What does it mean to accept our crosses? To begin with, it means understanding that suffering is part of everyone’s life. Accepting our cross means that at some point – after the shock, frustration, sadness and even rage – we must accept that some things cannot be changed. That is why acceptance is not a masochistic stance but a realistic one. Here is where Christianity parts ways with some belief systems, which say that suffering is an illusion. No, says Jesus from the cross, suffering is part of the human reality. The disciples had a difficult time understanding this – they wanted a leader who would deliver them from pain, not one who would endure it himself. We often have a difficult time with this, too. But acceptance is what Jesus invites us to on the cross.
By ignoring or failing to embrace the cross, we miss opportunities to know God in a deeper way. The cross is often where we meet God because our vulnerability can make us more open to God’s grace. Often, we find ourselves incapable of believing that God might have new life in store for us. Nothing can change, we say. There is no hope. This is when we end up mired in despair, which can sometimes be a reflection of pride. That is, we think that we know better than God. It is a way of saying, God does not have the power to change this situation. What a dark and dangerous path is despair, far greater than death.
Wait for the resurrection. In every cross, there is an invitation to new life in some way, often in a mysterious way. Perhaps even Jesus was surprised on Easter.
--Excerpted from Fr. James Martin, Jesus: A Pilgrimage
Image source: https://www.adventistreview.org/reconciling-the-resurrection
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