Carrying Your Cross Meaning: What Does Carrying Your Cross Mean?

Although the expression "carrying one's Cross" has a biblical origin , it has become so popular that many people use it without understanding the meaning of this expression. Carrying one's Cross means enduring difficult trials with patience . But to better understand the true meaning of the expression, we must first review the meaning of the crucifixion itself. The term Cross recalls the Passion , therefore suffering. But the entire expression "carrying one's Cross" still confuses many people...

As Christians, we need to make a difference. We need to know the true meaning of carrying one's Cross . It is precisely to shed light on this expression that we have decided to write this article.

You will therefore discover:

• The definition of carrying one's cross

• The origin of carrying one's cross

• The Meaning of Carrying Your Cross

• The Misinterpretation of Carrying One's Cross

Let’s get to the heart of the matter now!

Definition of Carrying one's Cross

Carrying one's cross has been a French expression since the ^16th century. If we do not seek to delve further into the origin of this way of expressing oneself, it simply means: to endure suffering with resignation . A person can thus say that they are carrying their cross when they have to endure, overcome the trials and difficult moments of life . After all, we all encounter more or less serious problems at certain times in our existence. Often, we do not foresee them, but we must accept them. It even happens that we associate this kind of situation with injustice.

Much like Jesus carried his Cross because of our sins when he was completely innocent, we sometimes experience trials that we feel are not deserved. This is where the expression "carrying one's Cross" takes on its full meaning. In fact, there is a variant which is: Everyone carries their own cross . This means that everyone has their own set of personal difficulties and must overcome them without ever giving up. In life in general, carrying one's Cross is synonymous with carrying a (heavy) burden .

In the Christian life, carrying one's Cross has a deeper definition , directly linked to the very foundation of religion. The word Cross comes from the Crucifix. It refers to the request that Jesus made to his disciples: " If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. " A Christian who carries his Cross is a believer who accepts the will of the Creator for his life . Even if it sometimes means suffering.

Origin of the expression Carry one's Cross

This French expression therefore draws its origins from the Gospel of Matthew. The latter tells that, condemned to death, Christ was led to Golgotha. He then carried his Cross which was so heavy that Jesus fell several times under its weight. On the way, surrounded by soldiers like the worst of criminals, the Son of God suffered physically and morally when in reality, He had nothing to reproach Himself for.

Let us remember that during this episode of the Passion, Jesus Christ not only suffered, but above all he carried the Cross on which he would be crucified . Moreover, this part of the Passion is also the origin of the expression "a way of the cross" which refers to a very difficult journey. In addition, it gave rise to the word " calvary " which indicates a painful ordeal. As a reminder, Calvary is the place of the crucifixion.

In any case, carrying one's Cross comes from the fact that Jesus carried the heavy Crucifix which symbolized our sins.

Meaning of the expression Carrying one's Cross at the time of Jesus

Here, we are not going to explain to you what it means to carry one's Cross as an expression, but as an action or rather as a sentence. To do this, we are going to take a leap of more than 2000 years in the past. At that time, the Romans used the cross to kill slaves . Indeed, the torture of the cross was the death reserved for slaves who committed crimes. It was a wooden stake planted in the ground on a high place in view of all. The condemned man carried the crossbar on his shoulders to the place of crucifixion.

Once at the place where the execution was to take place, the crossbar was hoisted to the top of the pole. The cross was thus formed. The executioners attached the person to it. The latter agonized for hours in indescribable suffering. This is exactly what Jesus endured, although He was neither a slave nor a criminal. But now we can understand why the disciples were shocked when their Master told them that they had to carry his Cross if they wanted to follow him. At that time, the expression literally meant walking towards death like a condemned slave . We also invite you to discover the meaning of the Christian term " Ichtus "

Jesus was naturally making a kind of metaphor, because he never asked the apostles to be crucified. Moreover, the disciples were just as amazed when he told them that they had to eat his flesh and blood to access eternal life. All this only made sense after the Resurrection. Christ, our Savior, carried the cross to prove his infinite Love for us , but also to obey his Father . Moreover, we must not forget that despite the Passion, Jesus was resurrected, thus showing that suffering did not have the last word .

In plain language, the cross was a real instrument of torture . Furthermore, the condemned man had to carry it into the public square, which was the height of humiliation at the time. The cross was also an instrument of certain death . Thus, carrying one's cross meant carrying the instrument of one's own execution while suffering humiliation along the way. For Jesus, this was extremely difficult, but it resulted in the glory of the Resurrection .

Meaning of Carrying the Cross Today

For Christians, carrying one's cross has different meanings. However, they are complementary and all draw their origins from the Passion of Christ.

Carrying one's cross: humility

Jesus set a good example when he showed obedience to God, his Father, by accepting to carry his Cross. He endured suffering at its height as well as humiliation to accomplish his Mission on earth, namely to wash us of our sins. In this sense, carrying his Cross means accepting that God is the only Master of our existence . As a believer, you must agree to take the form of the slave , or rather the servant of God , and to walk towards death. Except that here, we are no longer talking about physical death, but about the death of your selfishness . Carrying your Cross means giving up being the one who controls everything in your life . As Jesus was resurrected, the one who accepts to carry his Cross always sees the Glory of God shine on his life following the suffering.

Carrying Your Cross: Walking with Jesus

When you carry your Cross, that is, when life gives you hard blows, or when your faith in God is put to the test, you must carry this Cross with Jesus . As Pope Francis made clear during the Camino de Janeiro in 2013, “… no one can touch the Cross of Jesus without leaving something of themselves there and without carrying something of the Cross of Jesus in their life. ” Of course, when you share your Cross with Christ, it becomes lighter . At the same time, you recognize your condition as a servant before God . You thus accept that his commandments always lead you to happiness when you put them into practice. And very often, this involves major changes that are very difficult to undertake in your life.

Carrying Your Cross: Fighting for Your Faith in God

Carrying your Cross also means that you must support the spiritual warfare with all the efforts that it may require. As a human, you may have your own natural weaknesses, your fleshly needs, and that is perfectly normal. But you must never let them distance you from God. It even happens that you have to cross out these weaknesses and needs in order to stay on the right path . It may be easier said than done, but carrying your Cross means that you must do everything to succeed in maintaining your faithfulness to God. Especially since we live in a time where temptations are so strong that it has become easier to give in to them than to resist them. Always give priority to your spirituality as a Christian!

Carrying your Cross: Caring for your neighbor

Here again, you can take Jesus as an example when He carried His Cross to save us. He put our lives before His own . A Christian who accepts to carry his Cross is a Christian who always places a point of honor on brotherly love , not only with loved ones, but also with all those around him. You have to listen , help your neighbor overcome trials , put his interest before yours if necessary. Carrying your Cross means becoming altruistic and defending the values ​​of the family, of love between children of God even if it is not always easy to put others before yourself.

Carrying one's Cross: Serving God

Carrying your Cross also means following and accepting the divine will. You must fight to live in accordance with the 10 commandments. In other words, you must do good around you , respect others and accept God as the supreme Master of your destiny . As a good Christian, it is important to remain available to God . You must let Him guide you in everything you undertake. Never forget to pray, praise the Father and give thanks to Him for all His blessings. When everything is going badly, it is easier to turn to God. But when everything is going well, we tend to forget that it is thanks to Him and that we must therefore thank Him. As the Creator can make you endure difficult trials, He can also surprise you with beautiful rewards if you open your heart to Him at every stage of your life.

Carrying your Cross: Accepting Life’s Difficulties

This meaning is the most well-known of all. Carrying your Cross means being able to accept and overcome all the trials of life. No matter how small, big or even unbearable they may be, you must find the strength to endure them without blaming anyone, especially God. It could be an illness, a financial problem, a professional failure, an emotional problem, the death of a loved one, etc. Surrender yourself in faith to the will of the CreatorCreator . You will see that He will then flood you with His blessing. Carrying your Cross means keeping love no matter what. Love while suffering , suffer while loving !

The Misinterpretation of Carrying Your Cross

Even if carrying one's Cross implies in a general way that one must overcome trials with patience, suffering has never been, is not and will never be the goal . We must therefore not seek to suffer for the sake of suffering. But, if at a given moment you encounter difficulties, you must show patience, sometimes even resignation and share them with Jesus Christ by praying and respecting the10 commandments . Do not seek to blame others or to take revenge. Do not think that it is pure injustice. And when you do not encounter any trials, praise the Lord, do good around you. God is Love, He only wants good for you.

Suffering can be the consequence of a life as a servant of God, but it is never an end in itself. So, even if Jesus carried his Cross to suffer and die, God does not ask you to do exactly the same. He simply asks you to remain faithful to his Word . Which sometimes involves giving up on yourself on certain points. By living according to the Will of God, you can be misunderstood, humiliated, belittled, even mistreated as the disciples were. But this should not discourage you. On the contrary, let your faith triumph !

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It's up to you to share your devotion to God by carrying your cross.

As you may have seen from reading this article, carrying one's Cross comes from the Passion of Christ, when He had to take charge of the instrument of His own execution. Out of love for us and His Father, He underwent great suffering and immense humiliation. If you wish to carry your Cross, follow the Lord, let Him guide your life, never let selfishness win you over. Be attentive to your neighbor. Resist temptations and always cultivate your spirituality. Whatever happens in your life, keep the Lord in your heart. Accept the difficulties as well as the blessings .

You now know the meaning of carrying one's cross and its importance in our religion . Another way that helps a Christian to serve his Lord, and especially that allows him to never forget the path he has chosen, is to wear a Christian cross around his neck. Many believers keep a cross with them daily. This is to keep in mind that God is among us, and that we must pray for Him and serve Him worthily at every moment of our lives.