A wise and holy priest once stated, “Remember, Jesus did not tell us to pick up our picnic baskets each day and follow Him – He said to pick up our cross everyday if we want to be His disciples.” Although that is a verse from scripture of which we are very familiar, it is one that we often forget when we are bemoaning the hardships of this life. We forget that we are wayfarers and sojourners on the way to heaven and expect instead, a rosy path.
It is the job of the Holy Spirit to form us into another Christ and that cannot be done without major renovating. He needs to rid us of all selfishness, pride and egotistical ways. We will not make progress, nor be purified, if we do not allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us. We are far from resembling Christ and should walk around with a sign on our chest cautioning by passersby’s that we are under construction and to watch out for falling debris.
Coming to the realization that we need to accept the sufferings ‘offered’ by life and allowed by God is quite a challenge. We instead would like to “hand pick” our crosses, thinking we know best. Fr. Jacques tells us that if we can accept our present crosses, it will spare us from much harder ones. This is again, something very difficult for us to fathom.
If we but only internalized the fact that we are loved so very much by God and He allows nothing except for the good of our souls, we would suffer differently. He knows the best ways to help us to grow in grace and virtue, but surrendering to that fact is very difficult. It can only be accomplished by the grace of God which He offers to us but we need to be open to receive it.
As we make our way through this “valley of tears,” we know that we will suffer. Let us strive then to accept the very crosses sent our way and follow Christ with courage. Let us remember to unite them with the sufferings of Jesus, so they may become redemptive. May we be transformed of all that does not resemble Our Lord so that our Heavenly Father will look upon us and see His Son.
As we accept our crosses, may we remember that they are our path toward heaven where, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away” (Rev. 21 vs.4). But in the meantime, ask our dear Lord to send a Simon of Cyrene to assist us when our crosses weigh us down. May we also become a Simon of Cyrene for others and help them while they carry theirs.
Let us pray for one another that the bitterness of our crosses will be turned into sweetness!
What excellent words of wisdom by Fr. Jacques Phillipe. Thank you for sharing these with us, as well your great advice Avia Joy.
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