june 26, 2oo5

Take Up your Cross Mt 10:37-42

Jesus said to his apostles: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple-- amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."
There is no time for hesitation. There is nothing more important. To follow Jesus is the call. To leave behind all and pick up our cross to follow. The cross is total gift of self to God given freely. Anyone or anything that seems to be more urgent or important is not. The cross is not always easy to carry. To follow Jesus means to be united in suffering with Him also. This is a difficult part to accept. If I have truly found my life in Christ, I am willing to freely and completely give up my life in the service of God. If am at the point of total gift of self, then I have grown in a special way that gives me life in Christ no matter what earthly loss including loss of life that I might endure.