Lenten Reflections

Click here for the daily readings

By Natalie Bender ’23

"If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” — Luke 9:23-24

This Gospel passage challenges all who seek the Lord to participate daily in two uncomfortable activities: denying oneself and taking up one’s cross. Jesus requires these actions of every Christian, but it is not always easy for us to discern what they mean in our own lives.

Firstly, what does it mean to deny oneself? Christian self-denial is the continual subjection of one’s own will and desires to God’s will. This does not mean that we should never do anything we want to do, but it does mean that we should make frequent, conscious sacrifices of things we enjoy, even though they may not be sinful, and offer these sacrifices to God in thanksgiving for His blessings and in reparation for sins. If we go through a given day without once acting contrary to our pleasure-driven wills, we are not following our Lord’s admonition to deny ourselves daily and follow Him.

Secondly, what does it mean to take up one’s cross? This requirement of the Christian life consists of fulfilling the obligations of one’s station in life (father, sister, student, professor, etc.) to the best of one’s abilities and without complaining. How often do we merit a spiritual reward by doing a dull task well only to squander this opportunity for grace by complaining about it!

The Christian life is not a game or a hobby; it is a difficult, life-long battle for the salvation of our souls. If we wish to enjoy the bliss of heaven which Christ won for us through his unimaginably great sufferings on the cross, we, the beneficiaries of His agony, must be willing to make sacrifices ourselves to combat the vices of the world and render our hearts more receptive to His grace. Athletes who are training to win a competition don’t take shortcuts and neither do saints. Since Jesus tells us that “whoever loses his life for my sake will save it,” our sacrifices are redemptive if we receive them with loving hearts. Let us pray for the grace to surrender our lives, possessions, and reputations to God in order to keep our eyes fixed on the prize of heavenly glory.