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The inner word

19 Jun 2016 - Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

You can think of “taking up your cross” as a way of dealing with the daily stresses and burdens of life, but in the scriptural sense it means more than keeping your patience. It’s really about being willing to make sacrifices to follow Jesus. Christ would remind his disciples that to walk with him would not always be pleasant—something they didn’t always want to hear. His is a way of sacrifice.

sacrifice take up the cross

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19 Jun 2016 - Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

The Broadway musical Miss Saigon is set in Vietnam. When the U.S. pulls out, the title character is left behind, pregnant with the son of an American GI who does not even know the child exists. As troubles intensify, Kim sings a song to her little boy, “I Would Give Up My Life for You.” Young lovers often say the same thing. However, when love endures over time, matures and grows, if a lover can still say to the beloved, “I would die for you,” we take him or her seriously because that person knows what is at stake in loving. Kim sings: “You, who I cradled in my arms / You, asking as little as you can / Little snip of a little man / I know I’d give my life for you. / Why should you learn of war or pain? / To make sure you’re not hurt again / I swear I’ll give my life for you” . . . and she will. Such words may move you deeply, but it’s a song. Can they be true? For your child, your spouse, your partner, would you “lose your life”? Today is Father’s Day, and we become aware of the many dads and moms who have given up their lives for their children—either literally, or by way of sacrifice, hard work, and constant care. For most of us, “laying down one’s life” takes the shape of giving—over and over, endlessly—and that is a little dying too. Listen to Jesus: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” From your own experience of loving and being loved, you know that Jesus is absolutely right.

Authors Father Larry Janowski O.F.M.

father's day Love sacrifice take up the cross

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The inner word

04 Sep 2016 - Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Do you have what it takes to be a disciple? Don’t panic: You don’t have to “hate” your family. Though Jesus’ words sound as strong then as they do now, see them in terms of the rest of what he says in the gospel passage, the big message of which is: Measure your resources before starting on something, like a king contemplating giving battle or a builder sizing up whether he can afford to complete a structure. That means being ready to renounce your possessions and to put your faith ahead of all else—including your family if it came to that, though it probably never will. More certain is the possibility that following Jesus will involve taking up the cross at some point. Are we prepared to make the necessary sacrifices?

sacrifices take up the cross hate your family

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15 Sep 2024 - Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

A quick run through the supermarket wasn’t the place Jennifer expected to learn a lesson in faith, but faith overtook her one Thursday in the checkout line. Jennifer had figured on just swinging by the market to grab a few things before picking up the kids at school. One of those plastic hand-baskets was all she needed, and she got into the “15 items or less” line to speed up the process. But her run through the store ground to a halt when the elderly couple in front of her started having problems. First the woman forgot something on her list and sent her husband shuffling off to retrieve the item. Then came the inevitable struggle with the card reader. She swiped it upside down. Credit? Debit? PIN number? Honey, what’s our PIN number? Jennifer kicked herself for coming to the store on Senior Discount Day. The words “stupid” and “idiot” began to flash in her thinking. Then a little booklet in the magazine rack caught her eye. Nestled between “Amazing Astrology” and “Celebrity Diet Secrets” was “Bible for Busy Moms.” She took it out and flipped it open to where Jesus talked about taking up the cross. It occurred to her that one of life’s little crosses was being offered to her right then and there. She changed her mind, offered up a kindly prayer for the old couple, and dropped the little booklet into her basket.

Authors Father Paul Boudreau

taking up the cross take up the cross

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