Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
The Word in other words
"Sure ka?" (Are you sure?) This is, today, a common question or expression to determine how convinced and committed one is in pursuing what one wants to do. Am I sure, really sure, that I wish to respond to Jesus' invitation to follow him? I may say that becoming a religious I have given my life for Jesus. How sure am I for this? Or I might say that I really want to give up everything for Jesus. What makes me so sure of this?
Following Jesus or becoming a Christian may be legally mine by virtue of my baptism, but it is something automatic. I want to claim the grace of work for it. In a similar way, becoming a real Christian- a follower of Jesus- does not happen just like that. I have to make it happen.
What do I need to do? First, I need to believe it. I need to believe that only Jesus suffices and nothing else. I need to believe it is possible to deny and to lose myself and that I can carry my cross. Second, I need to appropriate to myself the reality that, by my baptism, I ought to follow Jesus and that I ought to give my life for him and make hi the only treasure or possession I wish to have. Third, I must start working for what I believe. I must start denying and losing myself. I must begin carrying my cross. I must not exchange my life with anything except the life that Jesus has offered me. If you are sure of that, do it!
- Fr. Patricio R. delos Reyes, Jr., SVD (LVD Tacloban)
In honor of St. Cajetan, I would like to share this daily prayer with you.
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| St. Cajetan, Pray for us. |
Daily Prayer
O glorious St. Cajetan, you studied to be a lawyer, but when you felt that the Lord was calling you to his service, you abandoned everything and became a priest. You excelled in virtues, shunning all material rewards for your labor, helping the many unemployed people of your time. You provided loans without interest and you attracted a lot of benefactors who donated to your resources so that you could go on with your activities. Look on us with mercy. We wish to find employment that could help us and our families live with dignity. Listen to our petitions, dear saint; you, who could easily give up the food on your table for the needy, bring our petitions to Jesus (here make your request). Amen.
