First Reading (Deuteronomy 30,15-20)
Reading of the Book of Deuteronomy.
Moses spoke to the people, saying: “See that today I set before you life and happiness, death and misfortune. If you obey the precepts of the Lord your God, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, following his ways and keeping his commandments, his laws and his decrees, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land where you are going to enter to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you do not want to listen, and If, allowing yourself to be carried away by error, you worship strange gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you will certainly perish. You will not live long in the land where you are going to enter, after crossing the Jordan, to occupy it. I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. obey his voice and cling to him so that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Gospel (Luke 9,22-25)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly, be rejected by the elders, the high priests and teachers of the Law, he must be killed and rise again on the third day.” Then Jesus said to everyone: “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what good is it for a man to gain the whole world if he loses himself and destroys himself?”
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Imagine yourself at a crossroads. In front of you, two paths open up. One of them looks inviting, spacious, seemingly easy to navigate. The other is narrow, rocky, rising up a steep slope. Which would you choose?
This image of the crossroads, of the choice between two different paths, is at the heart of the readings we have just heard. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses presents the people of Israel with a clear and decisive choice: “Behold, today I am setting before you life and happiness, death and misfortune.”
What powerful words! There is no middle ground, there is no gray area. Moses presents two diametrically opposed options: life or death, blessing or curse. And the choice depends on the people’s response to God’s commandments.
“If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God… you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you.” But there is also a solemn warning: “If your heart turns away… you will be ruined.” This is the spiritual reality that Moses presents to the people: obedience leads to life; disobedience, to death.
But note well, my dear brothers and sisters, that Moses is not talking about an arbitrary list of rules. God’s commandments are a path to life, a guide to right relationships with God and others. They are expressions of God’s love, signposts on the path of life.
And then Moses makes an impassioned plea: “Choose life, so that you and your descendants may live.” Here is the heart of the loving Father who wants the best for His children. God does not present these choices to us as a harsh judge waiting for us to make mistakes, but as a loving Father who longs for our happiness.
This same theme of choice and path echoes in today’s Gospel, but with even greater depth and radicality. Jesus announces to his disciples the path that he himself will follow: “The Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected… be killed and rise again on the third day.”
This is the way of Jesus – the way of the cross. And then He turns His gaze to us and says, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
What an extraordinary invitation! Jesus is not offering an easy way. It is not promising immediate prosperity or constant comfort. It is calling to a path of self-denial, of daily sacrifice, of constant fidelity in the midst of difficulties.
“Whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” What a profound paradox! It is in dying to ourselves that we truly live. It is in giving our life that we find it. It is in sacrifice that we discover the deepest joy.
Allow me to tell a story that illustrates this truth. A few years ago, I met a man named João. He had everything the world considers success – a successful career, a luxurious house, expensive cars, international travel. From the outside, it seemed that he had chosen the path of “life” and “happiness”. But in a sincere conversation, João confessed to me: “Father, I’m empty inside. I achieved everything I thought would make me happy, but I feel like I’m dying inside.”
John had chosen what seemed to be the path of life, but he was experiencing spiritual death. He had gained the world, but he was losing his soul.
In contrast to João, I remember Maria, an elderly woman from our community. She lived a life marked by great hardship – poverty, illness, painful loss. His path was certainly not what many would call “successful.” But Mary radiated a joy and peace that was almost tangible. When I asked her her secret, she simply smiled and said, “I learned to carry my cross with Jesus, and I discovered that when we carry it together, the burden becomes light.”
Mary had chosen what seemed to be the path of death – self-denial, sacrifice, the cross – but she was experiencing abundant life. She had lost her life for the sake of Christ, and so she had truly found it.
My dear brothers and sisters, we are facing the same crossroads today. Moses’ call and Jesus’ invitation echo in our ears: Choose life! Take up your cross! Follow me!
But what does it mean to take up our cross daily? It is not about seeking suffering for its own sake or glorifying pain. It’s about embracing life’s inevitable difficulties with faith and courage. It is about dying to selfishness, pride, greed, and everything that separates us from God and others.
For some of us, the cross can be a difficult relationship that requires constant patience and forgiveness. For others, it may be a chronic illness or a physical limitation that we need to accept with grace. For still others, it may be the daily struggle with an addiction or a sinful tendency that pulls us away from God.
Whatever our cross, Jesus assures us that we do not carry it alone. He goes ahead of us, showing the way. And more than that, He carries the cross with us, giving us strength when ours fails.
And why would we choose this difficult path? Jesus gives us the answer in the form of a penetrating question: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, if he loses or ruins himself?”
This is the fundamental question that each of us must face. What really matters in the end? The accumulation of wealth and possessions? The search for temporary pleasure and comfort? The approval and applause of the world? Or faithfulness to God’s way, the development of Christ-like character, the love that remains even when all else passes?
The world offers us many distractions and detours, many alternatives that are apparently easier and more attractive than the way of the cross. But these are mirages in the desert, empty promises of satisfaction that are never actually found.
In contrast, Jesus offers us the way to true life—a life of meaning, purpose, love, and lasting joy. Yes, it is a path that passes through the cross. Yes, it involves sacrifice and self-denial. But it leads to resurrection, transformation, eternal life.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, today we are faced with the same fundamental choice that Moses presented to the Israelites: life or death, blessing or curse. And Jesus clearly shows us that the path to life passes through the cross.
What choice will we make? Shall we seek to gain the world and lose our soul? Or will we lose our life for the love of Christ, and thus truly find it?
May the Holy Spirit give us the wisdom to choose well, the courage to take up our cross daily, and the strength to follow Jesus faithfully, no matter how difficult the path may seem. Because in the end, we will discover that the cross is not just an instrument of death, but the portal to true and eternal life.
May it be so for each of us. Amen.
