The Cross Is Life
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 (1 Cor 1:18 ESV).
In the Cross is salvation, in the Cross is life, in the Cross is protection from our enemies, in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the Cross is strength of mind, in the Cross is joy of spirit, in the Cross is the height of virtue, in the Cross is perfection of sanctity. There is no salvation of the soul, nor hope of everlasting life, but in the Cross.
Thomas á Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (New York: Image, 1955), 94.