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Gospel: Luke 9:22-25
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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These are some of the most famous words ever spoken by Jesus: “Take up your cross and follow me.”
But what’s that mysterious cross he’s referring to?
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That clumsy, awkward, often hard to carry cross called life.
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We might re-interpret Jesus’ words, then, “Take up your life and follow me.”
For example, many of us carry the weight of children, marriage, or a difficult job. Others suffer from an illness, care for an aging spouse, or have bills piling up.
Meanwhile, we’re all trying our best to advance in the spiritual life, fending off temptation and growing in virtue.
We don’t have to add any extra weight to our shoulders. We simply can’t shrug it off.
That’s the cross.
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Whatever God has given us to do today, may we do it all – and without complaint.
Then we can say we’ve taken up our life and followed Jesus.
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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Pixaby (3) Annibale Caracci, Domine quo vadis?
As we carry our cross in life, it gives me great comfort to offer it all to Him. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
Amen.