The Triumph of the Cross

Without the cross, there would be no Christianity and certainly no religious life. Each Christian, and particularly each consecrated person, is called to embrace the cross as the means of union and identification with Jesus Christ Crucified. St. Louis Marie de Montfort's moving poem, The Triumph of the Cross, expresses this magnificently, particularly in these excerpts:

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​I
The Cross in mystery 
Is veiled for us below;
Without great light to see,
Who shall its splendor know?
Alone the lofty mind
Shall this high secret trace;
And none shall heaven find
Who grasps it not by grace.

XVIII
Without a Cross, the soul
Is cowardly and tame;
Like fire to a coal
The Cross sets it aflame.
One who has suffered not,
In ignorance is bound;
Only in pain's hard lot
Is holy wisdom found.

"Hoc Est Enim Corpus Meum..."

XXIII
This Sign has such a charm
That at the altar-stone
The priest can God disarm
And draw Him from His throne.
Over the sacred Host
This mighty sign he plays,
Signals the Holy Ghost,
​And the Divine obeys.

​XXIX
For life I choose thee now,
My pleasure, honor, friend,
Sole object of my vow,
Sole joy to which I tend.
For mercy's sake, print, trace
Yourself upon my heart,
My arm, my forehead, face;
​And not one blush will start.

Final Profession