Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. …”
I discovered the artist Erik Ravelo this morning on Facebook. A Cuban artist, he created a series entitled Los Intocables (The Untouchables) to raise our awareness about the violence done to children, such as pedophilia in the church, the theft of organs in Brazil, child prostitution in Thailand, as well as violence and killings perpetrated in war times (Syria). This series fits today’s gospel.
Crosses come in so many varieties. Maybe if I realized sooner that a situation I am living right now is in fact a ‘cross’, I could carry it with more strength and dignity, knowing that I am not carrying it alone, but with the One who never stops inviting me to come after Him and deny myself.
Sometimes my cross is just being myself, caught into the moving sands of my false self. For some women and men, their physical beauty is their cross, as they are really objects to those who meet them. One’s sex orientation, one’s gender, one’s likes and dislikes can be a cross. One’s health, one’s marriage, one’s job… Poverty, abuse, addiction, discrimination, bullying… One’s opinions can be a cross to others…
It is good every evening to close the day reviewing all the reasons to be thankful for what happened, all those encounters with Godde, whether in a friend, a child, a pet, a sunrise or a sunset, a phone call, or some news on TV. It is healthy to look at one’s day and retrieve those moments when I failed the vocation Godde called me to. It is just now that I realize that I can also sift through the day to find out that moment when indeed I took up my cross and followed him. For often the day gives me an opportunity to turn to Him and say, Here I am, Lord.
One with you in Him.
Art: Erik Ravelo, War in Syria
Claire, thank you for these wonderful thoughts. They give me a lot to reflect on in my own life as enduring is not something I am good at. If a given situation is not “right” (usually according to my own definition of right), my tendency is to “fix” it or flee from it, which is not always possible with relationships.
I am still self-centered but I am slowly learning to discern between the good spirit of the Creator and the negative spirits that the Evil One uses to feed my false ego. May I receive the grace to continue to understand God’s will better and the courage to follow it.
Peace,
W. Ockham
Oh, it seems to me that you are describing most of us. I find it is such a long process, a slow apprenticeship, with one step forward and two backward.
As to your grace, As you ask, you shall receive.
Many thanks for your comment and your authenticity.
The Cross—my challenge, my teacher, my connection to Christ.
Thank you for the reminder to practice the Examen.
Your connection to Christ… Beautiful Roberta.Thank you.
“Sometimes my cross is just being myself, caught into the moving sands of my false self.” This is so very true and so challenging to overcome. Gradually God is helping me to trust more and to journey more closely with God. The Examen is a very wise way to keep close to our Lord and to be aware of what is happening in our lives. Blessings.
Each one of our journeys is both precious and fascinating.
The Examen is my way and my hope of discovering the vocation Godde is calling me ‘to be’. 🙂