21 July, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

The Royal Road of the Cross

1. The way of the Cross is the only road which leads to Heaven. Consequently, a man who refuses to take this road cannot reach Heaven. If there were another way, Jesus would have told us about it. Instead, He insisted that if anyone wished to go after Him, he would have to deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Him. (Luke 9:23)

Our Lord did more than preach this way to us, for He gave us an example of the manner in which to follow it. Jesus could have redeemed us by a single act of His human-divine will, simply by offering Himself to the Eternal Father in expiation of our sins. But He chose to carry the weight of the Cross, to climb the Hill of Calvary, and to die in agony.

We must ascend our own Calvary if we wish to imitate and follow Jesus. Our divine Redeemer fulfilled perfectly in His Passion all the works of perfection which He had preached in the Gospel. Let the Passion of Christ be our rule of life. Let us be glad when we seem to be more like Him and sorrowful whenever we seem to be departing from the example which He set us.

Suffering should be a source of consolation for us, for it makes us more like Jesus as long as we endure it with resignation and with love.

2. We all have our own cross. When we reject it, we fashion one for ourselves by our defects and sins, which leave us discontented and restless, and draw God's punishment upon us.

It is useless to flee from the Cross, for it follows us everywhere. If we refuse to accept the cross which God has given us, we take upon ourselves one which is heavier than the first. Worldlings can bask for a moment in their pleasure; but it soon passes and is replaced by bitterness and sorrow. Their suffering is deeper than that of a good Christian who places his trust in God. There is only one way of making our cross easier to bear and that is to embrace it as Jesus did. We should love the Cross because it is suffering which shows us how to become like Jesus, to make reparation for our sins, and to co-operate by our own passion with the Passion of Christ. (Cf. 1 Col. 1:24)

3. A penitent once asked a holy priest for a hair-shirt. “I can't give you that,” the priest replied, “but the best thing you can do is to offer to God the trials of your daily life.” The penitent's reaction was to protest that he would find this too difficult.

As a matter of fact, it is very difficult. But it is useless for a man to wear a hair-shirt and to scourge himself if he is not prepared to put up with ordinary everyday hardships and to deny himself by carrying his cross with resignation and love. God has imposed certain penances on us all and these are necessary for us. To accept them is to set out on the royal road of the Cross which leads to Heaven.

It is true, however, that there are times when we meet with temptations which are exceptionally strong. It can be necessary on these occasions to impose extra penances on ourselves, for “it is better to enter life maimed or lame, than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.” (Cf. Mt. 18:8) Nevertheless, the first and most necessary penance is to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus.