What is Jesus telling us when he tells us to take up our cross and
follow him? He doesn’t mean it literally nor does he expect us to go looking
for crosses to bear. There are plenty that come our way as a part of life, some
small (like the 110-degree heat today) and others that wound us to the core
(like Mom’s passing, as well as Bobby’s two weeks ago and David’s last week).
Jesus wants us to carry our crosses as He carried His, keeping in
mind that He asked His father to “take this cup away” but ultimately accepted His
Father’s will. We also can ask the
Father for relief from suffering for ourselves and for others while being open
to His will.
As Jesus struggled with carrying the cross, He fell under its weight
three times and understands that at times our burdens will be too much for us
also. His mother was there to strengthen Him with her love and compassion; so
also can we derive strength from her as well as the love of friends and family.
He needed and accepted assistance from Simon of Cyrene and the comfort offered
by the women of Jerusalem and Veronica.
For some of us it may be difficult to accept help and comfort from
others especially strangers, but Jesus shows us the way. It is not just His
example of suffering that He offers us, but He also shows us how to accept the
love, assistance and comfort offered by others so that we might be worthy of Him.
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