Photo by Mahdi Dastmard on Unsplash

The personal, but so universal experience of suffering unites all people. In our own way, each of us is marked by stories of pain and humiliation.

In my own life, I think of my parent’s separation and a dramatic and unexpected change of course in my life as two painful experiences. They were and are for me an experience of the cross. 

Apart from the Holy Cross Christians can do nothing. Yes, that’s right, nothing. 

Many wear a cross around their neck everyday, some may even have one in their home and you are likely to find a cross inside a Christian church.

But the cross was an instrument of torture, suffering, and death. It was an instrument used by the Romans to humiliate and hang. 

So how could it be that the cross is our hope? 

In his writing to the Corinthians, Paul says: “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:1-2).

In our current climate and our current world it is so easy to get caught up in so many things. We can put our hope in things like our job, relationships, finances, plans we make etc. But for the Christian we really and truly only have one ultimate hope.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1817).

Hope has a name and hope is a person. Jesus is our hope and He gave us hope by defeating death on the cross and bringing us eternal life! 

However, in our current world marked by suffering it is very easy to forget this altogether! We must not forget, but rather place all our hope in the cross that gives us eternal life.

Where in your life do you feel alone, isolated or not good enough? In what ways are you currently suffering and in pain? Where do you feel humiliated or at rock bottom?

Those places of intimacy are your places of the cross. They are places where the Lord seeks to meet you, console you, and lift you up. The Lord is not interested in leaving us orphaned or abandoned.

Instead, He meets us at our cross and offers healing, hope, transformation, and love. He lifts us up to new horizons, new places, and new initiatives. 

So today, do not hide from, run from, or be afraid of the crosses you are currently experiencing. Bring your crosses to the Cross. The Cross Jesus died on. The Cross that transforms our sorrow into joy and our pain into healing. 

Jesus’ life did not end with His death on the cross. He resurrected! In our life too, the current cross we are experiencing or carrying isn’t the end of the story. We can be confident that it will be transformed and bring us to new life.

We may also wish to bring our struggles in life to our Blessed Mother. Benedict XVI calls her the ‘Star of Hope.’ She witnessed Jesus’ death and resurrection and can give us the strength and courage to carry on and hope towards the future.

“We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you; for by your Cross, you have redeemed the world.”

Patrick is a beloved son of the Father who desires to use his gifts to build up the Kingdom of God. You can read more of his writing on his blog.