Reading
Luke 9:22-25
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?
Meditation
In that "must" (v. 22) with which Jesus refers to his passion contains God's plan of salvation for humanity, which will take place with his death and resurrection. Jesus addresses "whoever" (v. 23), with a universal invitation to follow him, denying oneself, to find one's life in God.
The evangelical paradox is precisely this: to the extent that we give ourselves, our existence is enriched with meaning. Every day (v. 23) in which we die to ourselves to make room for the Spirit who renews us and makes us instruments of grace is a day that has passed well.
If we are not all called to bear witness to Christ to the point of martyrdom, certainly no one can be his disciple without obeying his commandments, placing himself at the service of his neighbor, and bearing witness to his name at the opportune and inopportune time (2 Tim 4:2). Only in this way will we be able to say with Jesus "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again." (Jn 10:17).
The world goes in the complete opposite direction: it pushes us to a bulimic desire for appropriation and prevarication that never satiates our deepest needs. But Jesus does not put us on the cross against our will, he appeals to our freedom.
The final goal of the following of Christ is the resurrection; the cross then becomes no more an instrument of torture, but the way of access to a transfigured humanity, which has regained its image and likeness to God.
Prayer
Give us, o Lord, the courage to generously place ourselves at your service and that of our neighbor; so that by renouncing ourselves we can find you, who are the author of all good. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
