He Must Deny Himself

Hi! and happy TGIF to all of us, GUYS.  Our "daily bread" this Friday:

THE GOOD NEWS (17 February 2017)

"Then JESUS called the people and HIS disciples and said, 'If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.  For if you choose to save your life, you will lose it; and if you lose your life for MY sake and for the sake of the Gospel, you will save it.

What good is it to gain the whole world but destroy yourself?  There is nothing you can give to recover your life." - Mark 8:34-37 

(It is necessary to lose oneself:

- to lose oneself like Abraham, who in his old age went to strange lands;

- to lose oneself like Moses, who agreed to be the leader of an irresponsible people;

- to lose oneself like Mary, who entered a path wherein no one could understand or help her;

- to rid oneself of this temporary existence so as to be reborn of GOD, like Ignatius the martyr.  Condemned to be eaten by lions, he said, "I am the wheat of GOD; may I be ground by the teeth of wild animals to be converted into the pure bread of CHRIST.  My passions are crucified in me; there is no carnal fire that can burn me; a fountain has sprouted in me that murmurs and speaks from within: come to the FATHER."

Take up your cross.  JESUS tells us that to follow HIM is to follow the same path that took HIM to the cross.  To reach maturity it is necessary to renounce our life; in other words, we must risk ourselves for something noble instead of being concerned about our own future, we must find a life-style that will help us excel in the way of love; and we must accept that our life may be a failure according to others' way of thinking [Luke 17:33; John 12:23-25].

Taking up our cross by accepting freely the sacrifices that the FATHER sends each day, we receive from that moment something even more profound happiness [Mark 10:30].

Think of what JESUS says: from ME, for ME, and not: from GOD, for GOD.  For GOD has come in the person of JESUS to knock on our door and to propose to us very specific commitments.)

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