39th Day of Lent-Good Friday
From the First Mention of the Cross
"And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Matthew 10:38

To take up the cross of Jesus is to take up his cause.  That is what worthy disciples do.  They follow the example and walk in the way of their teacher.  In the case of those that follow Jesus, this means loving God and loving our neighbor.  It means welcoming the outcasts and those kept on the fringes of society.  It means feeding the hungry and caring for the sick.  It means being good stewards or managers of our lives and all of creation.  It means pouring out and giving up our lives for the sake of others. 

That is what we do.  It is a heavy burden.  No one can do so perfectly.  Our sinful selves constantly get in the way, taking our attention elsewhere.  But the One we follow did not get distracted.  The One we follow took his cross all the way to completion.  The One we follow died today on the cross he carried, so that we might be forgiven when we drop the cross we bear.  Jesus did that for us.  That's the miracle of this day.  Let us pause to give thanks to Jesus for taking his mission to completion, so that we might always be forgiven and renewed as we now carry his cross into the world.