Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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.”
Following Jesus Christ
1) “Come after me”. Following Jesus means that He is the center of your life, He is your role model. If you are following Him, it’s because he has led the way, and still does. This implies that you will go through different situations just like Him. You have been called to proclaim and to live in truth. You know that you will witness miracles. But if you follow Jesus, it also implies that the Cross will be present in your life, that you might suffer your friends’ betrayal and that many things will hurt you. But remember that if you follow Jesus, it’s because you’re going to live, to resurrect. It’s not only the Cross and the Passion, but also Resurrection, new life.
2) Saving and losing. You have to lose something to be saved, you can’t have everything in life. Life is marked by renouncements, and that demands giving something up. It’s losing something to find salvation. There are things that you must sacrifice to save yourself and others. Perhaps you must give up some whim to spend more time with your children and your spouse. Or for example, you might pass up a trip or a party to save your family or your job, or to find inner peace. Finding and keeping your inner peace is essential. Are you willing to lose something to save yourself? Or do you want everything in life?
3) Actions: ‘Show me how you live, and I’ll tell you what you think.’ That’s a phrase that has resonated with me for a long time. Your actions identify you. Nowadays, we are so immersed in noise and words that we really need to see actions, concluded works. And I’m not referring to politicians whom we complain about because they talk a lot and do very little, I’m referring to you and me. We should no longer speak so much, we should act and work in silence instead. Because it is not a question of doing something and telling everyone about every tiny action we do. Let us work in silence. Actions speak louder than words – words get carried away by the wind.
May God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And don’t forget, Heaven is our goal!
