Among Jesus’ many teachings we find this, rather harsh-sounding, invitation: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
I suspect that each of us has a gut-sense of what this means and what it will cost us; but, I suspect too that many of us misunderstand that Jesus is asking here and struggle unhealthily with this invitation. What, concretely, does Jesus mean by this?
- First, it means accepting that suffering is a part of our lives.
- Second, taking up our cross and giving up our lives, means that we may not, in our suffering, pass on any bitterness to those around us.
- Third, walking in the footsteps of Jesus as he carries his cross means that we must accept some other deaths before our physical death, that we are invited to let some parts of ourselves die.
- Fourth, it means that we must wait for the resurrection, that here in this life all symphonies must remain unfinished.
- Fifth, carrying our cross daily means accepting that God’s gift to us is often not what we expect. God always answers our prayers, but often times, by giving us what we really need rather than what we think we need.
- Finally, taking up your cross and being willing to give up your life means living in a faith that believes that nothing is impossible for God.
We can take up our cross when we begin to believe in the Resurrection. [Excerpt from Ron Rolheiser’s “Carrying Our Cross” November 2014]
