Taking up your cross daily

  • Thread starter Thread starter goodcatholic
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Thanks guanaphore.
That is a rare picture. it is kinda weird don’t you think?
 
To me, picking up your cross is rich with meaning. I could probably think of at least five different yet important meanings, maybe ten.
 
We take up our cross, but it’s not everything about becoming holy. We should also enjoy God’s handiwork. Should we close our eyes to a beautiful sunset He sends us? Doesn’t seeing it help us give greater praise and thanksgiving to God?
 
goodcatholic said:
That is a rare picture. it is kinda weird don’t you think?
Click to expand...
Yes, I have to admit, I had never seen a "smiling Jesus’ until I was given one by a Mormon, of all people! After that, I had to start thinking that maybe my images of Christ were just a little too morbid!
 
I’m sure that Jesus smiled when the children came to him. But then he also just afterwards became “indignant” with his disciples when they attempted to keep the children back. But I know of little older Catholic art that I can recall where Jesus is actually smiling per se. There is always a certain seriousness, it seems, in Jesus’s manner. A person who did lots of lectio divina in the the Ingatian style could tell me how much Jesus smiled, I’m sure.
 
JamalChristophr said:
I’m sure that Jesus smiled when the children came to him.
Click to expand...
Yes, I think He did a lot more smiling and laughing than what got recorded. It would not surprise me if he had a grin when He said “give unto Cesar what is Cesar’s, and unto God what is Gods’.”
Honestly, if he could not have a sense of humor about humanity, how could He possibly tolerate us?
 
Blessings
Daily, take up your cross and follow me. Realize if a trial comes, accept it snd carry it. Rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say REJOICE.
We need pruning inour spiritual journey. It is difficult to be Christ. We all for short of the glory of God.
In Christs love
Tweedlealice
 
My life is not perfect. There are always something that I need solved, problems that I want go away, and things/situations/relationship I do not have that I want to have.

Apparently I have crosses. They are probably lighter than what others have but they do not diminish that fact that they are crosses.

Sometimes this prayer helps.

Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the Serenity
To accept the things I cannot change…
Courage to change the things I can,
And Wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will.
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.
 
You may be happy and good for you. However there are ppl who are really suffering in life. Through loneliness or illness etc some ppl need to know that their suffering will lead to a great reward. That is why Christ told us the crosses we bear are not a complete waste but are currency. It’s an important message but it is not intended to generate dismay. It’s important to distinguish the difference
 
What day is without that circumstance when the law of the flesh" if it feels good do it" doesn’t get in the way of the law of God " do what you ought to do". Little crosses.
 
Two passages from scripture may be of help:
Matthew 16:24-26
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?
Click to expand...
Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Click to expand...
When we yoke ourselves to Christ, there is a two fold effect. First, He is sharing our burdens with us and we allow Him to lead us where He needs us most. We give up our own will and desires and instead choose to follow the will of He who loves us perfectly.

Second, we are brought eye to eye with Him; we see the world from His perspective. We see all our actions, our thoughts, our words, as well as other people and their actions, words, and motives from the perspective of Christ. This allows us to imitate Him in His compassion for others, and His willingness to bear the burden of Love for others.

In doing these things, we begin to free ourselves of unhealthy desires, and grow to love others as Christ does; we begin to desire what is perfect for all those who we encounter, which is for them to fulfill the will of God, and we become willing servants who take up our crosses to help accomplish this.

Through the cross, through the yoke, we are the body of Christ. Just as He took up His cross, we take up ours. We do this not out of masochism or some perverted sense of reality, but rather out of love; love for Christ, love for ourselves and our beautiful gift of life, and love of the gifts that are the lives of everyone we come to encounter in this life.
 
There is real joy found in taking up your cross daily 🙂
And I would say a kind of freedom .
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top