27 Quotes on the Cross to Encourage You When Life Gets Hard

If you are going through a very difficult time right now, these quotes on the cross will encourage you.

Jesus said, “Take up thy cross”. In fact, one cannot be a Saint without embracing one’s cross to some degree.

As human beings, we are naturally averse to suffering.

Suffering doesn’t feel good. It hurts. It’s hard. There must be another way to attain Sainthood than through suffering, right?

So, we look for other ways to do good, in the hope that God will spare us from any future suffering.

We are good people who try to serve God, right?

The truth is, we must suffer and we must embrace the crosses that God gives us.

Here are 27 quotes on the cross, to inspire you and keep you going in times of trial.

1. “The more deeply the cross penetrates, the better; the more deprived of consolation that your suffering is, the purer it will be; the more creatures oppose us, the more closely shall we be united to God.” ~St Paul of the Cross
2. “It is not the finest wood that feeds the fire of Divine love, but the wood of the Cross.” ~St Ignatius of Loyola
3. “Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent.” ~St John of the Cross
4. “When we are overcome by sadness, fear, or suffering; when the pains of loss overwhelm us; when evil seems to have taken power; let us look to the cross and be filled with peace, knowing that Christ has walked this road and walks it now with us and with all our brothers and sisters.” ~St Teresa of Avila
5. “Oh cherished cross! Through thee my most bitter trials are replete with graces!” ~St John of the Cross
6. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” ~St Paul the Apostle
7. “We are co-redeemers of the world. And souls are not redeemed without the cross.” ~St Teresa of the Andes.
8. “Do everything calmly and peacefully. Do as much as you can as well as you can. Strive to see God in all things without exception, and consent to His will joyously. Do everything for God, uniting yourself to him in word and deed. Walk very simply with the Cross of the Lord and be at peace with yourself. ” ~ St Francis de Sales
9. “The road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane. In other words, he must be truly resolved to suffer willingly for the love of God in all things.” ~St John of the Cross
10. “O souls! seek a refuge, like pure doves, in the shadow of the crucifix. There mourn the Passion of your divine Spouse, and drawing from your hearts flames of love and rivers of tears, make of them a precious balm with which to anoint the wounds of your Saviour.” ~St Paul of the Cross

Gemma Galgani – a Suffering Saint

11. “Place your hopes in the mercy of God and the merits of our Redeemer; say often, looking at the crucifix: There are centered all my hopes.” ~St Paul of the Cross
12. “No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the cross.
13. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ. His prayer brought benefit to the multitude that raged against him. How much more does it bring to those who turn to him in repentance. ” ~St Leo the Great
14. “The cross is the school of love.”  ~St. Maximilian Kolbe
15. “Jesus said to me; ‘How many times would you have abandoned Me, my son, if I had not crucified you. Beneath the cross, one learns love, and I do not give this to everyone, but only to those souls who are dearest to Me.” ~St Pio
16. “The Passion of Christ is the greatest and most stupendous work of Divine Love. The greatest and most overwhelming work of God’s love.”  ~St Paul of the Cross
17. “How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise but opens the way for our return.” ~St. Theodore the Studite
18. “Our Savior’s passion raises men and women from the depths, lifts them up from the earth, and sets them in the heights.” ~St. Maximus of Turin
19. “True reverence for the Lord’s passion means fixing the eyes of our heart on Jesus crucified and recognizing in him our own humanity.” ~Pope St. Leo the Great
20. “Why did you suffer for me, dear Jesus? For love! The nails…the crown…the cross…all for the love of me!” ~St Gemma Galgani

May these quotes on the cross strengthen you.

Manual for Suffering

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21. Christians must lean on the Cross of Christ just as travelers lean on a staff when they begin a long journey.” ~ St Anthony of Padua
22. “One cannot desire freedom from the Cross when one is especially chosen for the Cross.” ~Edith Stein
23. “Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.” ~St Rose of Lima
24. “Yes, I love the cross, the cross alone, because I always see it behind Jesus’ shoulders.” ~St Pio
25. “A cross carried simply, and without those returns of self-love which exaggerate troubles, is no longer a cross. Peaceable suffering is no longer suffering. We complain of suffering! We should have much more reason to complain of not suffering, since nothing makes us more like Our Lord than carrying His Cross.” ~St John Vianney
26. “With the cross, we are freed from the restraint of the enemy and we clutch on to the strength of salvation.” – St. Theodore the Studite
27. “The cross is the greatest gift God could bestow on His Elect on earth. There is nothing so necessary, so beneficial, so sweet, or so glorious as to suffer something for Jesus. If you suffer as you ought, the cross will become a precious yoke that Jesus will carry with you.” – St. Louis de Montfort

Resources on the Cross & Suffering

*** When possible, we will link to Catholic bookstores. Thanks for supporting Catholic bookstores.***

• Manual for Suffering
• Self Abandonment to Divine Providence
• Consoling Thoughts on Trials of an Interior Life by St Francis de Sales
• Consoling Thoughts on Sickness & Death by St Francis de Sales
• Joy in Suffering
• The Life of St Gemma Galgani

Have you checked out this podcast on Suffering? It’s really inspiring.

You’ll love this YouTube documentary on St Gemma Galgani

This article was originally posted in 2019 and updated in 2020.