Thursday 6 March 2025 - Take up your cross

Thursday 6 March 2025

Today is Thursday the 6th of March in the season of Lent.    Harpa Dei sing, Abune dbashmayo. As we begin our time of prayer today, we are hearing the Our Father sung in Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus... How does this speak to you today? You might like to pray an Our Father as you listen.   Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke.    Luke 9:22-25  [Jesus said], ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’  Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?  In today's Gospel, we hear challenging words from Jesus. After speaking about his own future, Jesus addresses all.       'let him deny himself and take up his cross daily'. What does this mean to you? How do you 'take up your cross' in your own context?       ‘But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it'. What does it mean to lose your life for Jesus' sake? How do you make sense of this phrase?       Sometimes the words of Jesus are not so easy to grasp. We can grow over time in our appreciation and understanding of them. As you listen to the passage again, perhaps pray for the light to understand what Jesus is saying and how it might speak to you today.    Luke 9:22-25  [Jesus said], ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’  Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?  As we end this time of prayer, talk with Jesus as one friend to another about anything that is staying with you from your reflection time today.   You have given all to me   To you, Lord, I return it   Everything is Yours   Do with it what You will   Give me only Your love and Your grace   That is enough for me   Amen