By: Fr. John Jasica
SUMMER SERIES
TAKING UP OUR CROSS
THE LAST HOMILY OF THE SERIES
This weekend I am preaching the last homily of this summer August message series. I hope you have enjoyed the reflections and that they have challenged all of us to realize that Christ calls each of us as disciples to make possible what seems impossible. This is the greatest gift of our faith. Nothing can overwhelm us.
We live in a world that lacks wisdom, hope, understanding and forgiveness. It is so often short-sighted seeing things limited to this world and forgetting the hope, joy and peace that God can only give us. Christ offers us light in the midst of darkness, love in the midst of hatred, hope in the midst of despair and life in the midst of death. Jesus offers us the ability to change, transform and renew our lives and the world. Our faith beckons us to trust in the Lord and allow Him to work through us bringing calm in the midst of the storms and truly making things that seem impossible truly possible. What a privilege it is to not only witness these miracles but to play a role in God’s saving work!!
TAKING UP OUR CROSS
Jesus challenges his disciples and all of us in the gospel this weekend—that if anyone wants to be His follower, each must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him. These are very clear, powerful and difficult instructions for us to embrace. Yet this is the path of a faithful disciple—What does all of this really mean?
(1) DENY OURSELVES
This is a very obvious but challenging proposition for us all. Jesus is instructing us to place Him first in our lives and to let go of what we want and even what we need. This is a call of ultimate sacrifice pushing aside any distractions staying focused on the gift of our faith and our relationship with the Lord. Our world today bombards us with so much noise and a variety of temptations trying to sell us joy, happiness and fulfillment. Christ alone is the source of our joy and so we must stay focused on His love and light.
(2) TAKE UP OUR CROSS
In the time of Jesus, being instructed to “take up your cross” was reserved for criminals who were on a one way journey to crucifixion. There was no turning back and you were under total control of the Roman Empire.
For disciples of Jesus, “take up your cross” means relinquishing control and allowing Christ to guide us each day so that we can share the Good News wherever he sends us. It also calls us to a daily commitment, active obedience and a willingness to suffer on the pilgrimage to eternal life.
(3) FOLLOW HIM
The only way we can follow Christ is to
have a strong relationship and friendship with Him (see homily #4 of the series). The only way we will deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Jesus is if we love Him and know that He will always protect, guide and support us.
Following the Lord also includes a sense of understanding that there is a bigger picture that we cannot see completely. Sometimes this can frighten us or doubt the road ahead. Yet out of love, trust and a leap of faith we follow the Lord knowing that His will brings us fullness—even though we might not completely understand or realize it at the present moment.
HOW CAN WE MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE?
(1) The impossible can only happen
with our full commitment
We need to trust in the Lord and dive into His grace allowing Him to use us for His purpose. This means that we surrender control and become an instrument of hope for others which fills our hearts. Just like players on a team, they all need to “buy-in” to the system, mission and plans the coach has for success.
(2) The commitment must include obedience, sacrifice and suffering
I coached many basketball teams over the years and my most successful teams were not the most talented. The teams that succeeded and grew the most were those who listened and learned, put the team first and put teammates ahead of themselves. We too must do the same as faithful disciples.
(3) The impossible becomes real for God’s will and our salvation—and sometimes we don’t see the final grace
Miracles and the impossible happen according to God’s plans and not our own. They also occur for our salvation and not just because we hope or demand it. In all of this we also need humility as we don’t always see the final outcome of God’s grace. None of it really belongs to us but we rejoice in the fact that we are allowed to participate and help make it happen. God is amazing and He will always take care of us!
