May 6 Tue
Can I reach heaven without sharing Jesus’ Cross?
The Church continues to sing of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and she invites us to be filled with confidence. “Because we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also come to life with him."
However, our Lord's ascension, his departure, is now imminent. “I came from the Father, and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father". The time has come to think about Jesus' final recommendation to his disciples when He left them. “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."
We need to pray, lifting our hearts up to God. He is watching us from heaven. We should ask him for everything we need. The Lord is infinite wisdom; He knows exactly what we require to become saints and apostles.
Still, prayer must be followed by mortification. As always, the Christian finds Christ’s Cross along the way. Without personal sacrifice, there will be no fruit. “The Cross is present in everything, and it comes when one least expects it. But don't forget that normally, the Cross comes when you start to be effective.”
While embracing His Cross, we must allow Jesus to transform us, to raise us up to the level of divine life. Then, we shall have a divine way of thinking: our Faith; and a divine way of loving: our Charity.
“Far from discouraging us, the difficulties we meet must spur us on to mature as Christians. This fight sanctifies us and gives effectiveness to everything we do ... We must be convinced that to imitate Christ, and be good disciples of his, we must take his advice to heart: If any man has a mind to come my way, let him renounce self, and take up his cross, and follow me. That is why I like to ask Jesus, for myself: Lord, no day without a Cross! Then, through God's grace, our characters will grow strong, and we will become a point of support for our God, over and above our wretchedness.
“Take a nail, for instance. If you meet no resistance when you hammer it into a wall, what can you expect to hang on it? Likewise, if we do not let God toughen us through sacrifice, we will never become our Lord's instruments. On the other hand, if we decide to accept difficulties gladly and make use of them for the love of God, then in the face of what is difficult and unpleasant, when things are hard and uncomfortable, we will be able to exclaim with the Apostles James and John: Possumus! Yes, we can!” St Josemaría
To achieve the reward in heaven, we need to embrace Christ’s Cross and use all the human means available, regardless of the cost. There is no possible comparison between the effort required of us, limited and only for a certain number of years, and the infinite reward that is forever. With a supernatural outlook, with serenity and peace. That is the way to see things, people and events -from the viewpoint of eternity.
And then, whatever barrier blocks your way -even if it is, humanly speaking, enormous - when you really raise your eyes to heaven, how tiny it becomes! We must not be afraid of the difficulties that crop up. The thought of glory should move us to greater self-giving, to steer clear of anything that could draw us away from our path to heaven.