Part 2 Chapter 10: For What Purpose Should One Bear

[尼古拉前执事]

Part 2 Chapter 10: For What Purpose Should One Bear the Cross? First, One Should Bear the Cross as a Punishment for Sins and for the Deliverance from Eternal Torment

[Reader Benjamin]

Angel; ... During the Lord Jesus Christ's suffering there were four bearers of the cross, each of them carring this burden for different reasons. The two robbers who were condemned with Him carried their crosses to recieve their due for thier deeds; to receive the punishment ordered by the judge for their lawlessness. Simon of Cyrene carried the cross of the Lord as a hireling, for reward and pay. But the Lord had nothing else in mind in carring the cross than to oblige the Hevenly Father and to carry out His will. here you see three different reasons: the first, in slavery accepts and carries the cross as a punishment for sins and to recievve deliverance from eternal torment; the second. as a hireling puts his neck under the yoke in the hope of requital; the third, as a son to carry the cross not for fear of execution of expecting a reward, but our of pure love, out of obedience to God. ...

Now we get to why we carry the cross. It is good to remember the Eternal consequences of our life. If we live for the Eternal we will avoid many traps. Remembering that the Cross is a small price to pay for our sins, we bear it gladly to avoid the Eternal torments. This is a good starting place for our bearing the cross that seems so burdonsome to us.