The Cross

 A lot of Christians don’t really embrace the cross as their religion teaches.  They don’t like emptiness or abandonment and trust level is a bit weak.  Look at their Jesus.  What did he do on the cross?  Silence most of the three hours.  Yes, agony.  But also the silence of prayer, not crying out and cursing.  His was suffering love, the silence of abandonment.  Baptism does not seem to do much for the silence of abandonment.  Many baptized people leave that religion because they did not get what they wanted.  They did not get freedom from pain, as if suffering and death has no place in life.  Say what?  So what is God doing with us when we embrace our cross?  God is transforming our human will into divine union, that sense of Oneness with all.  Even he Roshi will hit the Zen student over the head if the Roshi suspects the student is trying to escape something by their sitting practice.  Which is why many people leave Zen also.  Don’t we all want to be like Adam but have Paradise as well?