Gospel LK 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 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?”
Jesus can't be any clearer about His destiny, and yet the disciples were still blindsided by His violent death and suprised by his resurrection. Their desire for things to be different was so strong that they could not accept the truth. We all do this. It's the truth that sets us free.
Interesting language in the second paragraph. To follow Jesus, we are called to deny ourselves and lose our lives - every day! I take this to mean that Jesus wants us to emerge from the shadow of our ego: our unhealthy thoughts, habits, attachments, even addictions. This is often a daily practice. He wants us to get our house in order and declutter our hearts so that the Holy Spirit can take up permanent residence. What do I have to clean up today?
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