The Cross in Our Life

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks about the cross not being merely a symbol or an external sign, but the essence of Christian life, carrying within it meanings of faith, humility, redemption, and sacrifice for God and others.

The cross as doctrine and faith:
The cross expresses faith in the Holy Trinity and the saving work of God, as it reminds us of God’s descent for the salvation of الإنسان and transferring him from darkness to light, and from death to life.

The cross as a practical life:
True Christian life is not without suffering and endurance, because the cross means that a person labors for God, and bears pain without grumbling, walking in the narrow path that leads to glory.

Pain as the path to glory:
Pain is not something negative, but a path to glorification with Christ. Whoever refuses pain refuses the path of glory, because true glory comes from sharing in the sufferings of Christ.

Bearing others’ crosses:
The true cross appears in loving others, through bearing their faults, helping them, or sacrificing for them, even at one’s own expense, as Christ did when He carried the sins of the world.

The cross and self-denial:
The call of the cross is connected with self-denial, so a person does not live for himself, but looks at the sufferings of Christ and humbles himself, realizing that his sins were the cause of these sufferings.

The cross and repentance:
Enjoying salvation is not separated from a feeling of contrition and repentance, for a person not only rejoices in salvation, but also remembers his sins that led to the cross, and lives a life of continual repentance.

The cross as a message of love:
The cross is the greatest expression of love, as a person lays himself down for others, and it is a call for every believer to live this same sacrificial love.

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