Deuteronomy 4:32-40 / Matthew 16:24-28
The Cross is a sacred symbol in Christianity.
For us Catholics, it is the Crucifix, meaning that it is the Cross with the corpus of Jesus nailed to it.
When we meditate and ponder on the Crucifix, we can see what it means for us.
Jesus died and sacrificed Himself for us on the Cross to save us from our sins.
All that Jesus taught, what He proclaimed, and all His works of mercy and charity are summed up on the Cross.
In the gospel, Jesus tells us this: If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For Jesus, it was on the Cross that He fulfilled His mission of salvation.
As for us, it is with the cross that we will understand the meaning of our lives as Christians.
It is with the cross that we die to our pride, our desires, our greed, our selfishness.
It is with the cross that we will follow Jesus as our Way, our Truth and our Life.
It is with the cross that we offer our lives to God so that we can be saved.
The Cross is the holy and sacred symbol of Christianity.
May we carry the cross so that we can live holy lives that are pleasing to God.