Identifying with Christ on the cross

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WHEN Christ told his disciples these shocking words: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword,” (Mt 10,34) the upshot is actually that he wants us to identify ourselves with him through the cross, through a lot of suffering that is due to all of our sins.

He wants us to realize that the mystery of the cross is where we can find the infinite and unconditional love of God for man. When we encounter the cross of any kind—physical or moral pain, etc.—we are actually given an opportunity to be like Simon of Cyrene who, without any obligation to carry the cross, offered to do so if only to help out of love for the redemption of man.

When we carry our crosses with the mind of following Christ, we actually become glorified also in Christ. We can indeed echo St. Paul’s words, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal 6,14)

It’s when we embrace the cross that we deny ourselves so we can be filled with no other intention than to follow Christ. Christ himself said it clearly: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mt 16,24)

It’s when we carry the cross with Christ that we would experience what Christ told his disciples, “My yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Mt 11,30) It’s when we would experience peace and joy despite the pain and suffering. It’s also when we have the chance to purify ourselves and to atone and make reparation for all the sins of the world.

We should have the same attitude of St. Paul with regard to any form of suffering when he said: “I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the Church.” (Col 1,24)

We need to realize that given the unavoidable sinfulness of man, we should be eager to put this love for the cross the way Christ and the saints loved the cross, as an essential part of our spirituality. 

We need to make the cross of Christ attractive to everyone. It’s the Good News that would liberate us from a narrow understanding of all the sufferings in this world. It is what makes our love real love, a vital participation of the very essence of God which is love.

We really have to know why the cross is essential and indispensable in our life. And by knowing the purpose of the cross, we mean that we need to refer everything in our life to the passion, death and resurrection of Christ where the cross plays a crucial role.

Yes, that’s right. We need to refer everything to the cross because that is how everything in our life, whether good or bad, big or small, spiritual or material, would find its true and ultimate meaning and purpose.

We need to know the purpose of the cross because the cross, through Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, is where everything in our life is resolved. Christ’s passion, death and resurrection is the culmination of Christ’s redemptive mission on earth.

This is the purpose of the cross in our life. It is to instill in us the proper attitude and virtues with respect to our sin, before it is committed and also after it is committed.