Gospel Reflection for the 22nd. In Ordinary Time

September 3rd – Take up your cross…

Suffering is a part of life. Each of us in our unique way experience pain and difficulties as we go about our daily living. It might be long-term unemployment, our own sickness or the ill health of someone we love. It might be a long standing broken relationship with a friend or family member. There are countless ways in which each of us suffers. How are we to understand and make sense of this? What has the gospel this Sunday to say to us about suffering and being a follower of Jesus today?

From the start of his public ministry, Jesus called and invited people to follow him with the condition that they must take up their own cross and follow him. It is an invitation. Jesus does not and never will force his way into our lives. The choice has to be ours whether or not we accept this invitation. When Jesus spoke to the rich young man in Mark’s gospel, he said to him, if you want to follow me, go and sell what you have and own; then come and follow me. For whatever reason the man couldn’t do this. We can only assume that he was too attached to his belongings to give them away. We are told that he went away sad, because he was rich. It is worth mentioning that Jesus did not go after him and beg him to become one his followers Jesus. Jesus let him go. He does the same with each of us today. He wants to have a personal relationship with us and wants us to respond freely to his invitation.

Nowhere in the gospels does Jesus say, come and follow me and you will have an easy or pain free life. In fact, in the gospel this Sunday, he says the very opposite; we are to take up our cross and follow him. The cost of being a follower of Jesus is very high. But we do not walk this path of discipleship alone. Jesus walks by our side to help, support and encourage us.

Following Jesus is not magic nor does it exempt us from suffering, pain or difficulties. Jesus saves us through our suffering not from our suffering. There is no virtue in suffering for its own sake. The invitation from Jesus is that we take up our cross also means that he walks with us and that we walk with him. When Jesus starts talking about his own suffering, Peter wants Jesus to avoid the suffering he will endure. Peter wants to avoid pain and suffering for himself and Jesus. In that sense, we are perhaps a little like Peter; we too often want to ignore or avoid pain and suffering. Jesus however is very clear and honest and is not afraid to speak openly about the suffering that awaits him.

This week, may we have the courage and humility to ask Jesus to support and encourage us as we take up our cross and follow him each day.

• Michael Moore OMI