Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 8, 34. 9, 1
Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
“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
and that of the Gospel will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
What could one give in exchange for his life?
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words
in this faithless and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of
when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
He also said to them,
“Amen, I say to you,
there are some standing here who will not taste death
until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power.”
The Christian process
1) Take up your cross. That is the first stage of your life: taking up your cross and knowing that is where your redemption is. Take it up and don’t dodge it. It’s easy to evade the cross or choose a cross of the size you prefer. Pay attention to your own cross and don’t worry about the imaginary crosses you make for yourself – don’t get carried away by your imagination or overwhelmed by your numerous problems.
2) Renouncing. By this I mean self-renunciation, giving up your personal whims, abandoning the desire to always look good before others. We have to forsake certain things in life considering other people and relationships. Live your life step by step.
3) Follow him. Accept your cross and follow Jesus. I know it’s difficult. But those who follow him see wonderful things and their life becomes wonderful as well! Following Jesus doesn’t only mean taking up one’s cross, but also resurrecting afterwards, just as He did. That way you can be an example to others. Show the cross that you bear, but by being resurrected, you are showing that you live with God in your heart.
Remember that something good is on the way! God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
