A dark cross at the heart of a luminous stained-glass window. Julio reads it as the meeting of suffering endured and the hope of a light to come.
Reading the symbolism
In Julio's explanation, the cross represents a life tested by hardship and suffering. The luminous stained-glass window expresses the closeness of salvation and light. The plate plays on this opposition between the central figure and its colorful surroundings; both elements are preserved in the reproduction.
Deus noster refugium et virtus
Our God is our refuge and our strength.
The attributed effects
Julio associates the sign with the strength and endurance needed to bear what seems inevitable. He specifically mentions disappointed affections and the loss of a loved one. His interpretation concerns religious comfort and hope; it does not allow one to promise the disappearance of grief or suffering.
Use by Julio
The pantacle is included among the blessed and consecrated supports described in the book. Its application can be understood as a prayer for getting through an ordeal. The notice does not prescribe any mandatory duration, a particular novena, or a ceremony intended to bring back a loved one.
A personal reading
You can take time to look at the cross and then at the light surrounding it, and reread the formula as a request for courage. This personal reading requires neither denying the pain nor considering it a fault.
The source and variants
The Cross has an application for comfort different from that of the Shield, which focuses on protection during conflicts. The same Christian form can therefore serve different purposes depending on its composition and text.
Abbé Julio, The Secret Book of Great Exorcisms and Blessings, second edition, Vincennes, published by the author, 1908. Explanation and application no. 68, pp. 451–452. Plate no. 20 of the third volume. Practical advice on blessed and consecrated supports can be found on pp. 462–463.
Digitization: Divinity School Library, Duke University / Internet Archive.
