Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
REFLECTION
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
When I think of following someone I love, I think of the fun times, sharing our lives together, sharing our days and aging with one another. We promise to remain faithful in good or bad times. However, t is not always easy or comfortable. In marriage or in parenthood, there is sacrifice, trust, and a willingness to place the one we love above our own needs. When we give to one another we grow in closeness.
We know what we need to do the majority of time because we are living in the moment and we see the physical/spiritual needs. We are ready to act as the situation arises. We definitely need to let go of selfishness, pride, resentment, wanting what I want all the time and wanting to control everything if we want to be happy.
So I ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Help me to discern what I need to do to have a beautiful relationship with you. We all have crosses to carry but they are different from one another. Illness, loneliness, family difficulties, disappointments, grief, or struggles in paying bills, prodigal children, or aging are some of our crosses.
Jesus walks beside us, strengthening us with His grace, and teaches us that suffering offered with love can bring us closer to Him.
Prayer
Jesus, give me the courage to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow You. Remind me that You are beside me, grant me the spirit of prayer. Your love will always win. Help me to offer my sacrifices for eternity with you rather than work for the passing things of this world. Amen.
