Near the end of today’s gospel Jesus says, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:18-24) In short, action speaks louder than words. To be an authentic follower of Jesus, we must be willing to make sacrifices for God and one another. At Mass after the gifts and collection are brought forward, we are reminded of this. The priest invites us to “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.” So we should ask ourselves, “What sacrifices have I made this week? Have I given God adequate time with prayer. Have I used my talents to benefit my family and given them the time and attention they need? Have I sacrificed some of my treasure to help the poor, the needy, and the parish, or have I just given a little of my surplus?” The way we answer these questions will show whether we “walk the walk or just talk the talk” about following Jesus. Hopefully, we are doing both.
- Fr. Carl
“Alas! O my God, if there are so few to bear the Cross,
there will only be few to adore thee in eternity.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars
