Three Homilies on the Bearing of the Cross By St. Theophan the Recluse

Available from St Herman Press

"When the personal cross of each of us is
united with Christ’s Cross, 
the power and effect of the latter is transferred to us and becomes,
as it were, a conduit through which every good gift and every perfect
gift ( James 1:17) is poured forth upon us from the Cross of Christ.

From this it is evident that the personal cross of each of us is as
essential to the work of salvation as the Cross of Christ. And you will
not find one saved person who was not a cross-bearer. It is for this
reason that everyone is surrounded by crosses on all sides—so that
we will not be hampered by having to look for crosses to bear, and so
that we will not be far from the salvific power of Christ’s Cross.

One can say it this way: Look around yourself and you will see your
cross. Bear it as you should, uniting it with Christ’s Cross, and you 
will be saved. Although everyone bears his cross reluctantly—and
for the most part crosses are not simple but complex—not everyone
looks at his cross through Christ’s Cross. Not everyone turns it into
a mechanism for his salvation. Therefore, not everyone’s cross is a 
salvific cross.

Let us take a look at all the possible crosses and see how one ought
to bear each of them, that they might be a force unto salvation.

There are many crosses, but there are three kinds: The first kind
are outward crosses, consisting of sorrows and misfortunes and, in
general, of the bitter lot of our earthly sojourn. The second kind are
inward crosses, which arise from the struggle against the passions
and lusts, for the sake of acquiring the virtues. The third kind are
spiritual, grace-filled crosses, which are laid upon us through 
absolute devotion to God’s will."
The Orthodox Word no. 285 p.188 to189, St Herman Press, 2012

"Seeing this, brethren, let us stand at Golgotha by the crosses, and
let us begin to compare ourselves to those who bore them and them
to us, to see which one applies to us. Simon of Cyrene, who bore
Christ’s Cross (cf. Matt. 27:32), is an image of those cross-bearers
who are subjected to outward sorrows and deprivations. As to those
who represent the crucified wise thief and those who represent the
Lord on the Cross, I have just told you above: the former depicts
those who are fighting against the passions and the latter depict
perfect men, crucified in devotion to God.

And whom does the cross of the bad thief depict? It depicts those
who serve the passions. The passions torture them, torment them,
crucify them to death, without giving them any comfort or good hope.

Using these images, compare your crosses to these crosses and
accordingly determine who you are—Simon of Cyrene; the wise thief;
an imitator of Christ the Lord; or the bad thief, consumed by the
passions.

Whoever you find yourself to be, expect a corresponding end. I will
only add this: throw out of your head the idea that you can, through
a comfortable life, become what you must be in Christ."
The Orthodox Word no. 285 p.200, St Herman Press, 2012

These newly published homilies by St Theophan the Recluse may 
be read in full here. This file is also available as a free download.
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Note
"What is a passion? Passion is an unnatural movement of the soul,
says Maximus the Confessor, just as a physical disease is something
unnatural to our body… 'Passion is an excessive feeling, or appetite,
going beyond what is reasonable. Passions are a disturbance of our
soul contrary to our nature, in disobedience to reason. Passion is not
natural and it ruins our nature instead of fulfilling it. 

Clement of Alexandria”
From 'Path to Sanity' p.30, Dee Pennock, Light & Life Publishing
Company, Minneapolis, MN 2010