Acceptance of the Cross

Today we see the Lord proclaiming his crucifixion the last time before the Last Supper begins. He explains plainly that He came for this very hour. From today we focus specifically on the role of the cross. At this stage acceptance of the cross is not only an invitation to follow Jesus Christ, but it becomes a clear condition for discipleship, and the ultimate proof whether we lead a spiritual life; If we do not accept the cross we waste our time, and our life. There are two key elements of accepting the cross.

 

The first key element is praise and our thanksgiving for what He has done for us, for His Blessed Passion, for His Blessed Death, for the fact He has taken on Himself all our weaknesses, mistakes, errors, offences and transgressions and with them conquered the power of the Evil one. In this way we are invited to praise the Lord and to bless Him: in His Sacrifice, with Him and in Him we are united with the Father.

 

The second key element is equally important and must never be forgotten: We likewise need to be crucified with full acceptance from our side. If we do not, we will come to a dead end. If we cling to our life, we loose it.  The only way of victory is to glorify God through a heart, which embraces crosses. Without loosing your life for eternal life there is no Christianity. We are to place ourselves “below”, onto the ground, in order to be fruitful. Humbling yourself is the way of becoming fruitful. In the spiritual battle there is no hope in fighting directly the opponents in their own terms. On the contrary, in all the history of persecutions we learn how fruitful is the martyrdom Christians.

 

To help us to go “below”, to fall onto the ground and to die for ourselves day by day, let us recall the moment of our death. Especially at that time we will think instantly how to survive, how to fix our wounds, how to take breath, how to have hearts perfectly repaired. However at that time what God wants from us is that we commit ourselves into His hands, to fall and die to be united with Christ. Indeed the moment of our death is a perfect example of an invitation to accept the cross

 

Fr Stan

Categories: Reflections