1. The Cross of Jesus
The arms of Jesus stretch out from the Cross, the sign and instrument of our salvation. Through the Cross, Jesus, and we with him, triumph over all that oppresses the human spirit, especially personal sin. Strengthened and nourished by the cross, we rejoice.
The Cross is not to be taken as a source of grief alone. We wish to put to death the old man so that the new man may live -- Jesus Christ in us. We see the Cross as a sign of contradiction to the values and principles of the world.
We embrace the Cross as the symbol of Christ Crucified, who is the power and wisdom of God (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23-24).
2. God's Power and Wisdom
The Companions of the Cross seek to live in total reliance on God's power and God's wisdom. We are aware of our limitations. We acknowledge the words of Jesus: "Apart from me you can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5). We identify easily with St. Paul when he refers to himself and his fellow believers as "weak" (cf. 1 Cor. 1:27). Yet, it is precisely through humbling ourselves and embracing the Cross that God will draw near to us and carry out his plans through us, even if they are vast. We readily reaffirm the words of the archangel Gabriel to Mary: "For with God nothing will be impossible" (Lk. 1:37).
It is God's power that we need. As we surrender our lives and everything we do to him, give him full permission to do with us as he wills, make ourselves completely available to him, and are committed totally to his purposes, we clear the way for him to accomplish his will.
When the Gospel is authentically proclaimed, we should often expect to see confirming signs and wonders (cf. Acts 4: 29-30) to give convicting power to the word, which will serve to accomplish God's will including that deepest of all his desires the conversion of the human heart.
God's general wisdom is mediated to us by the entire Church. Therefore, we are determined to think with the Church and to be loyal to the Magisterium.
God's particular wisdom guides his people, both as individuals and as a body of believers, and is communicated to those who seek it, provided they have the intention of carrying it out before they know what it is. Saint Paul writes to the Colossians: "[We] have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (1:9).
We rely on the wisdom of God. We desire to be directed by God's will for us. We will seek it relentlessly, and be committed to making no major moves without first discerning God's will for us, even if this involves extensive periods of waiting on him (cf Ps. 3 7:7).
3. The Lordship of Jesus
Jesus Christ is Lord! Christ crucified has been exalted by the Father to be Lord of all Creation. In response, each member is to declare himself personally under the total Lordship of Jesus Christ, and to live out this commitment in conscious daily submission to him as Saviour and Lord.
4. Mary Our Mother
Near the cross stands Mary, the Lord's mother and our mother. We wish to venerate and honour the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen, and to follow her as the model of the spiritual life.
Although this devotion can be expressed in approved exterior manifestations, it is to be true and interior. Devotion to Mary ultimately leads us to glorify Jesus Christ and the Father in the Holy Spirit. As a sign of our interior union with Mary, we make a public consecration to Jesus through Mary at our annual community retreat.
Members seek constantly to practise and encourage devotion to Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of Priests, especially through the prayer of the Rosary.
5. Spiritual Life
The Companions of the Cross are to be men of unremitting prayer and total dependence on God. Our life of prayer includes a firm commitment to times of communion with God, both as individuals and as a community. Each member spends an extended time of private prayer each day. This time will include meditation, as well as seeking and discerning the direction of the Lord for his life.
Each member makes a retreat for one week each year in order to pray and reflect upon his life and vocation. Each member is encouraged to make frequent use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Each member has a spiritual director with whom he is to meet and consult regularly. His director can be chosen from within or outside the community.
The community gathers as a whole once a year for some days of teaching, discussion, reflection, prayer, and companionship.
The local community takes special care to see to it that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is administered to the sick and elderly members of the Society.
6. The Cross and Our Ministry
From the side of Christ, as he slept the sleep of death upon the Cross, there flowed blood and water, which is the wondrous sacrament of the whole Church. We are determined to pick up our cross daily and follow the Lord, uniting ourselves to the Passion of Christ and to his work of redemption.
The Cross is a victory over the forces of evil. It is the inspiration and rallying point of the Companions of the Cross. We look to it as the sure sign of hope for the world, the prelude to the resurrection.
By a divine act of the love of God, human history has been redeemed through Christ crucified. And so, each member of the Companions of the Cross willingly embraces the Cross, for his own salvation and that of the world.
7. Evangelization & The Mission of the Society
We are called to participate in the ongoing renewal of the Church, having evangelization as our fundamental priority. The works that we do are varied, but they are always coloured with the proclamation of the kerygma, in such a way as to elicit a response and commitment to the person of Jesus Christ and his Gospel.
Reflecting on the goodness of creation, the dignity of the human person, and the needs of the Church, we are called by God to be involved in many and varied apostolates. Our Mission is limited only by our desire to maintain community life and our faithfulness to the ministry of evangelization.
It is in the local parish community that most people experience the Church. We consider this environment to be one of the primary places for our ministry. As parish priests we work for the building up and renewal of the local Church in harmony with its bishops, clergy, religious, and laity. We also engage ourselves in other specific works such as teaching, preaching, spiritual direction, chaplaincy, missions, retreats, and workshops.
8. Ministry to the Poor and Alienated
The cry of the poor must not be ignored. The Companions of the Cross desire to minister to them, including those in the inner core of our cities: the desperate, those in bondage, the addicted, the abused, the hungry, the homeless, the lonely, the isolated, the alienated, the abandoned, the underemployed, the runaways, the street people.
While conscious of our own poverty and brokenness, we are ready to answer the call to minister to these blessed ones with whom Christ identifies. While helping to alleviate their material needs, we wish to bring them, through the Church, to Jesus Christ and, thus, to a peace that the world cannot give.
Jesus instructed his disciples to go after the lost sheep of the House of Israel (cf Mt.10:6). In our day, many Catholics, especially the youth, are alienated from the Church. The Companions of the Cross desire to be involved in the Church's efforts to redress this situation.
The Companions of the Cross realize that the situation of our world is constantly changing. We are committed to discerning contemporary realities and providing authentic pastoral solutions. We desire to be faithful to the wisdom of the Church throughout the ages, and, at the same time, to embrace the freedom of the Spirit in living out our mission.
9. Ministry with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
We believe that "the miracle of Pentecost should continue in history," (Pope Paul VI, 17 October 1974) and, hence, we desire to be completely and fully empowered by the Father through the Holy Spirit, and to receive all the spiritual gifts, or "charisms," that he may wish to bestow on us, including the Corinthian gifts (cf. I Cor. 12:8-10).
The community makes no claim to any special spiritual endowment, and we realize that these charisms are not ends in themselves. Rather, they are given for the common good (cf. I Cor. 12:7). In this light, we desire the greater gifts (cf. I Cor. 12:3 1), the greatest of which is love.
10. Eucharist
The sacrifice of the Cross is perpetuated in the celebration of the Eucharist. We desire to be at the service of dynamic and more fruitful celebrations of the Sacred Liturgy by helping the people of God to enter more wholeheartedly into this act of worship of Christ to his Father 'in the power of the Holy Spirit. We celebrate Eucharist daily when possible.
As one way of remaining better connected to the mystery of Christ that the Eucharistic Liturgy makes present, we encourage adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We also encourage times of communal prayer with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
11. Lay Involvement
We desire to be united with lay people in fulfilling the mission of the Church. We wish to affirm the importance of their baptismal call and to promote their gifts for ministry.
