{"id":334774,"date":"2021-09-21T12:47:09","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T09:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=334774"},"modified":"2021-09-21T12:47:09","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T09:47:09","slug":"christ-does-not-ask-us-to-carry-the-cross-alone-patriarch-daniel-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/christ-does-not-ask-us-to-carry-the-cross-alone-patriarch-daniel-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Christ does not ask us to carry the cross alone, Patriarch Daniel says"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cChrist does not ask us to carry the cross alone, but to carry the cross following Him, that is, asking for His help and carrying the Cross with Him,\u201d Patriarch Daniel said on Sunday. On the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel offered his reflections on the four stages of salvation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Patriarch of Romania defined salvation as \u201cthe realisation of the communion or living relationship of the mortal human being with the immortal God\u201d and as \u201cthe acquisition of eternal life from God, Who is the source of eternal life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The first step: free will<\/span><\/h1>\n

The first step to salvation is a free choice: Only he who wills is called to follow Christ in this way. \u201cHere we see that the Saviour Jesus Christ respects human freedom. He proposes but does not impose. He offers salvation but does not force anyone to follow Him,\u201d the Patriarch noted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe freedom that the Saviour emphasises shows us that in fact, God respects our freedom because only when God\u2019s love is freely accepted then communion with Him is genuine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGod offers His love and wants man to respond freely to His love, not compulsorily or forcibly,\u201d the Patriarch added.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second step: self-denial<\/span><\/h1>\n

Patriarch Daniel pointed out that \u201cself-denial was translated as self-negation in some modern foreign languages.\u201d Yet, His Beatitude emphasised, \u201cself-denial does not mean a depersonalisation, an abolition of the person, but a renewal of life, a change of life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet us not become the centre of our love because this is passionate self-love,\u201d the Patriarch said. \u201cBy self-denial, the man who follows Christ is resurrected spiritually; he comes out of the grave of his own selfishness and becomes filled with the merciful and humble love of Christ.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, self-denial is a struggle to free oneself from selfishness and a struggle to grow in a merciful and humble love for one\u2019s fellow people. Therefore, this self-denial is a healing of a vision of selfish life. From this point of view, only self-denial makes a person open to gratitude before God and to the goodwill to help his fellows,\u201d Patriarch Daniel underscored Sept. 19.<\/span><\/p>\n

The third step: accepting the Cross<\/span><\/h1>\n

\u201cWhen we speak of the cross of every man\u2019s life, the cross has many spiritual meanings,\u201d His Beatitude noted.<\/span><\/p>\n