Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 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?”

What is the use of gaining the whole world, if you do not have what makes you happy?

1) Suffer, be rejected and condemned. Jesus is aware of where He is, who He is, and what his objective is. It is true that we all go through hard, difficult moments, but it is crucial to know who we are and where we are going. If everything is clear, you can face the obstacles with God’s help because nothing will bring you down, and if you fall, you will be able to stand on your feet again. If you’re not clear about who you are and what you’re aiming at, you will encounter suffering and you will feel crushed. This will bring frustration and pain.

2) Take up your cross and follow Him. Take what makes you suffer and carry it on your shoulders. It is a matter of picking up the cross and carrying it, not dragging it. Follow Jesus with your cross, with your spiritual poverty, your misfortunes, your meanness, and your pains. To follow Jesus, you don’t need to be nice and clean and resurrected – follow him just as you are, and He will resurrect you.

3) Find your happiness. Look for your happiness; it is a path, not a destination. You must fight each day to be happy; there are days when everything seems clear, and others when you cannot see anything. Take up your cross during Lent so we can resurrect together.

God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Remember that something good is on the way!