By Pat Arensberg For The Catholic Week I am writing this on the feast of the exaltation of the Cross. This seems a strange thing to exalt and celebrate. St. Paul says that the Cross is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. I know that by the time you read this the feast day will have already passed. However, we proclaim not just Christ, but Christ crucified. The Cross does in fact seem foolishness to the eyes of the world and it is in fact a stumbling block for many.
The truth is, sometimes the Cross is a stumbling block for me! I like my comfort. I like security. I don’t like to suffer. Yet, Jesus tells me that I must take up my cross and follow Him. He is the Way, the Truth and Life, and He tells me that the Cross is the path through which I follow Him.
Why? Why does the God who loves me insist that I suffer, that I take up my cross? Is it a desire for equity? Is this Jesus saying, “Look, I suffered for you. The least you could do is suffer a bit too!”
I would like to propose an alternate possibility. Maybe Jesus is telling us to take up our crosses because He knows that it will ultimately lead to our fulfillment. Here’s what I mean. We are made in the image and likeness of the Trinity. We are made to give authentic love and to receive authentic love. In heaven we will remain who we are, but we will be in the inner life of the Trinity. To be in heaven we must learn to truly love without limit and without counting the cost. To love this way requires us to embrace suffering. Whenever I put others first it causes me to “suffer” at least in some way. But this is exactly what our hearts are made for.
We are made by Love and for Love. We have to learn to really love before we can enter into heaven because that is what heaven is. Jesus is trying to help us learn this lesson and to begin our growth toward truly being able to love.
— Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected] For more information concerning the events of this office, visit us at mobilefaithformation.org