Another Kind of Cross
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” – Lk 9:23
Many of the crosses we choose to carry are not redeeming. To name just a few: living with resentment, withholding forgiveness, needing to be in control, being unwilling to learn from others, selfishly demanding my own way, remaining imprisoned in addictive ways of living. It takes a certain amount of maturity to even notice that we are carrying a cross of our creation—carved out of our own foolishness. To be caught up in our tiny world, thinking only of our wants and needs, with hearts closed to others, is perhaps the greatest of unredemptive crosses. In this way of living there is no room for love, and life without love is a heavy cross to carry.
There is another kind of cross, though. It is the cross of our salvation. We meditate on this cross when, with Paul, we preach Christ crucified – Christ desiring not his own way but wanting only our good. The pain that comes from carrying this cross is redemptive because it is born out of love. Someone said to me once, “I’m in pain but I’m not suffering.” Although she was in much physical pain, her attitude was one of acceptance. She was receiving the pain rather thanfighting it. She was carrying a cross that was redemptive.
Lord, help me carry my crosses out of love as I seek to follow you this Lent.
Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr, Abide