Path of the Cross

To be a Christian is to live a life in imitation of Christ. Our life gives off the aroma of Christ (2 Cor 2:15) if we unite our thoughts and actions with Him, joining in His mission to draw all people to a communion with His Father, our Father, in heaven. If we identify ourselves with Him, we become alter Christus, ipse Christus, another Christ, Christ Himself, among the fellowmen we touch in our daily life. We could then say of each of us, in the words of St. Paul, I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me (Gal 2:20).

Christ’s way is one of the self-giving and self-denial. His is the standard of the cross. If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Lk 9:23). The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross (Cathechism of the Catholic Church, 2015). For us to reach God, says St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, Christ is the way; but Christ is on the Cross (Escriva, Way of the Cross, Tenth Station). To follow Christ is to be always carrying about in our body the dying of Christ, His abnegation, His suffering on the Cross, so that the life of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies (id, Christ is Passing By, 19).

We make manifest the life of Christ in our bodies through mortification, by putting to death or denying ourselves everything that is not in accord with His will: immortality, sensuality, laziness, selfishness, dishonesty, vanity, faultfinding, etc. By conquering the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jn 2:16), we discard the old self inside us with its corrupt desires, and put on the new self that is reborn in the image of God (cf Eph 4:22-23).

Mortification is necessary ingredient in the life of a Christian. Not a single day should pass that has not been seasoned with the salt and grace of mortification (Escriva, Friends of God, 129). It helps us in our role as co-redeemers of Christ. The Word became flesh and came into the world to save all men. With all our personal defects and limitations… we too are called to serve all men (id, Christ is Passing By, 106). It is a means of purifying the heart, to make it better disposed to receive His grace. The pure of heart shall see God (cf Mt 5:8). Mortification heightens our spirit of penance for our sins, deepens our sorrow for countless falls, and strengthens our resolve to begin and begin again.

Our daily life yields opportunities for making sacrifices. Everyday we are exposed to occasions that upset our schedule or mood, or tempts us to sin. These could be a minor illness, being caught in a heavy traffic, sudden brownout, a lewd drift in conversation, a bad haircut, financial problem, or any of the thousand and one pinpricks of the day. Instead of being carried away by pessimism, anger or other negative reaction, we should view these events as divine caresses from our Lord who wants to meet us precisely during those moments. “The appropriate word you left unsaid; the joke you didn’t tell; the cheerful smile for those who bother you; that silence when you’re unjustly accused; your kind conversation with people you find boring and tactless; the daily effort to overlook one irritating detail or another in those who live with you…this, with perseverance, is indeed solid interior mortification” (Escriva, The Way, 173).

Another path of sacrifice lies in the diligent carrying out of duties to our family, in school, at the office, or anywhere. We do our duties with hard work, high standards and much love. Penance is fulfilling exactly the timetable you have fixed for yourself. Penance is getting up on time and also not leaving for later, without any real reason, that particular job that you find harder or most difficult to do… Penance means being charitable at all times towards those around you, starting with the members of your family (id, Friends of God, 138).

One can also perform active mortification, sacrifices in big or little things that one makes voluntarily as an offering to God, or to overcome a temptation, or for a friend who has not gone to confession for years. These sacrifices are the ones we ourselves look for, like little flowers we gather up during the course of the day (id, The Forge, 403). Tomorrow we will omit sugar in our coffee at breakfast; at the next day’s lunch we will delay drinking water; no merienda this Saturday. Indeed we can make small, hidden acts of self-denial, of love of God or specific intentions, which fit effortlessly inside any day.

Our life here on earth is not accidental. A loving Father who desires us to rest forever in His arms has chosen us from the creation of the world. We are children of God. A constant awareness of his reality will urge us on, day by day, to set our minds and hearts on God, fighting against evil inclinations, keeping a cheerful spirit amidst difficulties, embracing the highs and lows of life with serenity, and dying to ourselves so that Christ may live in us (id, Way of the Cross, Fourteenth Station).

There is no other way but the path of Cross to experience the joy and peace of Christ. Love the Cross. When you really love it, your Cross will be… a Cross without a Cross (id, Holy Rosary, Fourth Sorrowful Mystery).