Take Up Your Cross

I find great joy in junk.

Nothing pleases me more than to discover an item at a vintage sale; an old frame, random piece of door trim, an old window, or the like, that I can re-use to create something new–ish. So upon browsing the vast writings of Saint Josemaria Escriva, many were meaningful to me, but I was immediately drawn to the following:

“When you see a poor wooden Cross, alone, uncared-for, and of no value…and without its Crucified, don’t forget that that Cross is your Cross: the Cross of each day, the hidden Cross, without splendor or consolation…,the Cross which is awaiting the Crucified it lacks: and that Crucified must be you.”

So many times in my wanderings I have come across this very thing, this worn, empty cross.

Never before have I considered that cross to be my own, waiting to be adorned with my suffering, my sacrifices. Through the years, I have grown to understand that the crosses we bear each day are a gift from Jesus to bring us closer to Him.

Those big crosses in our lives are very evident to us, but it is the little crosses of each day that if not acknowledged and accepted, can be the heaviest over time. It is the small daily sacrifices that help us build our resolve for carrying the heavier burdens.

“That joke, that witty remark held on the tip of your tongue; the cheerful smile for those who annoy you; that silence when you’re unjustly accused; your friendly conversation with people whom you find boring and tactless; the daily effort to overlook one irritating detail or another in the persons who live with you…this, with perseverance, is indeed solid interior mortification. “

Jesus invites us everyday to take up our cross and follow Him. He warns us that it won’t be easy, but in doing so we are drawn closer to Him and share in His joy.

“If you realize that those sufferings – of body or soul – mean purification and merit, bless them.”