The way of the cross is the way of love and life

By Msgr. John Wynand Katende

Posted on: Thursday, 25th June 2026

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.'" – Matthew 16:24

Some people believe that wearing a cross is the same as carrying one. This may be a wonderful way statement that we are Christians. But wearing the cross is not bearing the cross, at least not to the fullest measure of Christ's command to take up our cross and follow Him. Our Cross to bear is to live in and through the Love of God and neighbor by denying ourselves, no matter what.

At the time of Jesus, Crucifixion under Roman law was a brutal, shameful, and public form of capital punishment reserved primarily for enslaved people, provincials, and rebels. Criminals were forced to carry their crosses to the place of execution. Along the way, they were mocked, lashed, hit with stones, and treated without mercy. So, when we hear the expression, "Take up your cross," we often think of some particular trial, difficulty, or long-standing burden.

Surprisingly, Jesus spoke to the apostles about the Cross just at the beginning of their calling, and long before His passion. He wanted them to identify themselves with the Master and sacrifice themselves for others, as He would do on the Cross.

The image of the Cross produces a certain natural fear and could discourage us from following our Lord more closely. But we can overcome this fear if we know the true meaning of the Cross for each of us.  According to Saint Gregory the Great, “We can take up the Cross in two ways: either by overcoming our flesh through temperance or by making the needs of our neighbor our own through compassion.” More concretely, we can overcome the fear of taking up our cross through prayer and penance. To pray and to mortify oneself is also to take care of others and to forget oneself (St. Josmaria Escrivá). 

In Christian theology, "taking up your cross" means embracing self-denial. Self-denial is the conscious choice to set aside personal desires, comfort, or ego to benefit others, adhere to moral principles, or achieve a long-term goal. It spans from everyday habits to profound acts of service, requiring one to prioritize outside needs over immediate self-gratification

The Christian calling is not about earning our way to heaven, but rather proving our genuine loyalty and love to Christ by enduring the struggles of the present life. Jesus calls us to total commitment, requiring giving priority to God's will above our own desires, relationships, or worldly ambitions. It is to refuse rights and privileges that get in the way of God's kingdom. The crosses can therefore be as simple as enduring daily trials or as extreme as facing persecution, but they are a non-negotiable part of following Jesus.

We know how much Christ suffered on our behalf, in order to pay full price for our sins through His passion, death, and resurrection. He did it once for all of us, and we don't need to be crucified the way He was.

Jesus commands us to carry our cross by committing ourselves to do God’s will. He completely identified with God's loving act of sending into the world “His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 6:13). Every moment of Jesus’ life was a moment of Love. When we take up the Cross, we take up His Love and carry it to follow Him.

St. Paul likens Christian calling to marriage. In marriage, a man and a woman join themselves by self-sacrificial love, dying to self for the salvation of the other, just as Christ did for the Church (Ephesians 5). At their best, couples enjoy a friendship of unconditional, mutual love. 

Ultimately, only love can conquer sin and death. We are called to bear our cross by loving our neighbors, blessing our enemies, and disdain our sins. We are called to be Christ-like by being faithful to the mission of giving up our lives to God in order to save them because of His Love.