The logo is composed of three parts, much as Gaul was divided:
1. The Cross
The image is that of St. John of the Cross's drawing of the crucifixion. It is impossible to follow Christ without following him to Calvary. In the cross is our salvation, in the Cross is our hope. Whoever does not take up his cross and follow Christ is not worthy of him.
2. Were our hearts not burning?
These are the words of the disciples as they walked to
Emmaus after the resurrection, as narrated in the passage in the Gospel
according to Luke (Lk
24:13-35). Jesus, whom the entire Old and New Testaments reveal to us,
walked with these discouraged souls, and opened for them the meaning of the
scriptures.
The follower of Christ on earth today often suffers setbacks
and limitations in his following of Christ. Only when he turns to the divine
revelation of Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, the only Messiah and
only Savior, will he be free from the shackles of sin and self-love which
separate him from God and drag him towards the enemies of the soul, the Devil,
the flesh and the world.
And the encounter with Christ enflames the soul with love,
with repentance, with heroic degrees of virtue, with renunciation of the world,
with service to one's neighbor, with honesty in action and speech, with
detachment from all created things for love of God. Nothing can satisfy the soul
except God alone.
3. The color pattern
Yellow (Gold): this is the color, with white, which is on
the papal flag. I had the great song, God Bless
Our Pope, admittedly an exaggerated expression of devotion to the Pope,
conclude my first Mass. I don't separate my priesthood from the Rock of Peter,
and I resolve to be obedient and faithful to the Pope's commands and teachings
to the last day of my life. The gates of Hell will never prevail against this
Rock (Mt 16).
Blue: I
consecrated my entire priesthood to the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the most
efficacious way known to man which brings us to the knowledge, love and service
of Jesus Christ and of our neighbor. My great wish is to bring more to love her.
Red: This color represents the fire that burns in the heart
of those sealed by the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of confirmation. This
sacrament bestows the faculties to defend the faith and to extend the faith. The
fire in the heart is that of love of God above all things, and of one's neighbor
as oneself for love of God. It moves one as much to apostolic zeal to profound
contemplation.
4. The Areopagus
This is the place in Athens, just west of the acropolis, where the governing body met for congress, and later for judgment. It is renowned for being the place where ideas are put forth and the greatest discussions of the western world, before Christ, ever happened.