To Carry the Cross

Reflection for August 30, 2026 – Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals the suffering he must endure and rebukes Peter for his hesitation, saying that whoever wishes to follow him must take up his cross. Find today’s readings here.

Carry the cross? Absolutely. I’m happy to! Hand it over. Here’s the thing: I just might…set it down for a second, from time to time. That’s okay, right?

How else am I supposed to have both hands free to gesture in anger? I can’t do that if I’m carrying the cross. Well, fine, then let me just shift its weight, so I can catch my breath and say what I think about this person who’s got it all wrong — I’ll just lean it against the wall here. No? Okay, fine, I won’t put it down! I’ll keep holding it. That’s better, actually. Then I can use it as a weapon.

What? Am I doing this “Christian” thing wrong?

“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,” Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel. “But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

This is not an affirmation of the paradox that if you no longer care about something, you can finally have it once and for all. It’s not a judgment about the worthlessness of life in this fallen world or the futility of trying to preserve that life.

It’s merely a statement about priorities.

When Peter says, “God forbid!” at the thought of suffering, God is not his priority. His own safety is.

When I say, “God forbid!” at anything that comes from the mouth of God, it’s a reminder to look at my hands — because they’ve probably put down the cross.

How merciful is our Lord — he never takes my cross from me, even when I walk far away from it. He always lets me pick it back up. In his dear and sweet goodness, he even helps me lift its weight. And he gestures, in case I’ve forgotten: “This way. Follow me.”

©LPi