I remember watching a skit that humorously demonstrated how our crosses were perfectly chosen by God for us. The skit made the point that if our crosses were cut down to a more “acceptable” size that wouldn’t be quite as burdensome, they would no longer be able to stretch across the chasm leading into heaven. They wouldn’t be the “bridge” which the crosses in our lives are meant to be.
I have to confess that I’ve focused on crosses as those things which irk me, cause me to suffer, or bring me into situations that are unfair and from which I cannot escape (but wish I could!). We all know the things that we’d personally label “the crosses in my life.”
We learn from an early age to accept the cross and to unite ourselves to Jesus when the cross touches our lives. And although some of my crosses have been profoundly more difficult to endure than others, I have to admit, on the scale of world events where suffering is immense, my imagination of how the cross has touched my life can get a little over dramatic.
When the people who followed Jesus heard this invitation to take up their cross, they pictured something very different from the skit that I remember. It wasn’t humorous at all. They knew the person carrying the cross was on a one-way road to a humiliating and painful death. This is how Jesus loved us, and how we are called to love him in return. Jesus tells us that nothing should stand in the way of our love for him. Our love should take us on a one-way road to his heart!
It can be that family relationships support us in our love for Jesus and our walk of discipleship. If we need to make a choice, however, the choice should be clear. There are times when advancing our careers and our material possessions and our ambitions will be in line with the values of Jesus in the Gospel. When they are not, the choice we need to make should be clear.
To prioritize Jesus is to categorically refuse to live in service of worldly desires so that we can freely choose to love in such a way that will lead us to live eternally in the love of Jesus Christ. Carrying the cross means a living adherence to Christ Jesus. Ask yourself today: “Jesus, what does this mean for you and for me?”
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
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