February 25, 2004
Monday evening Mike Coppage and I went to a meeting at the Diaconate office. There were 9 deacons there plus Monsignor Sticka. As we sat around the table, it occurred to me that this must have been something like Jesus and the Apostles, sitting around talking. There was some talk about religion. Some guys told stories. There was some serious discussion and some laughter. It must have been really cool to be one of the Apostles and be able to sit and talk with Jesus face-to-face.
On the other hand, a lot of the time, they really didn’t know what was happening around them. They had the privilege of being with Jesus while he was among us, but we have the advantage of history. For example, in today’s Gospel he tells them that he is going to suffer and die. Then he tells them to take up their cross and follow Him. Jesus tells them two more times after this incident that he must go to Jerusalem to die, so apparently they still didn’t understand what He was saying.
To put it into today’s terms, what would you think if someone told you to take up your electric chair and follow them; or your lethal injection machine? It wouldn’t make much sense. There’s an old joke that if Christ had lived in the 20th century, we’d all be wearing little electric chairs around our necks.
To us, it makes perfect sense. Jesus is asking us to share in his suffering by taking up our own cross. But, don’t you wonder sometimes why some people seem to have such huge crosses to carry while others skip through life with crosses that seem so small? Why does God give one person something like this big cross to carry around? Then He gives someone else a cross that’s so tiny, they can stick it in their pocket.
And why is it that some of the people with what seem to be the biggest, heaviest crosses walk around like they don’t have a care in the world? Then there are others who don’t seem to have any cross at all, but are always unhappy?
I think there are a couple of reasons. First, some people are stronger than others. I have two sons who lift weights. They could carry a big cross around all day and never get out of breath.
Or, maybe that big cross just might be made out of Styrofoam. Like they say, to know what I feel you have to walk a mile in my shoes.
On the other hand, we’ve all heard stories about someone who had money, power and prestige. He (or she) seemed to have it made. Then, one day, they found him in the garage with the motor running. What happened? Maybe he was just too week to carry what appeared to be a small cross. Or maybe his particular cross was made of lead. We just don’t know.
It seems like the crosses that most people have trouble carrying are the ones they build themselves. Today the idea of taking responsibility for your own actions seems to be very out of date. This is the age of no-fault divorce and no-fault insurance. The morning-after birth control pill has been in the news this week. People think that abortion isn’t murder, it’s just a convenient way to solve a problem. If the marriage fails, it’s always the other person’s fault. I think the inner conflict of knowing in you heart that something is at least partly your own fault, coupled with the pressure we have to blame someone else, makes that particular cross the hardest to carry of all. Maybe it’s because we haven’t given our cross-carrying muscles enough exercise.
As we begin the season of Lent, even more than during the rest of the year, Christ calls us to share in the carrying of His cross. Like any exercise, the more weight you carry, the stronger you will become. When He tells us to take up our cross daily, He’s really asking us to take part in His suffering and death. When it’s our turn to meet Him face-to-face, we may wish our earthly cross had been just a little heavier.
But, we can’t help it if life has been kind to us. It’s not our fault if our cross is light, or that we’re strong.
When our burden seems light, that’s when it’s time to find someone with a heavier cross than ours and help them carry it. If God gives us a light burden, it must be because he needs us to help lighten someone else’s.
So, when everything seems to be going well, when we’re footloose and fancy free, with our cross tucked safely in our pocket, that’s when we should look around, especially during Lent. Instead of giving something up for Lent, maybe our sacrifice could be to do more. Who has a heavier cross than we do? Who can we help? Remember, even Jesus needed Simon the Cyrenian to help him carry His cross up to Calvary.
On the other hand, a lot of the time, they really didn’t know what was happening around them. They had the privilege of being with Jesus while he was among us, but we have the advantage of history. For example, in today’s Gospel he tells them that he is going to suffer and die. Then he tells them to take up their cross and follow Him. Jesus tells them two more times after this incident that he must go to Jerusalem to die, so apparently they still didn’t understand what He was saying.
To put it into today’s terms, what would you think if someone told you to take up your electric chair and follow them; or your lethal injection machine? It wouldn’t make much sense. There’s an old joke that if Christ had lived in the 20th century, we’d all be wearing little electric chairs around our necks.
To us, it makes perfect sense. Jesus is asking us to share in his suffering by taking up our own cross. But, don’t you wonder sometimes why some people seem to have such huge crosses to carry while others skip through life with crosses that seem so small? Why does God give one person something like this big cross to carry around? Then He gives someone else a cross that’s so tiny, they can stick it in their pocket.
And why is it that some of the people with what seem to be the biggest, heaviest crosses walk around like they don’t have a care in the world? Then there are others who don’t seem to have any cross at all, but are always unhappy?
I think there are a couple of reasons. First, some people are stronger than others. I have two sons who lift weights. They could carry a big cross around all day and never get out of breath.
Or, maybe that big cross just might be made out of Styrofoam. Like they say, to know what I feel you have to walk a mile in my shoes.
On the other hand, we’ve all heard stories about someone who had money, power and prestige. He (or she) seemed to have it made. Then, one day, they found him in the garage with the motor running. What happened? Maybe he was just too week to carry what appeared to be a small cross. Or maybe his particular cross was made of lead. We just don’t know.
It seems like the crosses that most people have trouble carrying are the ones they build themselves. Today the idea of taking responsibility for your own actions seems to be very out of date. This is the age of no-fault divorce and no-fault insurance. The morning-after birth control pill has been in the news this week. People think that abortion isn’t murder, it’s just a convenient way to solve a problem. If the marriage fails, it’s always the other person’s fault. I think the inner conflict of knowing in you heart that something is at least partly your own fault, coupled with the pressure we have to blame someone else, makes that particular cross the hardest to carry of all. Maybe it’s because we haven’t given our cross-carrying muscles enough exercise.
As we begin the season of Lent, even more than during the rest of the year, Christ calls us to share in the carrying of His cross. Like any exercise, the more weight you carry, the stronger you will become. When He tells us to take up our cross daily, He’s really asking us to take part in His suffering and death. When it’s our turn to meet Him face-to-face, we may wish our earthly cross had been just a little heavier.
But, we can’t help it if life has been kind to us. It’s not our fault if our cross is light, or that we’re strong.
When our burden seems light, that’s when it’s time to find someone with a heavier cross than ours and help them carry it. If God gives us a light burden, it must be because he needs us to help lighten someone else’s.
So, when everything seems to be going well, when we’re footloose and fancy free, with our cross tucked safely in our pocket, that’s when we should look around, especially during Lent. Instead of giving something up for Lent, maybe our sacrifice could be to do more. Who has a heavier cross than we do? Who can we help? Remember, even Jesus needed Simon the Cyrenian to help him carry His cross up to Calvary.
posted by Mike at 12:08 PM
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