Jesus Takes Up His Cross

“So they led Jesus away. Carrying the cross himself, he went out to the place called the Skull, in Hebrew Golgotha…” (cf. Jn 19:16b-17)

“If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” (cf. Lk 9:23b)

Look

John's Gospel has a phrase worth stopping for: “Carrying the cross himself.” He does not carry it like someone who has given up and is forced to bear it; he accepts it. His back is still bleeding from the scourging (cf. Jn 19:1), the road out of the city is rough, and every step is a choice to keep going. He does not carry it because he loves suffering, but because he loves his own to the end (cf. Jn 13:1). He himself said: whoever wants to follow him must take up his cross every day. Your cross is not the same as his, but it can be carried in the same way: not dragged along, but choosing to walk after him.

Ask your heart

What is weighing on your shoulders that you are letting drag you along, instead of accepting it and carrying it with the Lord?

One small thing

Fully carry out one daily duty you tend to avoid (a hard assignment, a household chore, a phone call you need to make) and offer it to God before you start. But if your burden is being beaten or hurt, that is not something you have to put up with: find a trusted adult who can protect you.