Luke 14:27
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
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We always hear this during gospel readings – “carry your own cross”, “carry your cross or you cannot be my disciple”, “carry your cross and follow me”. Could this be the reason why some would prefer to be non-Christian because they thought carrying the cross is a burden to them? “Why should I carry my cross when I can just drop them and be merry all my life?”
Why are you saying that your cross is a burden? When Jesus carried His cross, was it a burden to Him? He carried His cross because that is part of His mission. He has to carry the cross to Calvary so He can fulfill His purpose of dying for us, for our salvation.
It is an atoning sacrifice. God knows the even if we die on the cross a thousand times, that is not enough to atone for the sins of mankind. So, only the blood of His Son can do that. Our suffering is His suffering, but His suffering is our salvation,
And so our cross does not mean dying for our faith. It means our total commitment to be true to Christ, even to death. Living to please our Lord must be uppermost in our minds, just as being obedient to the Father and going to Calvary was uppermost in our Lord's mind.
Christ's suffering was redemptive, while ours is not, but still, we should die to and deny ourselves and follow the One who suffered so much for our salvation, so we may join Him in heaven when the time comes.
Let us pray +
Merciful Lord of life, I lift up my heart to You in my suffering, and ask for your comforting help. I know that You would withhold the thorns of this life, if I could attain eternal life without them. So, I throw myself on your mercy, resigning myself to this suffering. Grant me the grace to bear it and to offer it in union with your sufferings. No matter what suffering may come my way, let me always trust in You. Amen +
In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
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