Dear Friends,

In Luke 9:23, we read, "And He said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

What does it mean to "deny" oneself in this context?

And what is the cross that we are to take up? Is it the personal crosses we bear, the disappointments etc.?

Alex

Alex,

Who was it said "Sufficient unto the day are the burdens thereof" ?

My cross(es) be different from yours, but I daresay they are built of the same sort of matter - mine is built of all my worries, my sinfulness, my faults - and all the normal jobs and duties of my life that it would be easier to let slide, the virtues it would be easier not to practice, the good it is easier not to do, the evil it is more convenient to ignore.... (Lucky I don't have to carry it all myself - it's WAAAAAAY too heavy.) Gotta tote that thing up the hot, dusty road toward holiness - though this paved highway over here looks broad & shady - and oh, here's a guy with horns offering me a ride in an air conditioned limo - boy does that lemonade look good - but he says he's got no room for this big ol' cross - that I won't need it anyway where he's taking me.....

Sharon


Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com

Dear Orthodox Catholic,

Perhaps the Lord will allow me to shed some light on this for you. All people, whether they are Christians or not, experience the "crosses" of everyday life: getting laid off or losing our jobs; sickness (physical or mental); romantic relationships and friendships dissolving; dreams not coming true; and death....just to mention a few. All of humanity goes through these things.

However, the believer in Christ has additional crosses--because of his/her Christian faith-- beside what all humans experience: not seeking vengeance when we have been offended; speaking out against homosexual relations and pre-marital sex; taking a strong stand against abortion; not patronizing certain types of music and/or movies; having the courage to be ridiculed and ostracized for believing in and living the Christian faith; evangelizing co-workers who are in bondage to their sin. I hope that this will help to answer your question.

Crosses we bear for Christ will usually involve our NOT BEING politically correct in what we believe, and how we speak and act. It is not easy. Jesus tells us, "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." It is so easy for us to give in to the pressures surrounding us...I just did that last night; and after I sinned, I asked myself 'What in the world was I thinking?'

It is a daily struggle for believers to "be in the world, but not of the world." We are in a war...we fight against the world's philosophies, our own weak and sinful flesh, and Satan. THANK GOD FOR JESUS CHRIST, HIS PRECIOUS CROSS AND SHED BLOOD!!!!!

Please e-mail me and let me know if this has been of any help to you.

A sinner in much need of His Grace,
Walter Metrick
waltermetrick@aol.com