This cross was conceived as a symbol of the first generation of Chilean priests, who studied in Brazil and Switzerland. It is the Christ of Unity, in the strength of his sacrifice and giving of self, extending his arms widely, uniting heaven with earth and earth with heaven. It shows Christ, the Son, deeply and intimately attached to Mary his Mother, permanent Helpmate and Companion in his mission to redeem mankind. The Unity Cross is the image itself of the ‘Christ of attachments’, whose most profound desire is that “all may be one,” as He and the Father are one. The fact that they are alive is not only symbolic rather, it further makes a truth of faith evident: On the cross, Christ and Mary, as well as in reality, are presently alive in a glorious body. The blood that Mary gathers with his chalice emanates from Christ’s side. Moreover, Christ and Mary have a unique posture: they are alive and they are mutually looking at one another in a profound dialogue of Mother and Son. The Father Symbol at the cusp of the cross illuminates everything: Christ and Mary rest in the Father, in the cross that the Father has determined in his plan of love, as the way of redemption. The Unity Cross expresses the bi-unity that Schoenstatt wants to proclaim: Christ is inseparable from Mary and Mary is inseparable from Christ. Three symbols can be seen on it: the image of Christ, the image of Mary and the Father Symbol. The Unity Cross has become one of the most characteristic symbols of the Schoenstatt Movement. Benjamin Pereira, The Unity Cross Comes to the Original Shrine, p.7) In Father Kentenich’s words, “She is ‘the permanent Helpmate and Companion in his mission to redeem mankind’ ”. The symbolic representation that the author, Father Ángel Vicente Cerró took of an old picture of the German abbey of Maria Laach – shows her close to her crucified son, gathering the blood from his side in a chalice. “Standing by the cross of Jesus was his mother,” says John the Evangelist.
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