How do I foster a devotion to the cross?

[MBSwiatek]

I was recently on a retreat; while I was being prayed over, the leader said he saw Calvary when he touched my shoulder and said I was being to called to have a devotion to Christ’s cross. This is something that I really want to do, but I have no idea where to start or what it really means. What should I do to get started?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

I recommend that you begin by divesting yourself of superstitious trust in “leaders” who pray over you and presume to tell you what you should be devoted to. I’m not intending to be facetious here. The “leader” was out of line to presume to manage your devotional life, and I strongly urge you not to return to “retreats” sponsored by this person or whatever group hired him as a retreat master.

Once that is done, then you can consider whether or not you wish to develop devotion to the cross. So long as it is not begun out of superstitious motives, devotion to the cross is an important part of Catholic spirituality. Perhaps you might begin by reading saints who had a devotion to the cross. Examples include St. John of the Cross, St. Edith Stein, and St. John Paul II.