Thursday after Ash Wednesday
As we continue our first steps in this penitential season, we are confronted with the words of Our Lord which call us to penance and mortification: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Jesus does not hide the difficulty of his call from his followers. He is going to face the cross, and if we walk in His footsteps, we will find ourselves on the way of the cross. Yet, just as for the Son of Man this way of the cross is what precedes the resurrection, so too for us. To walk this way of the cross with Our Lord is to take the steps that lead truly to the resurrection. As Moses says, “Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you…” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) Life is found in holding fast to the LORD. When our Lord embraces the cross for us, to hold fast to him will bring us into contact with the cross as well. Our sacrifices which reveal to us our weakness and need can, in fact, put us in contact with Christ who made himself weak for our sakes. When we walk the path of love, seeking to serves those in need, it will be difficult, it will entail burdens, we will feel the cross; and in fact in that very way we will share with Christ what He felt for our sakes. “...holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you…”
Again let us ask the Lord for a focus on Him this Lent. Let us embrace our cross as a means to focus more on Christ Crucified. Let us trust in the promise that our following Him will indeed mean life for us. Let us choose life!