Losing Life To Find It

 

 Luke 9: 22-25

Take Up Your Cross

²² And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

Apparent contradictions:  losing life to find it, gaining the whole world and losing one's soul.  What profit is there in the things that glitter or promise false happiness?  This Gospel passage has a rightful place at the beginning of Lent when we are sorting through the baggage that has accumulated in our thinking, in our prayer life, in our service to others:.  St. Katherine Drexel gave up her promising life as a married socialite as well as her great wealth to help educate Native Americans and Blacks.  She saw the wisdom in these contradictions, helped millions and became a saint.  We may not be able to accomplish as much as she did but in some small way today what can we do to show Jesus that we are next to Jesus carrying his cross and serving others?

Bro. Rene