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?"
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for an end to the use of contraception and abortion.
As I read through the reading, and started writing... and rewriting... and rewriting... today's reflection, I thought about my own brokenness. I thought about my own failures to love God and others because I was not willing to let go. I couldn't offer it to Him.
This morning, as I woke up, I saw the wallpaper on my phone looking at me: an illustration of Christ offering Himself in the Most Holy Eucharist. I felt the epiphany in me: "if you want to love, let it be through Me."
In our society today, which is driven so much by the worship of the "individual", it's hard to imagine what it would be like deny yourself so that you rely on Christ. It makes a nice sentiment to say, and it makes for good lyrics in songs, but today's reading is a tough challenge for each of us to live: deny yourself, carry your cross, and follow Him.
Today, what is your first step toward losing your life in order to find it? Is it making a commitment to tithing? Is it sacrificing a negative habit? Whatever the step, make it a commitment to Christ, offering your brokenness to Him, so that we may gain eternal life. Take care and God Bless.
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