Our Cross Brings Us Closer to Jesus

22nd Sunday A Mt.16:21-27 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”(Mt. 16:24). Little Tommy was doing badly in math. His parents had tried everything; tutors, flash cards, special learning center etc. Nothing really worked, and as a last ditch effort, they enrolled him in a Catholic School. After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He did not even greet his mom with a kiss but went straight to his room and started studying. This went on for sometime and his mother was so happy for his diligent studying. Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He gave it to his mother and her mother opened it a bit nervous. To her surprise, Tommy got an A in math. She couldn’t contain hold her curiosity anymore, so she asked her son what encourage him to study hard. She asked, “Is it the nun? Is it the discipline or the methodology that they used?” Tommy responded, “Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that guy nailed to the plus sign, I knew they were not fooling around.” Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt.16:24). If someone is going to invite us to a party or a picnic we want it to be fun and enjoyable. The idea of taking up the cross doesn’t seem very appealing and absolutely not fun. In our hi-tech society everything should be easy: EZ pass, EZ open, EZ access; in short, easy way for everything. There is so much emphasis on seeking what is pleasurable and avoiding what is painful. Our minds are conditioned with the thought that suffering is detestable and should be rejected. Coming from this milieu, how can the message of Jesus be relevant to us? Who would be willing to take up His cross and follow Him? The truth of the matter is that there is something we have to discover in the cross. Unless we understand its mystery, Jesus’ invitation to carry it and follow Him will always be unattractive. To unravel the mystery of the cross, it would be helpful if we change our perception of suffering. Suffering can be classified as unnecessary and necessary. Unnecessary sufferings refer to those which we experience because of our selfishness, negligence, abuse, irresponsibility and misuse of human freedom. For instance, children are suffering because their father left their mother for another woman. A teenager is suffering because of his addiction to drugs. Someone loses his job because he was caught stealing from work. A country is suffering because of bad leadership. Necessary sufferings refer to those which involve loving. Love includes sacrifice. Many sacrifices bring a lot of good results. We work hard to provide the best for our loved ones. Sometimes we sacrifice being with them just to give them a good future. We endure hardship to support our sibling’s college education. We suffer when we see our loved ones in pain when they are sick. Suffering is also part of growing towards spiritual maturity. It is hard to admit our own faults or confront our limitations, but this can make us humble. It might be painful to face our problems, but our courage to overcome them can make us stronger people. It might be inconvenient to do household chores, but it can teach us to become more responsible. It is hard to let go of our inordinate attachments, but it can give us more freedom. It is not easy to avoid temptation, but we keep away from them because we don’t want to sin. Indeed, there are many sufferings that we need to endure and they are essential part of growing. We learn to pray when we are suffering. Let us look at Jesus. He suffered a lot. In fact, not only did He take up the cross, but He was also nailed to the cross. He showed the greatness of His love through His suffering. In His death we obtained our redemption. Jesus tells us to take up our cross because He knows our ncross will lead us to life. Little Tommy may think of Jesus as a guy nailed to a plus sign, but that transformed him to become studious. The cross can also transform us if we carry it with love looking not only at our present suffering but the glory that will be revealed to us. Our crosses are God’s blessings to us. They may be difficult to bear, but they can bring us closer to Him. May God bless you all! Fr. Nony S. Villaluz, CRM