The shock expressed in these sorts of questions shows how deeply hedonism has infected the modern mind. Are you saying that a suffering person cannot be euthanized to avoid the pain? Yes, we are. Are you saying that a handicapped child in the womb must be “condemned” to live in the world and cannot be aborted and put out of his (more accurately our) “misery”? Yes, we are. Are you saying that a “gay” person must live celibately and may never “marry” his or her same-sex lover? Yes, we are. So the world will cry out with bewildered exasperation and ask incredulously of the Church, are you saying that a woman who was raped must carry the child to term and cannot abort? Yes, we are. The world reacts with great indignation whenever the cross or suffering is even implied.

As noted, he also taught that the cross was an absurdity to the Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23). Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things (Php 3:18–19). Paul spoke in his day of the enemies of the cross of Christ. It is directly opposed to the theology of the Cross. Hedonism seeks to avoid sacrifice and suffering at all costs. Indeed, some of our greatest goods and accomplishments require sacrifice: years of study and preparation for a career the blood, sweat, and tears of raising children. Of course pleasure is to be desired and to some degree sought, but it is not the only good in life. It comes from the Greek word h?don?, meaning “pleasure” and is akin to the Greek h?dys, meaning “sweet.” Hedonism is the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life. But to the Greeks and Romans, the cross was an absurdity due to the widespread philosophy of hedonism among them. To the Jews, Christ crucified was a stumbling block since they believed that anyone hung from a tree was cursed by God (see Deut 21:23). Paul said: We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (1 For 1:23). But Hedonism is a far wider notion and it is why St. Most people today link hedonism with sexual excess and perhaps drinking. Opposed to this teaching from the Lord is hedonism. There are also the daily crosses of self-discipline, hard work, obedience, setbacks, consequences for our decisions, limits to what we can do, and the cross of resisting temptation. Crosses are not merely the big sufferings in life such as disease, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, and so forth.

In the Gospel Jesus set forth the need to accept the crosses of our lives and carry them.