PODCAST | All for Love: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
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In this podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo explores the meaning that our human suffering can assume when we offer it out of love to God. He explains that “the Lord has not come to get rid of suffering–we continue to suffer all the time–but he has come to give it meaning with his Cross; he has come to give it the meaning of love.”
As we unite ourselves to the Cross of Christ, our hearts expand to a deeper outpouring of love among those around us. If we embrace our Cross in this way, we too will “find Mary on the way, just as Jesus did,” and she will comfort and sustain us with her maternal care (Holy Rosary, no. 9).
As you pray with this meditation today, think of ways you can begin to see the Cross, whether it is one or several in your life, as a source of joy instead of sorrow. And, ask yourself: how can I better unite myself to Jesus and Mary by means of the Cross?
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
The St. Josemaria Institute is pleased to partner with ASL Catholic Media to share a video recording of this podcast interpreted in American Sign Language:
Rev. Javier del Castillo
Fr. Javier del Castillo is a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei and currently serves as President of the St. Josemaria Institute. He earned a degree in electronic engineering and moved to Rome to complete his ecclesiastical studies, where he was ordained a priest in 2005 and earned a doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in 2007. He worked as a chaplain in high schools in the Washington, D.C. and Chicago areas for several years, offering spiritual accompaniment to students, parents, and teachers. From 2015 on, he served as the vicar of Opus Dei in the midwest; he was appointed regional vicar of the United States in 2022. He became vicar of the United States and Canada in 2024, following the restructuring of the regions, until his appointment as Vicar General in April 2025.
