Word to the Wise
Friday, August 11, 2023 - Friday in the 18th Week in Ordinary Time
[Deut 4:32-40 and Matt 16:24-28]"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?" [Matthew]
AUGUST 11 ST. CLARE
There is a popular expression that captures some of what Jesus is saying in today's passage from the Gospel According to Matthew: GET A LIFE! We use the word LIFE to mean many things from physical to emotional to spiritual, etc. In health care situations, the expression QUALITY OF LIFE can play a major role in treatment decisions. Another expression, LIFE EXPECTANCY can play into personal and economic decisions. The list can go on. Jesus is saying to us, GET A LIFE.
But what kind of life is he asking us to embrace? If we follow him, he tells us to expect to bear a cross. That part seems to cast a shadow! It is not just physical suffering that is involved here. It can be the challenge of being a faithful Christian, especially a Catholic one, in a culture as secular and consumer-oriented as ours is in the USA!
In the Gospel According to John, Jesus says that whoever believes in him as the one whom God has sent HAS eternal life. Eternal life doesn't just begin at death! Perhaps realizing this can help us deal with the mystery of the cross. A "cross-free life" is a fantasy. But if we find its mystery in our efforts to be faithful, we will find ourselves truly following him. We cannot always "choose" our crosses, but we can choose to use them to "get a life." AMEN