Taking Up One’s Cross

A Monstrance in the Adoration Chapel at Ballintubber Abbey, Co. Mayo, Ireland. Lay your burdens at the Cross.

Note: This was written on Wednesday, but computer glitches did not allow me to post it, so am adding it to Thursday’s posting.

Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent  ~ 3/22/23

I think one of the most memorable parts of Lent, growing up, was the notion that our suffering could help others.  While it, along with a great many other things, didn’t make sense, it was just something we accepted.  I can remember while fasting and my stomach would growl and I’d actually feel hungry mom or one of the nuns would remind me that there are children who feel this way every day, all day long.  They may not have anything to eat that day.  I would cry.  It didn’t seem fair.  Everyone should have enough food to eat.  I would then be encouraged to think about that being the way my life was and offer up my suffering for them and praying for them.  I didn’t understand the power of prayer then, and it’s still somewhat hard to wrap my head around, but it’s a matter of faith.  I’ve learned that my prayers do seem to affect outcomes.  People have told me they felt people praying for them.  So, even today, I continue this practice. 

As I’ve gotten older and parts of my body start to hurt more and more, I find more ways to pray for others.  When my neuropathy flares up in my feet, I try to remain grateful for my feet that still support me at walk me places I need to go.  When my back hurts, I know how much worse it’s hurt in the past, and I know there must be others who hurt as much or more. I offer my pain up for others, hoping to bring some sort of healing to the entire Body of Christ.  I also hear the words from childhood that God will never give us more than we can handle. He endured the most pain a person could endure – our pain is nothing compared to His.  When I want a pity-party and for someone to feel sorry for me, I stop – dead in those tracks - and remind myself that it is far better to offer it up than not to experience an opportunity to offer something to Jesus.

St. Paul suffered with a thorn in his side, “. . . a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.” He prayed that God would remove it, “Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians  12:7-10

I know this sounds counter intuitive, but there are times I have no idea how I’ve made it through something, “. . . but for the Grace of God!” You may have even felt that yourself?  But I truly believe that when we decide to ‘carry our cross’ with strength and dignity and offer our sufferings up to Christ, we are stronger for the pain and weakness we suffer.  I also think that laying down our cross at the feet of Jesus, is what He wants us to do.  He is God and Creator, if we but only put our trust in Him, He knows what we need for our salvation, and He will not give us more than we can handle.

How might you embrace a pain, suffering, or weakness this week?  By carrying our cross alone, it indeed, can be a burden. But, by suffering with Christ, we allow His light to shine through us. Our joy can be restored and we can be a light to others, even in and through our pain. By this our burden can also be lightened.

 May you continue to be blessed during your Lenten Journey