September 14, 2025, Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17
Today’s readings refer to the Exultation of the Cross, which was discovered by Saint Helena at age 80 found the True Cross in 326 AD. We believe that the Holy Cross is a symbol of hope, the symbol of our salvation.
From the Gospel, “As Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up,” (Jn 3: 14; Dan 7: 13). “Lifted up” as one knows, are words used for the Resurrection of Jesus when he states, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself,” (Jn 12:32).
“We are celebrating the feast of the cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light. As we keep this feast, we are lifted up with the crucified Christ, leaving behind us earth and sin so that we may gain the things above. So great and outstanding a possession is the cross that he who wins it has won a treasure. Rightly could I call this treasure the fairest of all fair things and the costliest, in fact as well as in name, for on it and through it and for its sake the riches of salvation that had been lost were restored to us,” (From a discourse by Saint Andrew of Crete, bishop, The cross is Christ’s glory and triumph).
A few of our sisters recently took a train ride with the Durango & Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad, a historic scenic historic, narrow-gauge railway operating scenic round trips between Durango and Silverton, Colorado, through the San Juan Mountains. The sisters stopped also to visit St. Patrick Catholic Church in Silverton, CO, which was constructed for the miners in 1905.
Pope Leo XIV’s coat of arms
The motto
Pope Leo XIV has also chosen a motto that reflects this Augustinian tradition: In Illo uno unum, which means “In the One, we are one.”
The phrase is taken from Saint Augustine’s Exposition on Psalm 127, where he explains that “although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.” (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV – Intentions for the month of August 2025: Mutual coexistence. The Pope is asking the faithful to pray that societies where coexistence is difficult might not succumb to the temptation of confrontation based on ethnic, political, religious, or ideological reasons.
“BE DOERS OF THE WORD,” by Bishop James S. Wall, Bishop of the Gallup diocese 2024: “Most Rev. James S. Wall, Bishop of Gallup discusses his special connection to the diocese and his experience as bishop in this unique diocese. Bishop Wall also talks about how the Catholic Home Missions Appeal helps provide the faithful of his diocese with the most basic things and why contributing to the Collection is so important. Bishop Wall’s diocese also has the highest percentage of Native American lands of any diocese in the country, he briefly discusses how the Church can minister to Native Americans through the Pastoral Framework for Indigenous Ministry “Keeping Christ’s Sacred Promise”.
MISSION STATEMENT –The Monastery of Our Lady of the Desert is a monastic community of women in the Benedictine tradition. We profess vows of stability, conversion of life and obedience. Our primary mission, is to seek God through a life of prayer, silence and solitude. Our way of life frees us to give glory and praise to God, intercede through prayer for the needs of the world and hospitality