The Hidden Treasure of the Cross

(675 words, 4 minutes read time.)

** A Past Meditation **
Written in the past and newly restored.

Recently, after a difficult trial had ended, I found myself reflecting on my struggle to surrender to God’s will.

Just a few days before, while speaking with a dear friend about my discernment, she gently reminded me that the Lord was inviting me to surrender more completely to Him. Soon afterward, I remembered the Surrender Novena, which several friends had recommended.

What providential timing.

I began praying it in the midst of my turmoil, and the Lord used it to deepen something I had known for years.

After the trial had passed, I shared this reflection with my friend:

“These little crucifixions scattered throughout each day are not obstacles. They are invitations. They are opportunities to offer ourselves in love and to be drawn into a deeper union with Christ. Do not let them pass by. Use them. Climb this ladder.”

That realization has remained with me.

The crosses that come to us each day are not meaningless interruptions.

They are invitations.

Opportunities to become more like Christ.

While praying, I was also deeply moved by a meditation from Venerable Madeleine Delbrêl. She reflects that we often expect holiness to come through one great act of sacrifice. Instead, God usually sanctifies us through countless hidden acts of patience, surrender, and fidelity woven into ordinary life. These quiet “little passions” gradually unite us to Christ when they are embraced with love.

How often we spend our energy chasing after something extraordinary,

while the very path to Heaven lies before us.

Our ladder to Heaven is right in front of us.

How easily distractions,

misunderstandings,

and fear

keep us from recognizing the treasures hidden within our daily crosses.

We naturally seek the easier path.

How often we pray,

“Lord…

not this cross.

Send me another.”

When suffering comes,

we resist it.

We become discouraged.

We long to escape it.

Yet hidden within every cross embraced in love

is a grace we cannot yet see.

Perhaps nothing appears to be happening.

Yet as we unite our sufferings with the Cross of Christ,

He quietly empties us of self,

purifies our hearts,

and draws us into a deeper union with Himself.

This is the hidden work of grace.

We long to be united with Jesus.

We long to embrace His love.

Let us remember:

He is waiting for us at the Cross.

When we come to the Cross,

we find Him.

When we embrace the Cross,

we receive Him.

How close are we willing to come?

Do we hesitate?

Are we afraid?

Do we fail to see the treasure His Heart holds for us there?

Lord,

open the eyes of my heart

to recognize every cross in this day

as an invitation from You.

Give me the grace to embrace each suffering with love

and to offer it to the Father

through Your Sacred Heart.

Give me the heart of Mary,

that I may faithfully stand beside You,

loving You,

trusting You,

and surrendering all for love.

For You are on the Cross.

To find You,

I must come to the Cross.

There,

purify me.

Transform me.

Make my heart one with Yours.

Keep me always close to You,

and never let me be separated from You.

I am Yours.

Do with me whatever You will.

For love.

For Your love alone.

Amen.

A Moment to Reflect:

What small crosses have appeared in your life today?

Are there particular sufferings you find yourself saying, “Lord, not this cross,” about?

What might change if you began to see those moments not simply as interruptions, but as invitations to love, surrender, and deeper union with Jesus?

Ask the Lord today for the grace to recognize the hidden treasure within the Cross—and to stand there with Mary, trusting that no suffering offered in love to Christ is wasted.

Jesus, help me to embrace today’s crosses with You, for love of You.

Used with permission www.AdoreHim.com
(C) 2018-26 Lindsey Grace Mariella