9 August 2013 - power of the cross

9 August 2013 - power of the cross

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Seeking our own lives for any reason will result in losing them.  But even losing them for the wrong reason isn't enough.  The world gives us plenty of reasons to throw our lives away.  But we will only find life if we live for his sake.

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.

What he asks of us is humanly impossible.  The ego, the I, the very self must choose against itself- against its own self-preservation- in favor of love.  It must lose itself for the sake of Jesus.

How do we respond, then, if it is completely beyond our power?  "With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God" (cf. Mar. 20:27).

First, we must realize exactly who it is we are choosing.  He is utterly unique, transcendent, and exalted.  Only this one deserves all that we have, all that we are, and all that we ever become.

This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart,
that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.

Knowing that, we can be reassured that the trail we walk has already been blazed by none other than the LORD of heaven and earth.  Jesus goes to the cross first to enable all men to follow him.  When we feel overwhelmed by our call let us remember his own journey to the cross.

I remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I remember your wonders of old. 
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder.

In doing so we will gain strength.  Just as the angel appears to Jesus in the garden to strengthen him (cf. Luk. 22:43), so will the strength of Jesus be made present to us by his word.  Dwelling on the passion of the LORD is not morbid.  It should not be wearisome.  It is meant to be the source of strength for our own crosses.  It is Jesus embracing the world on the cross which loves it through death to the resurrection.  Jesus is sustained along this way of suffering by strength from his Father but also by the loving gaze of his mother.  She gazes on us all with the same love.  She wants to comfort us in our sufferings as she does for Jesus.  She wants to stand by us and let us experience love even when we feel totally forsaken by the world.  Mother of the Son of God, pray for us!