From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone wants to become my follower, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For he who wants to save his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gain the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what will he give in return for his life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to put behind me anything that keeps me from carrying your cross. You have given me the gifts of faith and hope, which give meaning to the Cross; and the gift of love, which allows me to accept it fully, positively, actively, though it may be costly. Just like you in Gethsemane. 

Petition: Give me the strength to unconditionally carry my cross so that I may be your tireless apostle.

1. You are setting your mind on human things. The mission that God has given us of spreading his Kingdom, being salt and light for the world, is supernatural. It is not the fruit of human will or calculation but of Gods decision. God did not make us for this world but for eternity. Our heart is restless, until it rests in you, writes St. Augustine. To set ones mind on human things and to see things in the eyes of man means lowering our sights and minimizing Gods plan for us. While God has great things in mind for us, we too often we balk at the cost, the cross; we come short  and think the cross is to be avoided, we do not see beyond the human side of it. We shun the very thing that can bring us life.

2. If anyone wishes to come after me Salvation only comes through the cross. Suffering and difficulty are inherent to human life, they become redeeming crosses only when we accept and seek them out of love for Christ. Each of our crosses is particular and nontransferable, and for each of us it is the means we have of following Christ. Meaning in our lives comes from the cross. It is in carrying our cross where we truly encounter and experience Christ. Many times we would choose the easy road, but Christ invites us to enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. And the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7, 13-14). This is the path Christ chose to follow, and so if we want to follow in his footsteps we must travel the same road. Other paths may humanly make more sense, but in redemption it is Gods way that counts, not mans.

3. He who loses his life for my sake will find it. This is Christs promise, Christ gives life. What else could possibly matter? In Ecclesiastes we read: Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever (Ecclesiastes 1, 2-4). Christ gives a meaning and purpose to everything in life that is of its nature so passing, not only to its good moments but even to what is humanly its most disheartening and stark reality: the presence of suffering. For his followers, there is always resurrection after death; death never has the final word. Nor is this life the final word, this life cannot give us the happiness and fullness which alone can satisfy us for all eternity. Some privileged souls gave their lives literally for Christ, his martyrs who chose physical death rather than betray him. Theirs is the red martyrdom of blood. Most of us have to live the white martyrdom of giving our lives in service to Christ in others, living Christian charity to the full in the ordinary details of an ordinary life. But it must be for his sake. Love for Christ is the key to eternal life. The only thing that remains when this life is over is what we have done for others out of love for him. 

Conversation: Lord Jesus, I want to carry my cross, because I believe that my cross is my means to salvation. Help me to do so with faith and not to be discouraged by the difficulties I face. I trust in the cross that you have given me, Lord. Help me to love my cross, my means to my salvation.

Questionnaire:

1. Is my approach to life and the way I judge things according to God or according to man? Do I have an entirely Christian outlook on life?

2. What is my attitude towards the difficulties I face in life, are they tragedies or opportunities?

3. What application does dying to myself have in my life?