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Feb 10, 2005

Feb 10, 2005 Feast of St. Scholastica Lk 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 success truly? What is there in this world that I truly desire? "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it" What does this mean? I think that part of a real and lasting joy in this life is to deny the self. At the point when the world does not revolve around me, there is an opening of the heart to the joys of life along with the sorrows. It is a genuine lifting up. It is a burden to be selfish and self centered. I can come to be my true self by unselfishly giving and accepting the "cross" or struggle of what daily sacrifice is truly needed at the time. Being willing to let go of the "me first" attitude actually saves the integrity of who I am and keeps me from getting lost in the worldly distractions. Things are never as important as people. My personal agenda and plans for the day must give way to the true needs of others as I encounter them. It is simple to say but not always easy to live yet it does seem to be always rewarding at the end of the day.