1. This word seems harsh to many: Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. But it will be much harder to hear that last word: “Depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire.” For those who now hear and willingly follow the word of the cross will not then fear hearing the word of eternal damnation.
This sign of the cross will be in heaven, when
the Lord will come to judge. Then all the servants of the cross, who were
conformed in life to the crucified one, will come to Christ the judge with
great confidence.
2. ¿So is it so, why do you have to take up the cross, ¿by which one goes to the kingdom? In the cross is health, in the cross is life, in the cross is the defense from enemies, in the cross is the infusion of sovereign softness, in the cross is the strength of the heart, in the cross is the joy of spirit, in the cross is the highest virtue, in the cross is the perfection of holiness. There is no health of the soul, nor the hope of eternal life, except in the cross. Therefore take up your cross, and follow Jesus, and you will go to eternal life.
He came first, and carried his cross and died on the cross for you; because you also carry it, and wish to die in it. Because if you die together with Him, you will live with Him. And if you are a companion of punishment, you will also be a companion of glory.
3. See that everything consists of the cross, and everything consists in dying on it. And there is no other way to life, and to true endearing peace, but the way of the holy cross and continuous mortification. Go where you want, seek what you want, and you will not find a higher way on high, nor a safer way on low, but the way of the holy cross.
Arrange and order all things according to your will and opinion, and you will not find, but rather you will have to suffer something, either by choice or by force: and thus you will always find the cross. Well, either you will feel pain in the body, or you will suffer tribulation in the spirit.
4. Sometimes God will leave you, sometimes your neighbor will persecute you: what is worse, many times you will be dissatisfied with yourself, and you will not be relieved, nor cooled with any remedy or consolation; It is better for you to suffer as long as God wants.
Because God wants you to learn to suffer tribulation without consolation, and that you completely submit to Him, and become more humble through tribulation. No one feels the passion of Christ so heartily, as he who happens to suffer similar things. So the cross is always prepared, and awaits you anywhere; You cannot flee wherever you are, because wherever you flee, you take yourself with you, and you will always find yourself.
Turn up, turn down, turn outside, turn inside, and in all this you will find a cross. And it is necessary that you have patience in every place, if you want to have inner peace, and deserve a perpetual crown.
5. If you carry the cross with good will, it will carry you and guide you to the desired end, where the end of suffering will be, even if it is not here. If you carry it against your will, you carry it, and you make it heavier: and yet it is appropriate that you suffer. If you discard one cross, you will undoubtedly find another, and it may be more serious.
6. Do you think you can escape from what none of the mortals could? Who of the Saints was in the world without cross and tribulation? Our Lord Jesus Christ, by the way, as long as he lived in this world, he was not an hour without pain of passion.
For it was fitting, he says, that Christ should suffer, and rise from the dead, and thus enter into his glory. Well, how do you look for another path but this royal path, which is the life of the holy cross?
7. Christ's entire life was a cross and martyrdom and do you seek relaxation and joy for yourself? You err, you deceive yourself if you seek anything other than suffering tribulations; because all this mortal life is full of miseries, and everywhere marked with crosses. And the more highly someone will benefit in spirit, the more serious crosses he will often encounter, because the penalty of his exile grows more for love.
8. But this one, thus afflicted in so many ways, is not without the relief of consolation; because he feels the great fruit that grows from carrying his cross. For when he submits to her will, the whole burden of tribulation becomes confidence in divine consolation. And the more the flesh is broken by affliction, the more the spirit strives for inward grace.
And sometimes he is so comforted by the affection of tribulation and adversity, by the love and conformity of the cross of Christ, that he does not want to be without pain and tribulation: because he considers himself more acceptable to God, the greater and more serious things he can. suffer for Him. This is not human virtue, but grace of Christ, who can and does so much in the weak flesh, that what it naturally always hates and flees, it attacks and puts an end to with fervor of spirit.
9. It is not according to the human condition to carry the cross, to love the cross, to punish the body, to put it in servitude; fleeing honors, willingly suffering insults, despising oneself, and wishing to be despised; suffer every adverse and harmful thing, and desire nothing of prosperity in this world.
If you look to yourself, you will not be able to do any of these things: but if you trust in God, He will send you strength from heaven, and will make the world and the flesh subject to you. And you will not fear the devil your enemy, if you were armed with faith, and marked with the cross of Christ.
10. Prepare yourself, then, as a good and faithful servant of Christ, to manfully carry the cross of your crucified Lord for your love. Prepare to suffer many adversities and various discomforts in this miserable life; because so Jesus will be with you wherever you go; and truly you will find him wherever you hide.
This is how it should be, and there is no other remedy to escape the pain and tribulation of evils, but to suffer. He affectionately drinks the cup of the Lord, if you want to be his friend, and have part with him. He sends consolations to God, so that he can do with them what pleases him most.
But be prepared to suffer tribulations, and consider them great consolations; because the passions of this time are not worthy of meriting the glory to come, even if you alone could suffer them all.
11. When you reach such a point that affliction is sweet and pleasant to you for the love of Christ, then think that it is going well for you; because you found paradise on earth. When suffering seems serious to you, and you try to escape it, believe that things are going badly for you, and wherever you go, tribulation will follow you.
12. If you prepare yourself to do what you must, that is, suffer and die, then things will go better for you, and you will find peace. And even if you are caught up to the third heaven with Saint Paul, you will not be sure that you will not suffer some setback. I (says Jesus) will show him how many things it will be appropriate for him to suffer for my name. You must, therefore, suffer, if you want to love Jesus, and always serve Him.
13. Would that you were worthy to suffer something for the name of Jesus! How great a glory it would be for you! How much joy to all the Saints of God! How much edification it would be for others! Everyone praises patience, but few want to suffer. No wonder you should suffer something willingly for Christ; Well, there are many who suffer serious things in the world.
14. Know for certain that it is better for you to die living; and the more each one dies to himself, the more he begins to live for God. No one is sufficient to understand heavenly things, if he does not humble himself to suffer adversity for Christ. There is nothing more acceptable to God, nor healthier for you in this world, than to suffer willingly for Christ.
And if you were given the choice, you should more desire to suffer adverse things for Christ than to be recreated with many consolations; because in this way you would be more like him, and more in conformity with all the Saints. Therefore, our merit nor the perfection of our state does not lie in the many softnesses and consolations, but rather in suffering great hardships and tribulations.
15. Because if anything were better and more useful for the salvation of men than suffering, Christ would have declared it by his doctrine and by his example. For he manifestly exhorts his disciples, and all who desire to follow him, to take up the cross, and says: "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." So, having read and well considered all things, let this be the last conclusion: That through many tribulations it is expedient for us to enter the kingdom of God.
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