Three Ways to Carry a Cross (1 CD)

3 THREE WAYS TO CARRY A CROSS. In his agony, Jesus prayed three times, ‘If it be possible may this cup be taken from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will’ (Matthew 26; 39-44). Having foreseen the inevitable, still he asked to be exempted from it. (This paralleled the prayer in the book of Job 6:8-10) Jesus’ enigmatic prayer was further complicated by the fact that Scripture says his prayer was heard, in spite of the fact that he died a torturous death: ‘He offered up prayers and petitions to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission’ (Heb. 5: 7). This puzzling statement has been analyzed for centuries by scripture scholars, who have come up with three possible explanations or ‘solutions,’ each of which might provide spiritual insights for dealing with our own sufferings. These insights may be called three ways to carry a cross. In this talk, Fr. Hampsch demonstrates how, separately or together, they may help us bear our personal crosses–and who of us doesn’t have any personal crosses?