“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “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.

What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?  Or what can one give in exchange for his life?

For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.”

 “The Lord Jesus struggled to do the will of the Father,” uttered Father Titus, our priest presider during the Eucharistic celebration homily yesterday at the Makati Feast.

I got a pen and took down notes to remember Father Titus’s sermon.  He said and I quote:

“The Lord Jesus struggled to do the will of the Father.”

“Judging by man’s standards, we are not supposed to suffer.”

“If you want to gain eternal life, you have to die in yourself.  Humility.”

“Ask the Lord, What do you want me do?”

He mentioned the first Holy Mass of Pope Francis when he said, “Get out and smell your sheep.”

“Service is the outmost essence of our faith.  Consecrate yourself as a living sacrifice – St.Paul”

“Suffering is the true test of love.”

“Life is difficult.  If you accept that life is difficult, it is not difficult anymore – M. Scott Peck”

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Reflection:

He said it’s okay to struggle and complain to the Lord from time to time.  Like Jesus who suffered greatly at the garden of Gethsemane, and when He asked the Father why He abandoned Him during His crucifixion.

It’s okay to complain of hardship and difficulty whilst doing the will of God.  It’s but human to feel the suffering.  Pain is a gift.

There are 2 kinds of complaining:

1. Complaining while we do our work well but at the back of our mind, there is this question of the reason why we do the things we do. It is finding meaning in all our struggles and lifting up to God and surrendering to Him.
2. Complaining and whining without thought. Every situation becomes difficult without acceptance.  If we take up our cross, the more we complain thoughtlessly, the more it becomes heavier.

To God be the glory!