Misunderstood Gospel.

Sometimes, people tear out a sentence from the Gospel and consider it the basis of Jesus’s teaching. It is as if the entire Gospel is only self-denial and the cross. Understanding self-denial and the cross correctly is a matter of understanding them correctly. St. Paul writes, “The mystery of the cross is foolishness for those who are on the road to perdition.” We know that the cross belongs in some way to every person’s life. Either people accept the cross or oppose it. Why did Jesus receive the cross? Jesus says Whoever wants to follow me,let him take up his cross and follow me. Jesus encounters, let’s say, with the cross, then, when to help the sick. When he healed on Saturday, Jesus knew that the leaders of the Jewish people were seeking his life. But that didn’t discourage him. For Christ, the suffering of the cross was, of course, evil, but he accepted it as a necessary evil to save man.

The cross is associated with the Good News. It shows that man is so dear to God’s sake that he sent his only-begotten son to the cross. The cross is a sign of salvation. Jesus goes to meet the cross, knowing it will cost him a lot of strength. But with the knowledge that man’s salvation will be connected with this. For us, the cross is a sign of love that is given completely. Jesus wants to tell us that the root of love is when man does not think of himself at all. One should not forget what it cost God, so that a person can live for all eternity. People are afraid that God will ask them to do something. The cross is a tribute to sin. True Christian sacrifice does not consist in inventing what to give to God, but in allowing God to provide him with a gift. And that a person does not want the gift of salvation is the greatest perversion. One must realize that if one wants to pass on God’s love, it is associated with suffering, but with suffering that has meaning.