"If you want to follow me, deny yourself"

Denying oneself means choosing to put God's will and the needs of others before one's own desires and ambitions.

It's about dying to one's selfishness and pride, and embracing humility and service.

 

St. Dominic, priest

"We must sow the seed,not hoard it. “

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Deuteronomy 4:32-40

Ask of the times past.

Inquire from the day when God created man on earth. Ask from one end of the world to the other:

Has there ever been anything as extraordinary as this? Has anything like this been heard of before?

Has there ever been a people who remained alive after hearing as you did the voice of the living God from the midst of the fire?

 

Never has there been a God who went out to look for a people

and take them out from among the other nations by the strength of trials and signs,

by wonders and by war, with a firm hand and an outstretched arm. Never has there been

any deed as tremendous as those done for you by the Lord in Egypt, which you saw with your own eyes.

 

You saw this that you might know that the Lord is God and that there is no other besides him.

He let you hear his voice from heaven that you might fear him;

on earth he let you see his blazing fire and from the midst of the fire you heard his word.

 

Because of the love he had for your fathers, he chose their descendants after them,

and he himself made you leave Egypt with his great power.

He expelled before you people more numerous and stronger than you, and he has made you occupy their land:

today he has given this to you as an inheritance. Therefore,

try to be convinced that the Lord is the only God of heaven and earth, and that there is no other.

Observe the laws and the commandments that I command you today and everything

will be well with you and your children after you. So you will live long in the land which the Lord, your God, gives you forever."

 

 

Ps 77:12-13, 14-15, 16 & 21

I remember the deeds of the Lord.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 16:24-28

Then 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 his soul? Or what can a person give, in exchange for his life?

 

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 standing here who will not taste death, before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"If you want to follow me, deny yourself."

 The spiritual life has different phases, and if we persevere,

our faith deepens and our understanding of what is most important becomes more acute.

This happened in the life of Saint Dominic,

the great preacher and teacher of the Catholic faith and founder of the Order of Preachers or the Dominicans.

While Scripture, study and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament remained essential to Saint Dominic's prayer,

in later life, the crucifix became central to his meditation, since it stirred his devotion and his love of God.

 

Meditating with the crucifix highlighted the personal side of faith, as faith is not only content,

but also commitment and love. Looking upon the cross, like Dominic, we can meditate upon Christ's sacrifice for us,

and ask ourselves what we are willing to sacrifice for him.

"If you want to follow me, deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me."

 

The cross of Christ presents us with the stark question: do we want to live for Christ and for others,

or for ourselves alone? Saint Dominic developed a deep,

personal devotion to Christ which shaped his life and ministry.

That personal devotion is necessary to keep shouldering the cross of loving sacrifice.