The crosses we carry
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2019 16:30:21 +0000
ONE Sunday morning, a couple had a quarrel. To cool off, the husband went to church and on returning home, he looked for his wife who was cooking at the kitchen. He suddenly embraced her from behind and carried her around.
Startled, the wife retorted, “Why did you that? Did the priest tell to be romantic?” The husband replied: “No! He told me to carry my cross!” (The cross could be the husband, too).
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Today, PALM SUNDAY, ushers in the start of Holy Week. It commemorates the drama of the passion and death of our Lord with an eye on the happy ending of his Resurrection.
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We will be inspired by the long processions, the Last Supper Mass, Visita Iglesia, Siete Palabras, Veneration of the Cross and other activities, but let us remember that these are meant not to be seen primarily but to be LIVED.
We should not be merely passive spectators but active participants. The Lord says, “If you wish to be my follower take up your cross, and follow me (Mt. 16,24).
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The cross we carry may be a financial problem, a nagging or lingering illness, the inconveniences and anguish of relatives taking care of a paralyzed son or a bedridden grandfather, a son hooked on drugs.
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It may mean the monotony and drudgery of a housewife and the poignant loneliness of a solo parent. The list of human sufferings is endless.
Human suffering needs not to be a necessary evil or beyond our control as in the case of incurable sickness or the devastating effect of calamities like typhoons. Much of it could be avoided since many of the social evils and human miseries result directly from a perversion of our free will.
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For instance, there’s, a family who lost their car, house and lot because of the father’s compulsive gambling. Children suffer psychologically from a broken family. A nation suffers due to government officials’ apathy and, worst, to graft and corruption.
Whether our suffering happens beyond our control or not, suffering can have a REDEMPTIVE meaning. It can draw good out of evil, convert losses into gains, and, rightly offered, can gain us eternal life.
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There was a couple who broke up and lived separately for more than 10 years. But after all those years living with another family, the man suffered remorse and deep sorrow, and returned to his original domicile. The turning point was when he was diagnosed with an advanced stage of pancreatic cancer.
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Happily, the wife took back the contrite husband, taking care of him patiently until he passed away not too long afterwards. It was his sickness and remorse that led to his reconciliation. His sickness proved to be the redemptive means.
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St. Peter says: “Rejoice…in the measure that you share Christ’s sufferings. When His glory is revealed, you will rejoice exultantly” (1 Peter 4,12).
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THE LIGHTER SIDE. When Jesus made His triumphal entry to Jerusalem, he rode on a lowly donkey or an ass. As the Jews waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna,” the donkey thought the crowd’s wild adulations were for him. So he kept nodding his head.
Aren’t we much the same at times? When we have talents, titles and positions, pride gets into our head. We think we owe it all to ourselves, totally forgetful of the Giver.
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Singing the traditional “Pabasa” is an act of penance for the singers who patiently chant day and night non-stop the Bible from the Book of Genesis to Apocalypse.
But it’s also a “penitensya” for people listening to singers who are disintonado (out-of-tune)! (Anyway, God bless all pabasa singers).
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‘7 LAST WORDS.’ The SVD Mission Communications Foundation, Inc. will air live on ABS-CBN, Channel 2 simulcast with DZMM Teleradyo Channel 26 the “7 Last Words” on Good Friday, April 19 at 12noon-3 p.m.
JOIN us at the Jesus, the Divine Word Shrine in Christ the King Seminary, E. Rodriguez Blvd., QC or WATCH it on TV.