Friday, August 9, 2002
18th Week in Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Nh 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7
Gospel: Mt 16:24-28
Jesus
said to his disciples, "If you want to follow me, deny yourself,
take up your cross and follow me. For whoever chooses to save his life
will lose it, but the one who loses his life for my sake will find it.
What will one gain by winning the whole world if he destroys himself?
There is nothing you can give to recover your own self.
Know that the Son of Man will come in the Glory of his Father with the
holy angels, and he will reward each one according to his deeds. Truly,
I tell you, there are some here who will not die before they see the Son
of Man coming as king."
Commentary
Our own "ego" is the oldest, biggest, heaviest and most radical obstacle to our life of freedom, gentle humanity and durable happiness. Though it seems a contradiction, our "ego" with all its masks and defenses is our most serious enemy. Following Jesus, taking any cross will be easy if first we "renounce ourselves." Jesus doesn't ask us to renounce any aspect of our humanity, but to break free from the protective shield that prevents us from walking or even breathing. When we focus in "having" possessions, name, titles or whatever and not focus on "being," we stop any possible growth. It is funny, we spend the first forty years of our life building up a strong ego, just to realize that the way to happiness and freedom is to deny ourselves, to minimize the ego.