Friday, August 07, 2020 - 18th week of Ordinary Time - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16, 24-28 - Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!

Dear Christians, before Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me". Perhaps we should go back a little to understand what this means. It also teaches us that if we want to understand the Word of God that we are reading, we must read the preceding and following passages.

So, what were Jesus and his disciples talking about before? He asked his disciples, "By all accounts, who is the Son of Man?" We all know that no one in the community has found the right answer. Some say it's John the Baptist, some say it's Elijah, some say it's one of the prophets. Note that many today are expressing their opinions and talking about Jesus. We must remain vigilant because none of them have the right answer. Only Peter spoke the truth of faith, saying, "You are the Son of God." Therefore, it is not surprising that the teachings of Peter and his successors are repeatedly declared infallible; and Peter's infallible teaching authority inherited by the Church. Therefore we do not go astray if we obey Peter, his successors, and their teachings. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

This is the first part of the conversation between Jesus and His disciples. But immediately after Peter's confession, Jesus said, "If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Jesus teaches that it is not enough to believe by word of mouth to follow him, but that we must be willing to carry the cross, just as he did.

Dear Christians, carrying the cross is not exclusive to Jesus, but also for those who choose to follow Him. So, if we experience difficulties and sufferings that overwhelm us in life, let us accept them for our salvation and for the salvation of others, because: "He who wants to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will find it".