Doctrine: The cross of a follower of Christ Holiness for us is being in the condition to be in a right relationship with the Blessed Trinity. Negatively, this means freedom from original sin and mortal sin. Positively, this means being in the state of sanctifying grace through Baptism, or regaining that condition, if lost, through Penance. Holiness is simultaneously being in that right relationship with God. This is why we can say that holiness is friendship with God. For us, holiness is the friendship of sons and daughters of our infinitely good Father. It is the friendship with our brother and savior Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son. It is friendship with the Holy Spirit. So, God gives us the grace to be capable of being friends with him and he also gives us the actual friendship. However, as the Catechism teaches, “The way of perfection,” that is holiness, “passes by way of the Cross” (CCC 2015). In the Gospel, Our Lord said to his apostles, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24; cf. CCC 2029). “There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle” (CCC 2015). As St. Paul said to Timothy, “As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim 4:5). It is as if, after establishing friendship with us, Our Lord then said, “We are in a war, you know.” Renunciation signifies the negative: what we turn our backs on—acts of sin. Spiritual battle signifies the positive: what we advance toward—acts of goodness. Both can require a dying to self or the cross. “Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes” (CCC 2015). Ascesis means self-discipline, originally the kind of training an athlete would undertake. Mortification is self-denial, giving up something you want either because it could hurt you or someone else or because this little dying to self could help you or someone else. While we are in this world, the struggle of a son or daughter of God never ends. In fact, we start over every single day. As St. Gregory of Nyssa says, “He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows” (Hom. in Cant. 8: PG 44, 941C). Practical Application: Taking up one’s cross Everyone has his own cross to bear. This cross is the sum total of all the difficulties in our lives. They can be big (cancer) or little (a paper cut), recurring (having to get up early every day) or unique (the windshield wipers just stopped working), foreseen (the electric bill is due in ten days) and unforeseen (there’s a parking ticket under one of by broken windshield wiper blades), sought (I’m going on a diet) and unsought (Mattie just vomited on the carpeted stairs). We don’t need to be told what our cross is since God can show us what they are and what to do with them. As Our Lord said, “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God’” (Jn 6:45). This cross will be different depending on whether you are a man or woman, young or old, what country you live in, your family of origin and family of marriage, the season of the year, what kind of work you do or are not able to do, your social class and educational background, and many other factors. Our Lord wants us to embrace our cross as much as we want to embrace the many goods he sends us. God does not will evil on us but he must have a good reason to permit us to suffer in so many ways. One way of dealing graciously with them is to preface every realization of suffering with an, “I guess God wants.” I guess God wants me to have this headache. I guess God wants me to work here for now. I guess God wants me to wait at this railroad crossing till the freight train passes, and so on. Our Lord also wants us to offer them back to him. After all, we are a priestly people (1 Pt 2:9). Lord, I offer this bee sting to you. Even better, I offer this bee sting for grandma who is not feeling well.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 08:11:59 +0000