Then he 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 9:23-25
This passage occurs after Jesus has fed the multitudes with five loaves and two fishes—He is praying and tells His disciples what is to befall Him: His trial, crucifixion, and resurrection from the dead. This verse is deceptively simple: If you wish to follow me, you must let go of selfishness, pick up your cross, and come with me. He then presents the Apostles with a paradox: in order to save your life, you must lose it. Those who put worldly things in front of heavenly things will find, in the end, they have lost everything, while those who renounce the world and give their life to Christ will be rewarded with everlasting life. The message is plain, straight-forward, and easily understood. We know what we are called to do and what we must do - but so often we forget or ignore this fundamental charge of Christianity. Perhaps, in this penitential season of Lent, we can, with the aid of prayer and reflection, strive to pick up the cross that Jesus asks us to bear.
Diana Doswell (2011)
