"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."
Mt 16:24
What does the cross look like in our lives? On occasion, we might point to a discomfort in life and say, "well that's just the cross I carry", but should it be the cross we focus on?
Jesus Christ carried a wooden beamed cross, that I can only imagine was extremely heavy, but His cross is more that the act of walking down the Via Dolorosa to Calvary. The cross that Jesus carried was the weight of our sins, the weight of our imperfections and short comings. He carried the weight of our unkind thoughts and actions, and freely gave up His life, without expecting anything in return, so that we might have ever lasting life with Him.
In today's Gospel, Jesus says, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." What if instead of making our cross those things we find uncomfortable, we turned everything over to the Lord, strived to live a better life than the day before, and resolved to trust that no matter the burden or weight we are under, Jesus is there carrying the cross with us?
Can we strive to live each day better than the one before?
Lord Jesus, we offer you our crosses for ourselves, and for all those who are suffering.
Today's reflection was written by...
Deacon Drew Woodke
Did you know...
Deacon Drew Woodke is a transitional deacon for the Diocese of St. Petersburg. He is an avid fan of the Bucs, Bolts, Rays and Gators. God-willing, Deacon Drew will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, August 15, 2020.
Pray with us for the men and women discerning the priesthood and religious life. To pray for our seminarians by name or to find out more about the Diocese of St. Petersburg vocations office, click here.
