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Father Lazarus El Anthony: The World Is Our Cross, and How We Carry It
What the video says
A monk speaks about the Christian call to carry the cross, saying the world itself is our cross. We are hurt by other people, by sickness, by death, by temptations, and turned from the right path in every way. He recalls his own suffering before he became a monk: from nature, from snow and fire, from people who betrayed and disappointed him, and from his own foolishness and wrong decisions.
The solution, he says, is partly to become better and learn from mistakes, the worldly wisdom everyone learns as children. But there is another lesson: suffering can be accepted, embraced, and remade.
Key moments
- As Christians we must carry our cross, and the world is our cross: we are hurt by others, by sickness, by death, by temptations.
- Suffering is not good while you endure it, and everyone suffers.
- The monk recounts his suffering before monastic life: from nature and the elements, from people who betrayed and disappointed him, and from his own foolishness and wrong decisions.
- Part of the solution is to become better and learn from mistakes, the worldly wisdom that you do not put your hand twice in the fire.
- There is another lesson: suffering can be accepted, embraced, and renovated, renewed, remade.
A post shares a teaching from Father Lazarus El Anthony, a Coptic Orthodox monk of the Monastery of Saint Anthony in the Egyptian desert, on what it means to carry one's cross. The post quotes Christ's words from Matthew 16:24: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." It lists the difficulties people face: illness, family problems, loneliness, financial worries, disappointment, and pain caused by people they once trusted.
It notes that we often spend our time asking God to remove these things and forget Christ's command. Carrying the cross, the post says, does not mean pretending suffering does not hurt, and it does not mean staying silent in the face of abuse or injustice. It means facing unavoidable difficulties without letting them separate us from Christ.
The post recalls Father Lazarus's own path: born in Australia, he left a comfortable life to become a monk in Egypt, following the tradition of the Desert Fathers. It adds that a cross is not always something extraordinary; it can be an illness, a person we struggle to forgive, or daily responsibilities. Not every suffering is sent by God, and we may not understand why things happen, but hard circumstances can become an occasion for prayer, patience, humility, and a closer relationship with Christ.
In the video itself, Father Lazarus says the world itself is our cross: we are hurt by other people, by sickness, by death, and by temptations, and turned from the right path in every way. He recalls his own suffering before monastic life, from nature, from snow and fire, from people who betrayed and disappointed him, and from his own foolishness and wrong decisions.
Part of the answer, he says, is to become better and learn from mistakes, the worldly wisdom that you do not put your hand twice in the fire. There is another lesson: suffering can be accepted, embraced, and remade.
Main points
- Father Lazarus El Anthony, a Coptic monk at the Monastery of Saint Anthony in Egypt, teaches on Christ's call to take up the cross (Matthew 16:24).
- The world is our cross: we are hurt by others, by sickness, by death, and by temptations.
- Carrying the cross does not mean pretending suffering does not hurt or staying silent before abuse or injustice.
- The monk recounts his own pre-monastic suffering: from nature, snow and fire, betrayal by people, and his own wrong decisions.
- Suffering can be accepted, embraced, and remade, becoming a reason to hold on to Christ.