by Br. Nicholas Hejka, O.S.B.

      In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus teaches, “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 will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).  Jesus generously and selflessly gave Himself to do the Father’s will, so we must do the same if we want to follow Him.  We will only find life if we give ourselves to God and others according to His will.  If we know God is asking something of us, but we hold back or turn away because it will be difficult, uncomfortable, or painful, we think we are preserving our life, but we are really letting it slip away.

     When we live for ourselves, guided by our selfish fallen nature rather than God’s will, we may get what we think we want.  However, without the Lord, it will inevitably lead to emptiness and dissatisfaction.  Only God, in His infinite goodness and wisdom, wills what is truly best for us, both individually and together with others.  The life that God wills for us is abundant and overflowing with good things, even with all of its challenges and sufferings, because it is a life in Him and united with Him (who is the source of all goodness and life).  Our limited perspective is often mistaken, and our fallen nature makes us prone to a lack of moderation.  Therefore, we often fail to see things as beneficial for us because of the suffering or sacrifice involved, except in hindsight.  In contrast, God sees things as they truly are and knows what is truly best for us.  Therefore, we must trust in His love for us, confident that He works all things for our greatest good.  This faith empowers us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice of gratitude, love, and praise for God.

     As Saint Paul writes in the Second Reading (Romans 12:1-2), this offering of ourselves is a form of worship, and God uses the struggles of this life to transform us in conformity with His will.  In order to live this way, we must approach each moment purposefully and keep God as our focus.  Like the Psalmist in the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9) and Jeremiah in the First Reading (Jeremiah 20:7-9), it is because we thirst for God, seek Him, and cling to Him in love that we can face anything in doing God’s will.

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