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The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

How to Pick up Your Cross

The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

Ascension

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

4.97.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2019

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Fr. Mike’s words on taking up our crosses may come as a relief to many of us. He rejects the “harder is holier” approach, and reminds us that taking up our crosses is ultimately about having more freedom. Christ says “My yoke is easy, and my is burden light” (Matthew 11:30). God has a particular task for each of us, and taking up our crosses means denying what we want for our lives so that we can do God’s will. After all, that is what we were made to do and the only way to truly be free.

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

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Transcript

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0:00.0

I'm Adam Spother, my expo, and this is Ascension Presents.

0:08.2

So when I was in high school, I got my first Bible.

0:11.2

I got it from the Crow Wing County Fair in Central or Northern Minnesota.

0:15.4

It was one of those little giddy Bibles, you know, the little small green ones that have

0:19.5

the New Testament and the Psalms and the Book of Proverbs in them.

0:22.7

And I remember being so excited about this and being able to read the Gospels.

0:27.8

I came upon both in Matthew's Gospel and in Luke's Gospel where Jesus gives the conditions

0:32.5

for discipleship.

0:33.5

And I thought, well, yeah, I want to be a disciple.

0:36.4

Yeah, what are they?

0:37.9

And because, yeah, I just had a sense of like, I realized that God is calling me to more

0:42.8

than just kind of like believing in him.

0:44.6

He's calling me and calling everyone who follows him to more than just kind of like accepting

0:51.7

him.

0:52.7

But we're kind of called to do something.

0:53.7

We disciples basically.

0:54.7

And here's what Jesus says in Luke chapter 9, this is his condition.

0:58.3

He says, Jesus said to all, whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up

1:04.2

his cross daily and follow me.

1:06.3

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.

1:08.4

But whoever loses his life from my sake will save it.

1:11.7

And I remember reading that and going like, okay, that's it.

...

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