In today’s first reading, the book of Deuteronomy speaks to us that obedience to God will bring life. God in His unconditional love and mercy created us and gave us the gift of free will which no other being has. He does not force us to do anything. Using our free will, we should choose His ways. However, many of us are still living a life of worries, depression and enslavement. We are unable to experience the fullness of life which God has gifted us with simply because of our disobedience to Him. When we disobey Him, we suffer the consequences of it and lose the fruits of Holiness. The choice is in our hands. God with his mercy, guides us and instructs us in the way we should walk.

In today’s Gospel proclamation, our Lord Jesus speaks about His passion and death. We all should walk through the experience of pain, suffering, rejection and death. However, by nature most of the time we do not like to go through suffering or pain and try to avoid it.

The Lord Jesus had a purpose for His life. That was to fulfill the will of His Father. He lived for this purpose alone and was ready to go through suffering, rejection, pain and even death. It was clear to Him that the result of His response to His Father in heaven would be resurrection from death. It is with this promise that the Lord Jesus challenges us “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

The One who gave us life has a purpose and hope for it. We need to live our lives fulfilling that purpose and hope. We generally ignore this purpose, live our life according to our own plans and become stressed. This way of life of tiring ourselves to avoid suffering and rejection causes us more misery. Our lives are often centered on our own selves. To save our life let us lose it. Let us deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him. Whenever we take a decision, if we choose His will instead of ours, that is when we deny ourselves; take up His cross and move forward.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the power and strength to seek your will and to submit to it. Amen