Take up th Cross

When Jesus instructs us to deny ourselves,

He means that we should renounce our desires—the desires of the flesh and those of the world—and follow only the will of God.

We should not expect that following God will exempt us from suffering.

From the time of Abel, the just, through Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the prophets, we see a consistent pattern:

those who follow God must be prepared to embrace suffering.

Suffering is an unavoidable part of the journey.

It is through this process that Jesus purifies us and prepares us to share in His glory.

However, it is important to remember that we are following Christ, not the suffering itself.

Jesus embraced His cross for our sake.

With Christ, our suffering gains meaning; without Him, it is without purpose.

We take up the cross when we perform acts of penance,

striving to cleanse ourselves from past sins.

Similarly, we embrace the cross when we accept suffering and offer it to God,

finding purpose and redemption in our trials.

“There are two ways to embrace our cross: the cross that we choose and the cross that is chosen by God.

One way is through penance, a virtue that is often forgotten today.

In modern times, suffering for the sake of beauty is praised by society,

but suffering for the sake of God is often misunderstood or criticized.

Penance, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, is the moderate sorrow for past sins,

recognizing them as offenses against God, with the intention of making amends.

We embrace this when we engage in physical acts of penance,

such as fasting, kneeling in prayer, and other forms of self-discipline.

We also embrace our cross when we accept the suffering that God allows in our lives,

much like Jesus, who not only fasted physically but also accepted the suffering that God sent to Him.

We must remember the words of Jesus: ‘If you do not repent, you will all perish.’

Offer all your sufferings to God, and at the end of your life, they will become your treasure.

You can say to the Lord, ‘These scars are the signs of my love for You.’