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PART II
2. THE CROSS WITH CHRIST AND
WITHOUT CHRIST
“Terrible are
the trials which I have to endure, ‘although He should slay me, I will trust in
Him’ (Job 13:15). A shipwrecked mariner at the mercy of the ferocious waves may
truly say, ‘One thing alone is my comfort that I should lift up my eyes to the
Lord.’” Another time, to a devout soul, he wrote, “I see new combats preparing
for me, and who knows how I may meet them. Clouds are gathering, darkness is
increasing, terrors are awakening, devils are assaulting me with temptations
and people with the malice of their tongues; with them is nothing but fighting,
desolation, and wearisomeness; not to mention other points which are
indescribable... I know not how to endure myself, but I do not lose my faith,
and I trust that God will perfect His work in me.”
(
No one can escape suffering
in life as we are all aware of. It comes to us in many forms: physically,
psychologically, socially, spiritually… This is the cross that each of us is
called to bear, each according to our capacity to deal with it. It helps purify
us like gold or silver is tested in fire. Scripture is full of references to
this image:
Ø
as a way to bring
people back to God
I will bring the one third through the fire;
I will refine them as one refines silver, and I will test them as one tests
gold. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them; I will say, “They
are my people,” and they will say, “The Lord is my God.” (Zachariah 13:9)
Ø
as being tried in
the furnace of affliction;
See, I refined you, but not like silver;
I tested you in the furnace of affliction.
(Isaiah 48:10)
Ø
as a way of
sanctification;
He will sit refining and purifying
silver, and he will purify the Levites, refining them like gold or silver, that
they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousness. (Malachi 3:3)
Ø
as Job witnesses
and recognizes through faith in his own life;
Yet he knows my way; if he tested me, I
should come forth like gold. (Job 23:10)
Ø
as the way God
tests hearts;
The crucible for silver and the furnace
for gold, but the tester of hearts is the Lord.
Yet he knows my way; if he tested me, I
should come forth like gold. (Proverbs 17:3)
You tested us, O God, tried us as silver
tried by fire.
(Psalm 66:10)
Ø
as a way to bring
back the wise who have stumbled;
Some of those with insight shall stumble
so that they may be tested, refined, and purified, until the end time which is
still appointed to come. (Daniel 11:35)
Ø
as God who is
instrumental in the purification;
The promises of the Lord are sure,
silver refined in a crucible, silver purified seven times. You, O Lord, protect
us always (Psalm 12:6).
And as St. Peter says in his
first letter:
In this you rejoice, although now for a
little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the
genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even
though tested by fire" (1 Peter 1: 6-7)
All this is a means to lead
us to grow into our full potential as human beings which is equivalent to
becoming a saint. And as testified by
We even boast of our afflictions,
knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character,
and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of
God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been
given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)
This happens if we carry our
cross with Christ, that is, with the deepest form of love, which is Charity.
It's with Christ, the cornerstone of our being. On the other hand, to carry a
cross without Christ, is a destructive force that crushes us, like a stumbling
block, leading us to despair and ultimately to eternal death.
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by
human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be
built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in scripture:
“Behold, I am laying a stone in
Therefore, its value is for you who have
faith, but for those without faith:
“The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,” (Isaiah 8:140)
and
“A stone that will make people stumble,
and a rock that will make them fall.”
(Psalm 118:22)
They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny." (1 Peter 2: 4-8)
The option is to
EMBRACE A CROSS WITH CHRIST OR
WITHOUT HIM.
The choice is ours. God
cannot force us to embrace the road of sacrificial love, as love is a free act, and no
one can choose for us. It's challenging, but possible and brings out the best
in us.
3. THE CROSS AND THE
GRAIN OF WHEAT