"Whoever wishes to come after me..."

This weekend's readings speak about the tough part of being a follower of Jesus Christ. It is all too easy to get caught up in what is called the "prosperity Gospel," where we convince ourselves that if we follow God perfectly everything will be perfect and we will experience no suffering or pain. However, the lives of the saints and of the Savior Himself show us that this simply is not true.

In the first reading we hear from the prophet Jeremiah, who says "You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped." He is complaining because he seemed to think that all would be well if he just followed the Lord. And yet, he says, "All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me." For, the Lord's message at the time was a difficult one, one that no one wanted to hear because they refused to believe. And yet, Jeremiah's prophesies would come true, and the people would indeed suffer as he predicted. But in being faithful, Jeremiah experience much hardship.

In the second reading, St. Paul encourages the people of Rome to "not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect." In this, Paul is calling them (and us) to be different, to point to a reality that cannot be seen, to an age that has not yet dawned. And the implication is that doing this will cause suffering and be difficult for those who follow Christ.

But none of this should be a surprise to any of us. Christ Himself says in the Gospel reading: "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." This does not sound like an easy, comfortable life that Jesus is suggesting. In fact, he is telling us that following him will involve hardship; we will need to bear our own crosses and participate in the Paschal Mystery in our own ways in our lives, both large and small.

So, as we move forward in this week, let us pray that we may have an increase in faith! Most especially, let us pray that our faith may grow in its ability to endure hardship. For, hardship is not a failure of faith or of trust, nor is it always a result of our sin; no, it is something that was foreseen and promised by our Lord! May each of us have the grace and strength to endure, for if we wish to follow after Jesus, we must be willing to take up our crosses... just as he did.

Want to prepare your heart and mind for Mass this weekend? Click here to find the readings for this Sunday's Mass.