Today’s scene opens with Jesus praying alone. Luke presents Jesus as praying before all the important events of his life. Maybe there are some who wonder why Jesus, if he was the Son of God, had to pray. Who did he pray to? What did he pray about? These questions might be a hint that we have a limited concept of what prayer is about. Prayer is primarily being in communication with God. It involves both listening and speaking. In some of the deepest forms of prayer, nothing at all is said. One is just bathed in the all-surrounding presence of God.
It is to our best advantage to open ourselves totally to those transcendent values which the Gospel presents to us. And to take up our cross every day is not to go out of our way looking for pain and trouble. That would be a very unhealthy way of behaving. It means accepting what comes into our life and positively and constructively seeing God’s love and grace in every experience, even the most painful.
Anyone who actively lives out the way of life proposed to us by Jesus is almost certain to run into opposition, to rejection and even contempt. But, in the words of Paul who had his own full share of crosses, “Everything works together for good to those who love God.”
Do we want to experience Jesus? Do we want to experience his peace, his love, his joy, his forgiveness, his healing? Clearly, Jesus indicates in today’s Gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” That means we must be willing to have less space for ourselves, so that there can be more space for Jesus. Even the law of natural and physical science teaches that no two entities can occupy the same space at the same time. Faith which is required in our relationship with Jesus is not so much a matter of reaching out to Jesus as it is a matter of opening to him, opening to what he wants, what he wills.
Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” We reflect on these familiar words of Jesus in reverse:
Follow me – this is the main and absolute objective of discipleship. It is not to be an admirer and a member of Jesus’ fans club. It is to be identified with Jesus―his mission, his teachings, his values.
Take up your Cross – the trademark of Jesus is the Cross, no Cross, no Christ.
Deny self – We cannot be like Jesus if we cannot empty ourselves of many things: sin, pride, worldliness, a logic that follows the reasoning of success in the world. Rather we think and do what gives us treasures in heaven.
Fr Lito Layug
It is to our best advantage to open ourselves totally to those transcendent values which the Gospel presents to us. And to take up our cross every day is not to go out of our way looking for pain and trouble. That would be a very unhealthy way of behaving. It means accepting what comes into our life and positively and constructively seeing God’s love and grace in every experience, even the most painful.
Anyone who actively lives out the way of life proposed to us by Jesus is almost certain to run into opposition, to rejection and even contempt. But, in the words of Paul who had his own full share of crosses, “Everything works together for good to those who love God.”
Do we want to experience Jesus? Do we want to experience his peace, his love, his joy, his forgiveness, his healing? Clearly, Jesus indicates in today’s Gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” That means we must be willing to have less space for ourselves, so that there can be more space for Jesus. Even the law of natural and physical science teaches that no two entities can occupy the same space at the same time. Faith which is required in our relationship with Jesus is not so much a matter of reaching out to Jesus as it is a matter of opening to him, opening to what he wants, what he wills.
Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” We reflect on these familiar words of Jesus in reverse:
Follow me – this is the main and absolute objective of discipleship. It is not to be an admirer and a member of Jesus’ fans club. It is to be identified with Jesus―his mission, his teachings, his values.
Take up your Cross – the trademark of Jesus is the Cross, no Cross, no Christ.
Deny self – We cannot be like Jesus if we cannot empty ourselves of many things: sin, pride, worldliness, a logic that follows the reasoning of success in the world. Rather we think and do what gives us treasures in heaven.
Fr Lito Layug
