Nulla dies sine cruce! No day without its cross!This spiritual truth was recognised by St Josemaria Escriva, whose biography I recently read. This is one of the things that stayed with me after reading it. It is a transformative realisation: the natural human tendency is to flee from suffering - to minimise it at least.
Yet the Christian seeks to follow Christ who said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me". This is a radically unnatural thing to do: to accept suffering and see it as spiritually beneficial.
Yet the saints have always lived this mystery at a deeper level: not simply accepting the suffering given, but joyfully embracing it! Once one realises that suffering is not meaningless and destructive but unites one to Christ's cross and hence calls down graces upon us, our reaction is transformed from sorrow into joy.
Fortified by this realisation, it has now become my daily custom to greet my cross joyfully, as an old friend, when first I encounter it: "Hello, cross!" Nothing gives me more joy and serenity in the midst of daily life than this simple act of joyfully acknowledging that Christ is constantly offering me this means of grace, this flowering cross, this abundantly fruitful tree of life.
