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He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever
wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and
follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save
it.” Mark 8:34–35
Practically speaking, how do we follow Jesus and save our souls? Is
it enough to profess that we believe in Jesus? If we were to arrive
at the conclusion that Jesus is God and the Savior of the World,
would we then be saved? Certainly not. Even the demons believe this
truth. Jesus is quite clear that salvation requires action on our
part. We must deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him.
Furthermore, the road to salvation requires that we lose ourselves
for the sake of Christ and the Gospel. What exactly does this mean,
practically speaking?
To answer this question, let’s first consider the way that many
people live. We tend to desire that which is the easiest in life,
the most enjoyable, the greatest, and the most consoling. We often
seek out those things that make us feel good and the path of least
resistance. For example, if you could choose to fast on bread and
water or feast on the most delicious foods, which would you choose?
If you could choose between a vacation in the most exotic and
luxurious location or a week of very difficult work, which would
you choose? If you could choose to drive a brand new, high-end car
or a very old beater, which one would you prefer? Most people would
quickly pick the nice food, luxurious vacation and fancy new
car.
In his spiritual classic, the Ascent to Mount Carmel, Saint
John of the Cross outlines a very different path. He gives a series
of spiritual maxims to use for prayer and meditation to help purify
your soul of every unhealthy attachment so that you can become more
fully attached to God and His holy will. St. John says, “Strive
always to prefer, not that which is easiest, but that which is most
difficult; Not that which is most attractive, but that which is
most unpleasant; Not that which gives most pleasure, but rather
that which gives least…” These spiritual maxims, when read in their
entirety, challenge us to the core of our being. They quickly
reveal to those who are honest that they often prefer the easiest,
most pleasant and best that this world has to offer. But what is
best for your eternal soul?
Jesus’ teaching, that we must deny ourselves, take up our cross,
and follow Him, is the road map to saving your eternal soul and to
discovering a spiritual fulfillment that far surpasses anything
this world or our flesh have to offer. But in order to understand
this road map and then to follow it, we often need to make a
“spiritual U-turn” so to speak. This U-turn begins with us choosing
the Cross on every level of our being and concludes with God
stripping away all selfish desires and replacing them with a desire
for sacrificial love.
If you were to carefully examine your thoughts throughout the day,
you might find that you think about yourself a lot. “I like this,
don’t want to do that, am angry about this, and am trying to avoid
that…” Very often, our thoughts begin with “I” and end with “me.”
Denying yourself, taking up your cross, and losing your life means
that you no longer think about yourself. It means that the eyes of
your soul have turned away from yourself and focus exclusively upon
the will of God and the love of others. But this will never be
possible until we are freed of the numerous selfish desires that
often direct most of our actions day in and day out.
Reflect, today, upon that which you desire throughout your day.
What occupies your thoughts the most? What are you drawn to the
most? Do you spend most of your day thinking about how you can
better serve God and His holy will? Or do you spend most of your
day thinking about yourself? Do the eyes of your soul most often
turn to the selfless service of others? Or do they more often think
about what you want in a selfish way? Reflect upon these difficult
questions and seek to eradicate everything within you that is
selfish. Doing so will enable you to make a spiritual U-turn so
that you can carry the glorious and transforming Cross of
Christ.
My sacrificial Lord, You lived a selfless life in which Your
only concerns were the glory of the Father in Heaven and the
salvation of the world. Please free me from all selfishness so that
I will be more able to deny myself in every way, run toward every
cross in life, and follow You into the beautiful life of selfless
and sacrificial love. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured image above: Jesus´ sermon on the mount, graphic
collage from engraving of Nazareene School, via Adobe
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