"He who will not take up his cross and come after me is not worthy of me."
Lectionary readings for the 13th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A:
2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16
Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19
Rom 6:3-4, 8-11
Mt 10:37-42
What Jesus asks His followers to do is not simple work. It demands all - one's mind, heart, soul and strength for others - in truth, one's very life. What He asks of every Christian is to make Him the center of his life - number 1 in every priority list. He asks this not once, not twice, but throughout the entire life of every Christian. Every moment He calls Christians to take up the cross of their responsibilities, He asks it to be done in the same intention as He did: to give one's life for God and the building of the Kingdom. This means practicing love, sacrifice, and generosity in the very ordinary circumstances that life opens for each Christian.
Taking up the cross in the same spirit as the Lord can mean several things. It could mean responsibilities and obligations that are not to one's liking, but still has to be corrected or worked on: a rebellious son; a daughter who is in a relationship the parents knows is not good; a spouse who has a vice; a wife who is not responsible with the children; a job that does not bring the profit one needs; a mission to an unfamiliar culture that brings isolation, sorrow and loneliness; a ministry that makes one feel powerless to soothe the pain of the people; a life that is filled with poverty, suffering and pain. The cross is all this and more. But if one were to look up to Christ, He will help carry the crosses of one's life, because the faith, love and hope in God needed is always there.
The help necessary to carry the crosses of life in the same spirit as the Lord is found in prayer and the sacraments, and within a family or community that cares, is responsible and works towards the greater good. If these means are exercised, then God will surely grant the grace and strength to carry one's responsibilities well. And He will grant the strength needed to persevere in one's vocation or state of life till the end. Also, there is one truth that should be remembered: with every "cross" experience, there is always a "resurrection" experience in the journey of life. And it is the knowledge of the Lord's resurrection that gives Christians hope to continue in their following of Jesus until the end.
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