2nd Station: Jesus Takes Up His Cross

You have to remember that Jesus has just been scourged and crowned with thorns. He's lost a lot of blood and is weak. He's at a point of physical exhaustion and is given a 30 pound piece of timber to carry through the city and up the hill to Golgotha

Jesus didn't feel like carrying this cross...but he did. Mindful of his Father's will for our redemption, Jesus accepts the cross.

We, for our part, are asked to share in his cross, to identify with it. How we do this is up to us.

What are our crosses, and how do we carry them through life? With complaint, with bitterness?

Our world and society tell us that pain isn't necessary. We shouldn't be inconvenienced. We're worth more! There's no reason to put up with suffering or difficulty. There's always some pill, some activity, someone else who'll appreciate us more. Our comfort is our right!

Our world, to a great extent, has lost the value of sacrifice, the value of self-denial for another. Jesus, however, is willing to take up his cross for us.

Do we accept our daily crosses as ways of sharing in the cross of Jesus? Or do we always look to flee from troubles?

Do we always complain about our physical ailments, our frustrations, our problems, or situations that get on our nerves, so that everyone knows we're not happy and don't want any part of this cross we've been given?

Jesus tells us that his yoke is easy and his burden light. He has given us an example to follow. We have within us the power to carry our crosses, but do we too often make excuses to avoid them?

If we feel no cross in our daily lives, could it be we're refusing to see it? If we prefer to share only in the joy of Jesus and not his cross, is our life really Christian?