Die to Live

Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.

Mt.10:38,39

Jesus is telling the Twelve that the life conversion he is calling them to is no small, half-hearted thing. It's an all or nothing affair that calls them to die and then rises them to a new life.

Jesus' audience knew about the cross even before Jesus was subjected to it. They didn't think of it as a heavy burden. They knew it as a cruel instrument of shame and death. So when Jesus told them they had to take up their cross they understood he was saying they had to die. 

The Gospel if fairly consistent on this point. When becoming a follower of Christ, becoming a Christian, the old self dies and a new self is born. If this hasn't happened then the conversion hasn't happened and the old self continues to rule. We're either born again or not. Jesus says when we are lukewarm, not hot or cold, he spits us out of his mouth. 

The old life tries to resurrect. The heat tends to drift to lukewarm. Today I embrace my new Christian life and invite Jesus to turn up the temperature again.

Jesus, thank you for the new life you have given me. Let my heat warm those around me today.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.