Catholic Outlook Magazine | Lent & Easter | 2024 Issue

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CARRYING OUR
Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that when
Jesus was led out to be crucified, the soldiers
of the governor compelled Simon, a passer-by,
to carry the wooden crossbeam on which Jesus
was to be hung. The evangelists drew on the
notion of carrying the cross as a metaphor for
paying the price of being a disciple of Jesus. In
its original context, Jesus is asking us to deny
ourselves and face the cost of following Him.
But there is another practical consideration
involved in carrying our cross. There are times
when we are hammered by undeserved suffering
and we pray for release – or even some respite
– and it never comes. What then? We may well
have made the mistake of expecting that God
would ‘do it my way’. We might surrender to total
disenchantment and loss of faith, or we might
find a new kind of hope in acceptance.
The book of Job wrestles with the ‘why’ of human
suffering and concludes that suffering just is – we
have no answers. But we can make a response
in the face of suffering. Mere endurance is not
a helpful response, but suffering can make us
realise our vulnerability and our prayer can be
not so much for deliverance as for acceptance; for
the serenity to carry that cross with a measure of
calm and peace.
If I am a disciple of Christ, I need to put myself
into perspective. As a follower of Jesus, how do I
deny myself? What is He asking? We are familiar
with the idea of self-mortification through putting
up with difficulties and sickness or by fasting or
giving up something for Lent. These are all good,
but they are not what Jesus had in mind.
Denying myself is not about undervaluing myself
as an unworthy sinner. It is about priorities. It
means I accept myself and realise that I have to
put Jesus and His values first in my life. Self and
selfish concerns have to take a back seat. With
this realisation, I resolve to live a wholehearted
life following Christ’s values as I strive to become
the quality human being I am called to be. This
is what Jesus meant when he said, “I came that
they might have life, and have it to the full” (John
10:10).
So many of the crosses we bear are self-imposed
because of our misplaced priorities and values.
The fullness of life that is important to Jesus
eliminates self-imposed crosses by using common
sense strategies, such as cultivating gratitude,
truly naming and using our gifts and blessings,
avoiding making comparisons, letting go of what
other people think, and allowing other people to
be who they are.
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