By any standard one could easily dismiss Jesus as a crackpot, one who thinks entirely too much of himself, self absorbed, a guy with "a Jesus complex" to steal a phrase from contemporary parlance. Does this man have a superiority complex; does he really think he is the son of God? What or who is God? Is there a God? There is a lot to think about here. This man, this messiah, redeemer, son of Mary challenged the thinking of all he came in contact with as he walked this earth.

"Take up the cross."  Now here is a phrase that is very familiar to us and one which bears repeating. Take up the cross.

It is never sufficient to suffer, quietly or not so quietly.  To bemoan the situation of the times we live in and do nothing is not what Jesus had in mind I venture to say.

He did not admonish us to get nailed to the cross but rather to take up the cross.  I interpret this to mean - don't just sit there - do something.  Be an instrument of peace, of justice, of unconditional love.  If not for the sake of life everlasting - then for the sake of life here on earth.

The message of picking up the cross goes to the very heart of the question - what is the purpose of life?

We have an inherent dignity because God created us, Christ died for us, and the Holy Spirit sanctified us in Baptism, making us temples of the Spirit, and channels through which God's love becomes visible. Because of this, it is our right, our privilege, and our duty to live the sacramental life of the Church, so that we might become more powerful instruments of God's love working among all people. – As members of Dignity, that is what we say in our Statement of Position & Purpose.

I firmly believe that we are not born to this world to merely exist on it as observers for a finite period of time.  We are certainly not born to abuse our planet or each other.  I believe we are born to make a difference - a difference in our own lives and the lives of those with whom we come in contact, just as Jesus did. 

And just how do we make a difference?  There are so many ways to carry out the mission of making a difference.  We are called to be a voice in the wilderness, a helping hand in times of need, a shoulder to lean on, and an ear to the cries of others who are hurting.  We make a difference everyday in our lives by being a companion to others, a friend to the friendless.  We make a difference every time we reach out to assist those who need assistance.  We make a difference when we give a smile, share an innocent laugh, speak of love and compassion, and take the hand of someone lonely.

"Taking up the cross" means to me "making a difference".  To make a difference does not demand great things or remarkable efforts.  It’s the little things in life that matter as we have so often heard; the gentle touch, the thoughtful gesture, taking time to care, sharing a moment.

You know the feeling you have when you do something nice - genuinely nice for someone else.  It is a very good feeling and there is a very good reason for that.

When we lie to someone, when we hurt someone physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, verbally we don't feel good about it afterwards and there is a very good reason for that.

We are all called - All of us in life, to be a ray of light, a breath of fresh air, a touch of class, an inspiration, and sign of hope.  Can we do that?  You bet we can.  How do we do that?  With every act of kindness, that is how we do that.

We make mistakes along the way.  We always will.  We falter, we deceive ourselves from time to time, we despair, we hurt those we love, but we pick ourselves up again and persevere. We seek forgiveness and move on.

So I ask all of you tonight to join with me in reflecting on the message in the Book of Mathew when Jesus calls upon us to take up the cross.

The message is greater than the one who delivers it, greater than our beliefs or disbeliefs. The message transcends faith or even the absence of faith.

The message is as clear and applicable today as it was when first delivered over 2000 years ago. For us who profess to be Catholic the message is a Christian message and yet that same message has been delivered by many another individual in history. While the message of selfless love, compassion, peace, devotion may be written in a language or style unfamiliar to us it is universal and is not diminished with time.

I would like to close with a quotation from our founder, Pax Nidorf:

"When I started Dignity [in 1969], in the eyes of the world it was probably a very small thing. However, in the microcosm of my own life, it was a monumental gamble. The fact is that we are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.

I think that is what Dignity is all about. Teaching people to dare to be themselves, to risk being open to love, to dare to open their hearts and let the world peek in.

…Let us hold hands to share our strength, love and faith with one another. Let us challenge anyone who would question our validity."