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Theo Tigno•
8/8/2003 8:12 am
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St. Dominic |
Matthew 16: 24-28
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."
Dawg's thought:
There are two prayer intentions for today:
1. An increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
2. For two babies celebrating their birthday: Aidan and Dominic.
What does denial of self look like? Denial of self is not looking at yourself as bad, because in the eyes of God we are all created as "very good" (see the Story of Creation in Genesis). Denial of self could mean looking at your life right now and being content with what God has given you. Denial of self could mean leaving what you are comfortable with for the sake of something God is calling you to. Denial of self could mean giving away the things that lead you to sin and detract from your prayer life.
Denial of self looks like all of these things. What must be a the root of the denial of self, though, must be the total desire to do God's will. We all have our desires. We all have to the desire to have enough money so we don't have to worry. We all have the desire to have enough friends and family so that we're never alone. We all have the desire to do something that will make a different. Brothers and sisters, these desires are useless worries. God will provide enough money, people and work for us. The only desire we need to have is the desire to be obedient to God. This is the only desire we need to have because the other desires in our hearts are already taken care of. Denial of self is freedom from useless anxiety.
We all have our worries and concerns. In a homily I heard in San Diego, I heard something that we must always be mindful of: Leave the past to God's mercy, Leave the future to God's providence, Leave the present to God's love. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. Take care and God Bless.
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