In the gospel reading today, Jesus uses a powerful word, “hate,” to speak to his disciples about anything that causes you to cling to possessions as if you were clinging to your ego. He knows that once we have learned to hate even these most loveable things, we are to “take up our cross.” Christians often use the idea of taking up a cross as a metaphor to describe bearing life’s regular burdens: a long wait in traffic, a demanding boss, and a nasty cold. However, for the first-century Jews, the image of taking up a cross evoked horror and shame. Crucifixion was intended to punish rebels by inflicting as much physical pain as possible and maximizing humiliation, signaling other potential rebels not to revolt against Rome. Therefore, when Jesus says the true disciple must “take up his cross,” he is not merely calling for acceptance of life’s little inconveniences and hardships. He calls his disciples to give up everything, even their lives, if necessary, to follow him. The Christian life is based on self-denial grounded in humility and love. There is no Christianity without the cross. Those who seek happiness by pursuing their personal interests will never be fulfilled. Only by giving oneself to God and loving others do we experience the lasting fulfillment God wants us to have. To be mature in the faith means living out what faith and morality ask of us as a natural response to the gratitude of being loved by God unconditionally and a natural expression of sensitivity to others. Fr. Ron Rolheiser says that taking up our cross “should not be an attempt to somehow earn love or heaven, but rather an acknowledgment, a humble one, that one still needs a lot of help in knowing how to live in the face of love.”