IJesus had called his disciples and they, leaving everything, followed him. They followed the Master along the roads of Palestine, traveling through cities and villages, sharing with Him joys, fatigue, hunger, weariness.... Also, at times, they exposed their lives and their honor for Jesus. But this external companionship became, little by little, an interior following, a transformation of their souls. This deeper following requires something more than detachment, and even the effective abandonment of house, home, family, goods.... This is how the Lord manifested it to them, as we read in the Gospel of the Mass1: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
To deny oneself means to renounce being the center of oneself. The only center of the true disciple can only be Christ, to Whom are constantly directed the thoughts, the cares, the ordinary tasks that become a true offering to the Lord.
To carry the Cross indicates that one is ready to die. The one who takes the wood and places it on his shoulders accepts his destiny, he knows that his life will end on that cross. To take up the cross expresses a resolute decision, it indicates that we are ready to follow him, if necessary, until death, that we want to imitate him in everything, without setting any limits.
To follow Christ we have to identify our will with his will, who resolutely took the wood and carried it to Calvary, where he would offer himself to God the Father in an oblation of infinite courage and love.
We must often consider that the Passion and Death on the Cross is the ultimate expression of his surrender to the Father and of his love for us. Certainly, the smallest act of love of Jesus, the smallest of his works, even as a child, had an infinite meritorious value to obtain for all men, past and present and those who were to come down through the centuries, the grace of redemption, eternal life and all the help necessary to attain it. But, in spite of everything, he wanted to suffer all the horrors of the Passion and Death on the cross to show us how much he loved the Father, how much he loved each one of us. At times, he manifested to his disciples this urgency of love that filled his soul: I have to receive a baptism, and how I feel urged until it is fulfilled!2. The Holy Spirit has written to us through St. John that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son3 . Jesus willingly gave his life out of love for us, for no one has greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends4.
Jesus Christ reveals the uncontainable eagerness to give his life for love.
And if we want to follow Him, not externally but deeply, identifying ourselves with Him, how can we refuse the Cross, the sacrifice, which is so intimately related to love and self-giving? Following Christ closely will lead us to the most complete abnegation, to the fullness of love, to the greatest joy. Abnegation, identification with his holy will in everything, cleanses, purifies, clarifies the soul and divinizes it. "To have the Cross is to have joy: it is to have You, Lord!"
Hablar con Dios
Hablar con DIos