Losing our sense of the divine

Sisters and brothers in Christ, we have lost our sense of the divine when we cling on to things of this life, and of this temporal world, at the price of eternal life and the salvation of our souls. Jesus tells us this in today's Gospel, saying: "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?" We owe everything to God - our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sanctifier - including our lives, and yet we our focus is not on Him but on the things of this world.

Jesus gives us a roadmap that is quite simple. First, we must deny ourselves worldly allurements that distracts us, leads us astray from God's path for our lives, and clouds our vision of heaven and eternal life. Second, we must take up our cross, bearing the burdens of this life with supernatural joy and peace that can only come from being united with God. We can do this by the grace of God but only when we keep our eyes fixed on Him and foster a relationship with Jesus by going to Mass, praying, and worthily receiving the Lord in the Eucharist. Finally, we must follow Christ. For us to follow him with all our heart, mind, and soul, we must be able to do steps 1 and 2, which are so often stumbling blocks for us all.

However, all journey begins with taking that initial step. Let that first step be towards our Lord and our God, and we will find that He is there to hold our hands and lead us on the path to salvation.

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Gospel of the Day

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 each 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.”