August 2026 (6-8 August)
This month’s triduum providentially commences with the glorious feast of the Transfiguration and concludes with the feast of St Mary of the Cross. What connection, you might be asking?
The mystery of the Transfiguration, while manifesting Our Lord’s glory, also foreshadows His passion. Moses and Elijah appear with Our Lord and converse with Him, but what were they conversing about? The exodus, that is to say, Our Lord’s leaving this world by means of His sacred Passion. In other words, in the very heart of the most glorious event of His public life, Our Lord speaks from the heart, and when he speaks he goes straight to the Passion. There is no subject dearer to Our Lord’s Sacred Heart than His Passion. This teaches us two important things: First of all, it is only by the cross that we will arrive at glory, and secondly, in this life we must never seek to immerse ourselves in pure joy and light without being ever mindful that this life is not meant to be Heaven. Heaven will come later, but it will come only to those who accept to march there carrying their cross.
And this is where St Mary Mackillop comes in. She chose as religious name: Sister Mary of the Cross. She chose to be conformed to the cross of our blessed Lord. Like very founder and foundress of a religious order, her crosses were many and they were heavy. But St Mary had a cross that was granted to few saints in the history of the Church. While many saints have been persecuted by good people, there are not many that were actually excommunicated from the Church. She was the victim of a bishop who thought he had the power to remove from communion with the Church a very holy soul who had nothing wrong. It was unjust; it was in the strict sense of the term an abominable abuse of episcopal authority.
But Mary Mackillop was a great saint. And so what happened? Did it break her and cause her to lose her faith? Did she revolt and declare it to be invalid? No. She obeyed and submitted. She removed her habit and lived privately until finally, months later, the misguided bishop repented and lifted the excommunication. She did not revolt. She did not claim that the excommunication had no value. She humbled herself and let the Lord speak for her.
So it is in our lives. When we are the victims of persecution, slander and even abuse, while the blood may boil in our veins, we need to lift up our eyes to the Lord transfigured on the Mount. We must look at St Mary of the Cross, and learn that those whom God delivers in His time are truly safe, truly holy, truly blessed.
During this triduum let us ask for the grace to imitate the saints and above all, to imitate the only true saint, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who accepted being cast out of the city and executed as a criminal, as an enemy of God. Because He humbled Himself, He is now exalted forever.