Cross Ornaments

Each of the cross ornaments ends with a short prayer. 

2016: Cruz del Sagrado Corazon

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Ornament Details
artist: Edythe Kegrize
materials: metal

This cross is a representation of one of the most well known and beloved Catholic devotions - that of the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is often represented in Hispanic communities and countries in a specific metal art form called "milagros." The Sacred Heart is a visual representation of the heart of Christ, on fire with love. Many saints have written that being close to the Sacred Heart was like being in a living furnace. The heat and intensity were overwhelming. This cross does double duty. Not only does it express the rays of the heart, fanning out to all 4 corners, but it also gives an updated nod to a particular cultural expression of faith, practiced for hundreds of years. 
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The book to the right offers a good history of "milagros," which translates to "miracles." Since milagros are primarily offered in thanks for the "answering of prayer, they commemorate a miracle." (Milagros, p. 1) They are given in gratitude for petitions heard, and are a visible sign from the petitioner that he or she believes that God has heard and acted on their behalf. 

For more information on Devotion to the Sacred Heart, check out my Devotions page, HERE.

Prayer
Heart of Jesus, aflame with love for us - have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, source of justice and love - have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love - have mercy on us.   (excerpt from the Litany of the Sacred Heart)

2015:God's Love

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Ornament Details
artist: Edythe Kegrize
materials :porcelain and metal

This ornament is a perfect reflection for St. Patrick's Day.  The cross curves and twists into the shape of a traditional Celtic knot.  These knots are always, in one way or another, symbols of eternity in that they have no beginning and no end, but are continually in motion.  This is an obvious analogy for the Trinity, and it is not a coincidence that St. Patrick's example of the Trinity as a shamrock-shape came out of Ireland.  The Celts were a deeply symbolic and religious people, who were very highly visually literate.  They deeply understood the meaning of visual symbols, and how we push into these symbols in daily life, being formed by them and called to understand them. Our faith today still uses physical, earthly elements to express invisible realities, and even goes beyond mere symbols in the sacraments when the earthly elements become the reality they express. The second main symbol of the cross is the gold heart.  Just as the Celtic knot can be a symbol of the Trinity, so also can the heart.  The entire life of the Trinity is one of self-giving, self-donating love.  The invitation given to us by the Trinity is itself an outpouring of love, as was Jesus' self-offering of himself on the cross. In fact, the Celtic Trinitarian knot cannot be understood apart from the heart, apart from Love. Far from being a mere "feeling," Love is a deep, ongoing continual act of life, the heart of the Trinity.  So, then, it is very fitting to exclaim the words written on this ornament: " God's LOVE is ALWAYS with you."

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help us to love as you do, by overcoming ourselves and becoming your heart, your hands and your feet in the world. Amen. 
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This frame shows another example of milagros. They are in the shape of crosses, decorating and surrounding the photo.

2014: A Season of Faith

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Ornament Details
artist: Terri Steiger
materials :glass, porcelain and metal

I always appreciate it when Hallmark groups their ornaments.  It makes it easy to see the meaning.  In the case of this cross, there is a clear connection between another 2014 ornament and some particular words of Jesus. The other ornament is the 2014 Always Remembered ornament, (pictured below) and the words of Jesus are "With man, this is impossible, but with God, nothing is impossible." Matthew 19:26  So how do all three things go together?
In two ways - 1. visually and 2. through meaning

It is easy to see how the ornaments connect visually.  They are both made of a cream porcelain with a little bit of text and some green glass. If they were next to each other on a shelf, we would think they are a set. In fact the green glass is very similar to sea glass - that type of smooth, rounded glass that washes up on beaches after it has been softened and tossed around by the salt water. These are the only two ornaments to use this particular set of materials.

So if they are connected visually, are they also connected through meaning?  The answer is Yes! A friend of mine went through a particularly difficult death of a loved one this year, and I gave her these ornaments as a way to comfort her. And she understood the message they give. She read the shell first, which says "Every life leaves something beautiful behind" and then the cross which says "With Faith, all things are possible."  And she took a deep breath, and said "Yes, I believe that.  My daughter brought a great deal of beauty to this world, and it is still here after she is gone.  And I have faith that I will see her again."

The words of Jesus make this very promise - that what is impossible for us is possible for God.  What is impossible for us? To save ourselves.  Even if we create the perfect society, we still can't save ourselves from death.  It will eventually find us all. But if we believe in the cross of Christ, and believe means participate in it, then death will become a doorway home, not just a devastating end.

Prayer
Holy Trinity, help us believe that with you, all things are possible. Amen.
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2014 Always Remembered

2013: Bless This Home

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 Ornament Details
artist: Ruth Donikowski
materials :glass and metal

This cross reminds me of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.  The cross itself resembles a stained glass window, in that there is heavy, swirled glass surrounded by thick metal panes.  If you have ever lived in an old house with the original windows, you might see the likeness.  And home is the point of this cross.  The back of the box of the ornament reads ""The best part of Christmas shines through the blessings of life shared with those we love." The words on the cross say " Bless this home with life and love and every good thing from above."

In "A Christmas Carol," we see that Bob Cratchit's home is the quintessential example of a happy family, par excellence.  Each person is respected, valued, loved and cherished, within those walls.  There is a terrible shortage of money, food, health (in the case of Tiny Tim), and the necessities of life.  Yet there is no shortage of goodwill and love for each other.  

Who is better off - Scrooge or Bob? In one of the All Things Great and Small series, James Herriot writes about this very question. On this turning earth, which do we choose - the basics of life materially or the basics of life spiritually?  As Herriot so wisely states - it is a harder question than might first appear, especially if you have children. It is a terrible thing to have to decide between food for the body and food for the soul.  We should pause and think hard before passing judgement on those who have to make this decision.

The truth is we need both.  Both are absolutely fundamental to the health of the body and the health of the soul, which taken together make up the person.  It is all very well to say we can live on spiritual things, but it is awfully hard to do with an empty stomach, standing in a freezing rain.  Not impossible to a mature soul, as the desert fathers showed us, but quite something to follow for the rest of us.

So yes, this cross visually states that part of the "every good thing" includes healthy living for the body, healthy living for the soul AND healthy living for the mind and spirit as well.  It gives us good advice: do we seek out the good from above to feed all these areas of ourselves? Or are we secretly starving?

Prayer:
God our Father, help us find the food you provide.
Jesus our Lord, feed us with the truth of your Word and materials of the bread and wine, your Body and Blood. 
Holy Spirit, guide us to the true food we need, for wherever we are hungry. Amen.

2012: A Season to Believe

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Ornament Details
artist: Terri Steiger
materials: porcelain

This lovely cross emphasizes the number 4.  There are 4 different words written on each of the 4 different quadrants of the cross.  Although the 4 points of the cross are each separate, the words are arranged as though they are in a circle, almost like they are dancing.  It's as though the cross can't hold them, they must off into the untamed spaces.  And isn't that exactly what happens on the cross?  

Because of the cross, we have Hope.  This hope leads to Joy.  We are so filled with the hope of the kingdom that we can't contain our joy.  After a while, the joy subsides a bit into peace.  After all, who can really maintain a joyful, bubbly existence at all times?  And would we want to?  We learn to wait.  We learn to be patient.  We learn to see God in the mundane, not just in the grand.  Joy morphs into Peace - a deep, down solid sort of peace. Just as the feeling of being "in love" eventually gives way to a sustained decision to remain in love, so, too, does the initial honeymoon of the Christian life give way to the developing of the mature disciple.  And that leads to Love.  

Truly, then, we see that the cross is not just a symbol, not even just a reminder.  It is a formation, a way of living.  We might get a bit stuck in one of the phases, or we might not really move into another stage.  But as long as we stay in the dance, we will still be moving forward, still developing, growing and living.

Prayer:
I danced in the morning when the world was begun
I danced in the Moon & the Stars & the Sun
I came down from Heaven & I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth:

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
                                    -excerpt from Sydney Carter's Lord of the Dance

2011: True Meaning

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Ornament Details
artist: Terri Steiger
materials: glass and metal

If the 2010 Cross Ornament emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, this 2011 Cross Ornament calls his divinity front and center.

As though from a very far distance, reaching out across space and time, the grand design of salvation unfolds.  Cosmic rays transform into a crystal star, shining white in the night.

The words are striking, " the birth of a child. . .  the hope of the world."

This ornament conveys that Hope exists outside of us.  To be technical, Hope is one of the 3 theological virtues, the other two virtues being Faith and Love.  Like the virtue of Faith, Hope will one day fade away.  It has an expiration date, so to speak, as what we hope for will one day come to pass.  We will see and understand, and no longer need to wait in "joyful hope."  

Hope is not just something inside of us.  We have hope because of someone outside of us.  To be specific, we have reason to Hope because the One who made promises to us is able to bring those promises about.  We have Hope that sickness, loneliness, old age and death will not the final words about our lives. Rather, because of "the birth of child," a child who can bring about the impossible, a child who can do what we cannot, we are able to Hope.

Prayer:
In our darkness, Lord, be our hope.
In our brokenness, Lord, be our hope.
In our sufferings, Lord, be our hope.
In our joys, Lord, be our hope.
In our successes, Lord, be our hope.
In our work, Lord, be our hope.
In our families, Lord, be our hope.
In our lives, Lord, be our hope.
In our deaths, Lord, be our hope.
In our hearts, Lord, be our hope. Amen.

2010: Heaven's Holy Love

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Ornament Details
artist: Edythe Kegrize
materials: porcelain

This cross is so jam-packed full of meaning - where to start?  I think overall, though, one element about this ornament jumps out clearly.  The entire creation emphasizes the humanity of Jesus.  He was born into a family, displayed in the center, on earth, as we can see by the village at the bottom and the star at the top, and even the words refer back to this miracle: "A child is born."

Maintaining the earthiness of this ornament, there is an evergreen wreath surrounding the Holy Family, again connecting Jesus to the "stuff" of creation, even as it symbolizes eternity (in the never-ending circle) and eternal life (in the evergreen boughs.)  Why is emphasizing the humanity of Jesus so important? Because it shows how God physically, really entered the world in order to save it.  He became one of us in all but sin, even suffering death - the ultimate paradox for an almighty God!

The colors on the cross point to the entire world.  There is blue for the sky and sea, and green for the land, while the white and gold symbolize the presence of the glory of God. In fact, this ornament is enormously scriptural as it visibly represents the "glory of the Lord" that shone around the shepherds in the nativity narrative of Luke 2.  It was to the humble, small, outcast shepherds that the glory of the Lord was revealed.  They were given the great news that a child had been born that night, and then immediately told to go and find him.  So, from this heavenly interaction we learn that the humble of heart will see the glory of the Lord, and they will be able to recognize him when they see him.  We also see that the humble of heart are obedient to heaven's promptings, even leaving their important tasks (like shepherding) for a greater good.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to see your likeness in everyone we meet.  Help us to recognize and respond to your promptings.
May we treasure and steward well the earth you have made, especially all the people living in it. Amen.