediator btw God and man”
But because of His incarnate divine person HE has in some way united Himself
to every man, ‘the possibility of being made partners ,in a way known to God in the
Paschal Mystery is offered to all men. He calls his disciples to take up his cross and follow him, for ‘Christ also suffered for us, living us an example so that we should follow in His footsteps’.
AMEN.