Reflections

“If you want to follow me, deny yourself.”In the gospel reading, Jesus invites us to deny our self, take up our cross, and follow him. This is the threefold character of dis­ cipleship. Discipleship in action is both rewarding and costly. It comprises of joy brought about by sharing in the life of Christ, but it also bears a measure or degree of suffering encountered along the way. In both joy and suffering one denies  the  self of personal gratifications and ambitions brought about by “a purely competitive view of life” (Brendan Byrne). The satisfaction of desires and the determination to achieve something present themselves attractively. They exert some power over the indi­ vidual to pursue them. Denying the self of them, resisting their pull, and fully embracing the consequent joy and suffering of following Jesus open up an op­ portunity to live life in its fullest and allow for the experience of the deepest human hope of living in communion with the loving God.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019