Monday, September 29, 2008

IMITATION OF CHRIST: Meditation of the day...

THE ROYAL ROAD OF THE HOLY CROSS (part two)

Take up your cross, therefore, and follow Jesus, and you shall enter eternal life. He Himself opened the way before you in carrying His cross, and upon it He died for you, that you, too, might take up your cross and long to die upon it. If you die with Him, you shall also live with Him, and if you share His suffering, you shall also share His glory.

Behold, in the cross is everything, and upon your dying on the cross everything depends. There is no other way to life and to true inward peace than the way of the holy cross and daily mortification. Go where you will, seek what you will, you will not find a higher way, nor a less exalted but safer way, than the way of the holy cross. Arrange and order everything to suit your will and judgment, and still you will find that some suffering must always be borne, willingly or unwillingly, and thus you will always find the cross.

(It is so hard to share thoughts on suffering. We all have our different crosses and many of us will have to bear much difficulty in the future. The only advice and hope is to grasp to our relationship with Christ during the trials and confusion, so we will be on top again with Christ at our side. No one can understand or council on the sufferings of others very well. The best advice I can give is to participate in the sacraments frequently and find a holy spiritual advisor.)

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