WINTER
“He must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23
It’s
freezing cold outside in Hoboken, New Jersey, where our family spent
Christmas with our son, Peevee. Six blocks is quite a walk to the
nearest church when it’s -8°C. “We can do this,” my husband, Raul, assures me as I put on five layers of clothing. I must have weighed at least 10 pounds more with my winter coat, boots, leather gloves and muffler. This has been our daily morning routine since we arrived.
It
doesn’t end there. Once inside the church, we have to take off the
outer layers one by one, only to put them back on again before we head
back home after Mass. But once we step into Peevee’s apartment, the
“unlayering” takes place yet again.
This
is what happens when we make Jesus the Lord and Savior of our life. Out
of our immense love for Him, we shed off our old self and put on a new
way of life to please Him. It is not easy and we stumble along the way.
But loving Him means taking up our cross daily until we finally reach home to be with our Heavenly Father, free at last from the layers of our past. Mari Sison-Garcia (mari_sison_garcia@yahoo.com)
Reflection: What cross do you bear? This Valentine’s Day, offer it with love to the Lord.
Lord, serving You is not easy but You call us to persevere and endure things in life to get to the place You want us to be.
St. Cyril, monk, and St. Methodius, bishop, pray for us.
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