Let us follow Jesus with all our love and with all our heart
“Jesus said to everyone, ‘If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’” (Lucas 9.23).
Jesus is telling everyone who wants to follow Him that they need to enter into the discipline of the Gospel. And following Jesus means going after Him, truly becoming His disciple. And being a disciple of Him is demanding, it is not enough to say that you were baptized, go to Mass on Sundays, carry a cross on your chest, have a medal of Our Lady, because these are just adornments.
To follow Jesus it is necessary to enter into the discipline of the Gospel. The first is the ability to renounce, but to renounce oneself. Because we are very full of ourselves: our will, our desire, our pride and selfishness. It is usually in the singular “mine” willing; what “I” I want.
The unpleasantness of human life, of family and marital relationships, between friends, of relationships in the house of God, happens because of the unpleasantness of the “I”, for always being ahead of us.
To follow Jesus, school is not just for one person, school is for all of God’s children. So, if I am not able to overcome my selfishness, my tendency towards individualism, I will not be able to follow Jesus with all my heart.
“Whoever wants to follow Me must take up their cross every day.” Jesus carried His cross and we carry ours. I carry my daily cross, you carry yours daily.
And life is a cross, a via crucis, and we need to purify the understanding of the meaning of the cross. Christ carried His cross, His tree which, for some, represented the curse, but it saved us. Embracing my daily cross is embracing my salvation.
There are times when the cross is heavy and we don’t have the strength. Jesus had help to carry the cross and, too, we need help and to help each other. What we cannot do is abandon and deny our cross, curse it.
We often need to deal with our own limits of the human condition, health, financial, limits of adverse situations. Deal with all of this and with an evangelical spirit. When you feel heavy and can’t handle it, don’t isolate yourself. Stay united with God and with His grace, as brothers who need to help each other carry their daily cross.
But follow Jesus with all your heart and with all your love. Do not be deceived by false paths, for He is our Master. Renouncing ourselves, embracing our cross, we will go after our Divine Savior.
God bless you!