Dear Brothers and Sisters,

If we step back for a few paragraphs Jesus now begins to introduce the notion that he will suffer and die and in today’s text he speaks to his disciples about their commitment to him and the fact that they may have to suffer in the same way.

The Romans perfected the use of torture and capital punishment. Crucifixion was one of worst methods in their arsenal. Beyond the excruciating pain it inflicted, there was the publicly humiliating nature both for the convicted and their families. Because of the severity of this method discussion was verboten in public conversation. The horror of this brand of torture and execution has somewhat been lost to us in this generation, but for Jesus to speak of it for himself and then use the image of carrying crosses for his disciples would have been shocking.

Jesus uses this image to speak to the commitment he calls his disciples too. As noted above, this language would have been shocking and yet he impresses the image on his disciples to highlight the commitment that is needed to him and God’s will, even to death. At the end he makes the promise that whoever shows such commitment to him and to the Father to the point of death, that even as they lose their life in this world, they will gain it in the next. He then sets himself up as Judge, promising to come with the angels at the final judgement to render verdict on each person’s conduct and commitment.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to carry crosses. There is that part of me that like a child wants Mommy or Daddy to make the hard things go away. I don’t want to suffer. I don’t want pain. I want to be happy and my days to go smoothly and for all of my loved ones to be at peace and for there to be harmony. And yet even as that thought pops out of my head on to the page, I can recount very few days where I even come close to that notion. Life will never be free of suffering of some kind for me or for the ones I love and care about.

I think that Jesus understood this. In this middle section from Matthew’s Gospel over and again certain themes keep arising; Commitment and Faith. Being true to Jesus. Staying close to him. Placing our trust in him. Being faithful to him and his teachings. All of these have been central to the message of the gospel. I think that all of these themes coalesce in this one message today. In this life we are going to suffer, it’s guaranteed, but if we remain true to him and hold on to our faith, not matter what the cross is that we are given to carry, he will be with us and will reward us in the end.

Let’s face it, none of us wants to carry the crosses that come into our lives. We’d much rather that Jesus take them from us. But that is not the reality. What he does promise is not to take them away, but to help us lift them and in the end, remain with us to help us see what lies beyond them; the hope of eternal life with him.

When you avoid the crosses of your life, they only tend to get heavier when we do finally try to lift them. Today I invite you to reflect on the crosses in your life and in prayer, ask Jesus to help you lift it. Now it’s not one person lifting the burden, but two, and trust me he can lift anything – especially the things we believe we can’t.

Peace,

Fr. Steve