September 7, 2013

Commentary

Carry the Cross

“Great crowds were traveling with Jesus.”

And here, by this time in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem.

His message, his mission, and his life are not easy.

The fact is at the foot of the cross, there won’t be too many of these “great crowds.”

The cross is never easy.  Nor does it make any sense without love.

The condition of being a disciple is to carry the cross and follow Jesus, who carried his cross out of love. 

Pope Francis put it best, preaching on Peter, who, a moment after professing his faith in Jesus as the Messiah, tried to talk Jesus out of the cross.  The Pope said“The same Peter who professed Jesus Christ, now says to him: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I will follow you, but let us not speak of the Cross. That has nothing to do with it. I will follow you on other terms, but without the Cross. When we journey without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord.” [1]
---------------------------
[1] Pope Francis, First homily as Pope on March 14, 2013

No comments: