Accepting to carry my Cross

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Asonglaw said:
ok, but i tend to wonder what difference it makes if i deny or accept, if i reject the cross, its still there. Am carrying it in-spite of me. So why does He say “take it up and come follow me”, seeing that He doesn’t ask my opinion or as if I told Him i did not want to, He’d take it away?
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Because, as I argued in my earlier reply (see above), when Christ told us to pick up our cross, he was not talking about a battle with tough circumstances or with a personal flaw. He was talking about enduring the torment of giving witness to God in a hostile world. And that Cross (which is the cross Christ spoke of) is one you are always free to pick up or not. (Though once you’ve picked it up there’s probably no laying it down anymore.)

So if what you are referring to as “your cross” is some kind of circumstance in your life or something that’s wrong with you yourself, then Christ’s saying (“Take up your cross and follow me”) does not really apply.
 
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mickiemouse said:
Mist people have developed a humanist rational understanding of a christian cross to bare.
It is neccessary to have a real prophetic relationship with the holy spirit to separate what your cross is . vs what is daily issues.
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This is quite right. Frankly I don’t understand whence has come the modern usage of the word “carrying your cross”, i.e. in reference to putting up with difficult circumstances or personal problems. I get the impression it’s a modern protestant invention, this usage of the term. I don’t know of any “formal” Catholic works (Church Fathers etc.) that use the word in this way, nor do I think I’ve encountered this usage in any Christian work older than, say, a couple of decades.

People certainly deserve compassion and, where appropriate, assistance when faced with difficulties of whatever kind. But for every Christian to label trying personal circumstances as their “cross” is ill-advised, because it detracts from what The Cross really is.
 
Crosses are easier to carry when you embrace them instead of dragging under them. Also, do not be afraid to ask God to send a friend to help you carry a Cross, we all need a Simon of Cyrene.
 
Read the account of Christ’s Agony in the Garden, meditate on it. Christ asked God to take away the suffering that was coming, He was human and had that moment. It helps me to read that passage!

http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/22 begins at verse 39

In the same way, we do not want to confuse the crosses that we are given by God with the burdens we accumulate from our own decisions.

Have you talked to your priest about this? He can help you discern.
 
And to rejoice in spite of the suffering of the Cross. To persevere in trusting God like Job did.
 
‘WHY do you look for rest when you were born to work? Resign yourself to patience rather than to comfort, to carrying your cross rather than to enjoyment.’ - The Imitation of Christ
 
We are supposed to accept the crosses we get in life. You don’t have to worry about asking for them or rejecting them, they will come. The Jews have a tradition of praying before they perform a command of the Torah, whether it is a command to do something or a command not to do something. Similarly we should pray in thanksgiving for all the crosses we bear in life. This is not emphasized enough.

Recall what Job said, if we accept the good from the LORD should we not also accept the bad?
 
ok, but, I think Saint Faustina, in her diary, talks about crosses, to mean much more than witnessing.
 
Thanks for all replies. Not always easy to accept “Simon of Cyrenes” or maybe after a while, I guess there is a tendency to get tired since they don’t actually solve the problem, nor do they always help willingly. However, I guess, I am learning, among other things that they are a gift from the Lord whether or not I want/need (I guess). and yep, spoken with priest, try to receive the sacraments as often possible and share too with family (and sure am grateful for that). Hopefully, talking about it as well is a good step in going about “carrying the cross”
 
Yes talking to friends is a very good thing. God bless you and give you strength to persevere.
 
Asonglaw said:
ok, but i tend to wonder what difference it makes if i deny or accept, if i reject the cross, its still there. Am carrying it in-spite of me. So why does He say “take it up and come follow me”, seeing that He doesn’t ask my opinion or as if I told Him i did not want to, He’d take it away?
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People’s view of the idea of carrying one’s cross as some illness/physical limitation, unbelieving spouse, rebellious children, difficult boss at work, a domineering mother-in-law or deeper spiritual life only the religious elite can achieve, etc.

The cross Jesus speaks of (Lk 9:23) however, is not something that is placed on us; it is something we take up by choice. Jesus isn’t telling his disciples to go intentionally get an incurable disease or marry an unbeliever or find a job with the worst possible boss they could find. Or they have to achieve some kind of “super spirituality” through their own efforts.

What Jesus is saying is a matter of giving up that which is of little value in order to gain that which is of great value.

Jesus is pointing out that there is a cost associated with becoming his disciple. And before one decides to take that path in life, one needs to carefully consider the cost on the front end.

He points out the paradox that is involved in living as his discipline.

Being a disciple of Jesus is a matter of giving up that which is of little value in order to gain that which is of great value.

God bless.
 
Roguish said:
But for every Christian to label trying personal circumstances as their “cross” is ill-advised, because it detracts from what The Cross really is.
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Nope, not really. You just came up with your own interpretation of what the “cross” is, and you’d like everybody to agree with you.
As I said above, I don’t see any point to limiting it or overcomplicating matters.

Furthermore, to the extent one accepts your interpretation of a “Cross” as bearing witness to God in a hostile world, by accepting our sufferings and offering them to God, we ARE bearing witness to God, and we encounter hostility
  • from those who don’t think there’s a God or that he cares about us offering up suffering, and therefore what we’re doing is pointless; and even
  • from those who like you would tell people, “That’s not a real cross and you’re doing it wrong.”
 
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Reuben_J said:
The cross Jesus speaks of (Lk 9:23) however, is not something that is placed on us; it is something we take up by choice.
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The circumstances of having bad things happen to us like a disease or a bad boss may be beyond our control, or they may be something that happens as a result of some risk we took or decision we made that ended up with a bad outcome.

The choice lies in HOW we deal with the bad occurrence. Do we “curse God” as in Job or do we try to cope in a way that Jesus would do? Do we continue to trust in God’s plan or do we get mad and lose belief because we have to suffer? Do we offer our sufferings to Jesus in reparation/ to save souls/ for other intentions like the Holy Father? <—I realize there are people on the forum who have a big issue with the idea of “offering our sufferings”, but it’s an accepted practice that many saints throughout history have done and advocated.
 
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