Every Day…
“Then Jesus said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’”
Luke 9:23
The three Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – all have this declaration from Jesus with mostly trivial wording differences between the three, however, in Luke’s Gospel, there is a significant difference. An adverb, “daily,” is inserted that the other two Gospels do not have, recognizing that the charge from Jesus to take up the Cross and follow Him is meant to be a daily occurrence.
Thank goodness Jesus is speaking metaphorically, but that does not mean that the daily task of “taking up our cross” is not painful and hard! This dying of self — denying oneself — is difficult and, most days, is downright impossible … at least it is for me. Sometimes, it means stepping aside from our agendas for the benefit of family and friends or acquiescing to the needs of colleagues at work. Sometimes, it means keeping our mouths shut and, instead, listening when we hear something that we disagree about or volunteering to manage tasks we would rather not add to our list of responsibilities. Yet, it always results in “dying to self.”
As we draw closer to the end of the Easter season, I want to return to a theme I introduced in a Daily Word published at the beginning of this season. We can only attempt to embrace this idea of dying to self because of the Paschal mystery. The Cross is not the last answer, carrying it or even dying on it, is not the end. It is this rhythm of suffering, dying and then rising to a new life that can ease the challenge of denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily to follow Jesus. This rhythm is seen throughout creation, from the dying star that explodes to create the raw materials from which new planets are formed or the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies to bear much fruit (John 12:24).
And the rhythm of the Paschal mystery is experienced throughout our lives as we die in infancy and rise to first childhood and later to adulthood. It is lived as we suffer disappointment or unfulfilled dreams so that a new vision and purpose may rise. And in our last days on Earth because we have been practicing this holy rhythm of suffering, dying, and rising all our lives, we can confidently breathe our last breath knowing that we will rise in that Heavenly Kingdom of our Father in Heaven.
“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:57) Through this Paschal mystery sanctified by our Lord, we rise to life each day as well as at the end of our life here on earth.
Thanks be to God! Alleluia, alleluia!
