Article #1 - Sixth Series - September 4th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

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Article #1 - Sixth Series - September 4th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

Editor's Note: This article was first published in the St. Catherine of Siena and St. Michael the Archangel weekend bulletin on October 30, 2022. The pictures are of Fr. Ben Daghir's priest card (front and back).

 

Article:

I recently had a parishioner ask me about my priest card. The card has an image of the crucifix (which is a picture of a stained-glass window at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore). The backside of the card has two quotes from Archbishop Fulton Sheen. The first quote reads “The crucifix is an autobiography in which man can read the story of his own life, either to his own salvation or his own condemnation.” The second quote states “It becomes for each his autobiography. The skin of Christ is the parchment, His blood the ink, the nails the pen. There we see written the story of our life.”

The parishioner asked, “Why the image of the crucifix?” and “Why these quotations?” The cross is the only anchor worth holding onto. Nothing else offered in this universe is ultimately worth clinging to with all one’s might. There are many things in this world which promise comfort, peace, security, nourishment, and so much more. None of them ever live up to the promise though. Only the Cross has lived up to what it promises. Concerning the second question, the quotations remind us that we find our true identity through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is because Jesus is the perfect human being. We now know what authentic humanity looks like. Humanity is built for love, sacrifice, and charity. Humanity becomes most happy when it gives itself away in love for others. The Cross takes us to the ground zero of who we really are and who we are called to be.

Lastly, many people have tried to write their story with many styles of ink (wealth, honor, power, pleasure). Those stories are boring. Our story must be written with the Cross. Even better, we should let Christ write our respective stories. The Catholic saints always have two very unique characteristics to their stories. First, God writes their story, they do not. Second, the stories are always written in red ink because they have lived lives of love, sacrifice, and charity. And, I forgot to mention - the Catholic saints are also the happiest people to have ever lived.

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Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.