XXII A Mt 16:21-27 - The Cross

Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman, in a beautiful homily entitled The Cross of Christ
the measure of the world rightly says that the doctrine of the Cross is not on the surface of
the world. The surface of things is bright only, and the Cross is sorrowful; it is a hidden
doctrine; it lies under a veil; it at first sight startles us, and we are tempted to revolt from it...
And yet it is a true doctrine; for truth is not on the surface of things, but in the depths.

Christ decided to save us by means of His Passion and death. Some plausible reasons:

1. Because through His Passion he shows us how much he loves us. In this way, he draws us
to him by His love.

2. Through His Passion Christ has left us an outstanding example of the practice of virtue:
of obedience, humility, perseverance, justice, and so many other virtues.

3. Through His Passion, Christ not only gave us but He strictly merited for us the grace that
saves us.

No slave is greater than his master (Jo 15:20).

St Louis Grignon de Montfort says that Christian holiness consists in these 4 things:

1) Resolve: "If anyone wants to be a follower of mine"

2) Self-denial: "Let him renounce himself"
3) Acting: "Let him take up his cross" and "Let him follow me."

1) If anyone wants to be a follower of mine. St Thomas: when he was asked what was
necessary to become a saint, he said: Velle. Various ways of wanting something
(Binarios).

2) [Peter] denied it with an oath, I do not know the man! (Mt 26:72).

3) Let him take up his own cross. His own cross, and not that of another - his own cross
which I, in my wisdom, designed for him in every detail of number, measure and weight.

His own cross, whose thickness is made up of the loss of one's possessions, humiliations,
contempt, sufferings, illnesses and spiritual trials, which come to him daily till his death in
accordance with my providence; his own cross, whose length consists of a certain period of
days or months enduring slander, or lying on a sick-bed, or being forced to beg, or suffering
from temptations, dryness, desolation, and other interior trials; his own cross, whose breadth
is made up of the most harsh and bitter circumstances brought about by relatives, friends,
servants; his own cross, whose depth is made up of the hidden trials I shall inflict on him
without his being able to find any comfort from other people, for they also, under my
guidance, will turn away from him and join with me in making him suffer (Letter to the
Friends of the Cross).

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"Let him take up," that is, let him carry his cross and not drag it, or shake it off, or lighten it,
or hide it. Instead, let him lift it on high and carry it without impatience or annoyance,
without intentional complaint or grumbling, without hesitation or concealment, without
shame or human respect (Ibid.).

The saints gave us a great example of the love of the cross. They loved our Lord Jesus
Christ, and therefore they also profoundly loved the cross. They knew that if Jesus suffered
the cross, His disciples would also have to suffer the cross because a disciple is not above his
Master (Mt 10:24).

In the NT:
- I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him Crucified (1 Cor 2:2).
- I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is
to be revealed to us (Rom 8:18).
- I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. With all
our affliction, I am overjoyed (2 Cor 7:4).
- Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials (Jas 1:2).

The cross and the saints:

- The hours that I spend without suffering seem to me to be lost hours, only pain makes my
life more bearable (Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque).
- The true earthly paradise is found in suffering for Christ (Saint Louis Marie Grignion de
Montfort)
- Christ is loved on the cross and crucified with Him. Not by any other way (Blessed Luis
Orione).

- Suffering is unknown to me. In it I find my joy, since Jesus is found on the cross. And what
does suffering matter when one loves? What is sacrifice, what is the cross, but heaven, when
Jesus Christ is on it? (Saint Teresa of the Andes, Chilean Carmelite).
- I have arrived at not being able to suffer, because to me all suffering is sweet (Saint
Therese of the Child Jesus, Doctor of the Church and Universal Patron of Catholic
Missions).
- The cross is the gift that God gives to his friends I have suffered many more crosses than I
seemed to be able to suffer. I disposed myself to ask for love of the cross and then I was
happy. Truly, happiness is not found but there (Saint John Marie Vianney).