Embracing the Cross to Find Life

March 06, 2025 Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Daily Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Luke 9:22-25
 

As we begin the sacred season of Lent, the ashes placed on our foreheads remind us of a forty-day journey, a path that mirrors the one Jesus Himself walked. In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents us with two routes: His own Way of the Cross and the path we must take in following Him.

Jesus’ journey is marked by suffering, death, and ultimately, glory. He proclaims, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected, killed, and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22). His Way of the Cross is not merely one of pain but of obedience to the Father’s will and triumph through resurrection.

Jesus tells us clearly: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). To follow Christ means embracing three essential elements:

Self-denial

The daily bearing of our cross

Faithful discipleship

Without self-denial, we risk clinging to a life that ultimately slips away. Yet, paradoxically, by losing our lives for Christ’s sake, we find true life.

Jesus challenges us with a profound question: “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25). These words transformed the life of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, stirring his heart toward conversion when he wondered: “What if I lived as Saint Francis and Saint Dominic did?”

This Lent, may the same words lead us to genuine conversion. Let us walk the path of Christ, embracing our crosses daily, so that through suffering and self-denial, we may share in the joy of His resurrection.

Call to Action for Catholic Living: Let us accept life’s challenges with faith and trust in God’s plan. Whatever our cross may be—pain, loss, or struggle—let us carry it with courage, knowing that Christ walks with us.