Dear Friends in Christ,
On this Labor Day weekend, we reflect upon the passage of time and the traditional end of Summer. This week’s gospel reading gives us much to pray and think about in our lives of faith.
In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus gives His friends troubling news about Christian discipleship. He is clear that “whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Jesus gives these conditions aware that He will endure the Cross Himself in the act of redemption. In essence, Jesus tells us that when we follow Him our lives look like His.
But, how do we experience the Cross in our everyday existence? The answer is in a variety of ways…illness, loss, disability, emotional or mental pain, addiction, poverty, doubt, difficulties with aging, uncertainty, etc. These issues just listed are often aspects of life beyond our control. Yet, Jesus freely embraced the Cross to fulfill the Father’s will. Some crosses are freely chosen by us such as charitable actions which require sacrifice. Such sacrifices, when chosen in faith, remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary. These sacrifices do not “feel good”, require patience and perseverance and often are repetitive.
In the gospel, Jesus also explains that when we seek to preserve our lives on earth we may “lose” them in eternity. This means that our refusals to act charitably and to act in faith and love are selfish. Such selfishness hurts others and does not well prepare us for our eventual judgment. Jesus is clear that in “losing” ourselves in charitable acts we find eternal life in God. The message of the Cross is foreign to our modern world. Without faith, very few today understand the meaning and nature of sacrifice. As Christians, we are challenged to live this message and teach new
generations about it. We remember that when we consciously join our sufferings to the sufferings of Christ they become redemptive and may be offered to God for a greater good.
May we often take time to reflect upon Our Savior’s death for us and in this way grow in faith, hope and love.
In Christ,
Fr. Michael