June 27, 2024
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
— Jesus
In the Museo del Prada in Madrid, Spain, hidden from public view, is an oil painting from the 1630s by an anonymous French artist, which is titled, “The Christian Soul Accepts the Cross.” The 6.5-foot by 8-foot canvas shows Christ shouldering his cross, just as he did on his way to his crucifixion on Calvary. Jesus looks back at “the Christian Soul,” depicted as a young woman wearing a wreath of flowers on her head, who has stumbled under the weight of the cross she’s carrying. The two of them walk together along a terrain that consists entirely of crosses. Little is known about the painting.
The Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross once said, “Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified.”
No one is spared the cross. Life is full of crosses — betrayals, physical infirmity, depression, loneliness, failure, rejection. The list is endless, but the cross that’s especially heavy is the cross carried by those who have lost a loved one.
One truth recognized by all mystics is we do not carry our crosses alone. Jesus is with us even though we may not realize it … even if we’re angry with him because of our cross. If your cross weighs you down, say this prayer:
“Heavenly Father, I may not understand how everything will work out, but I trust you. I don’t see a way, but I know you will make a way. I have faith at this moment that you are touching hearts, opening doors and lining up the right breaks and right opportunities. Things may look dark and bleak now, but I have faith that my dawn is coming. Amen.”
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