February 15 2024: Bible Verse of the Day – Thursday after Ash Wednesday, Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time – Whoever Loses His Life for My Sake Will Find It – Matthew 16:24-28, Mark 8:34-9:1, Luke 9:22-25
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? – Matthew 16:24-28, Mark 8:34-9:1, Luke 9:22-25
Catholic Readings For Today
Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1
Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2
Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1
Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2
Today’s Bible Verse of the Day Reflections
If this Bible verse is not looked at from the Kingdom of Heaven’s perspective, it can be very confusing.
People can ask themselves, what does it mean to deny oneself? What is my cross? What does Jesus mean by saving one’s life, and how can someone lose his life when he saves it?
From the earthly perspective, these statements by Jesus don’t make any sense. This is because earthly matters are the exact opposite of what is done in Heaven.
Earthly deeds are deemed to be sinful, self-exalting, blasphemous, and unacceptable before God. They are the matters that are made by man and do not have the blessings of God.
So, what is it to deny oneself? As explained above, earthly matters don’t have the blessings of God and man does them to exalt himself with pride and arrogance.
Now, to deny oneself, when one is doing something on earth, one has to attribute everything to God.
That is, thanking God for giving you the chance to do what you do, praying to God that you do it according to His Holy Will and in a way that exalts God, and always acknowledging that it is through the Grace and power of God that you were able to accomplish whatever you have done. Now, that is denying oneself.
What is my cross? My cross is all the bad things that;
1. Will happen to you when you choose to know, love, serve, and praise God.
2. Will be said about you when you choose God and deny the world.
3. Will be done to you when you follow God and not the world.
4. You will have to forfeit in order to do what is pleasing to God.
What is saving one’s life? You know, at the end of time, on the last day, there will be only two destinations. The Kingdom of God and the fiery Gehennah.
When you go to heaven, where there is everlasting Joy, your life will be saved. When you go to the fiery Gehennah where there will forever be wailing and gnashing of teeth, your life will be lost.
So, when you lose the luxurious and sinful earthly life, you will be saving yourself for the joyous life in the Kingdom of God.
Then, when you try to save yourself from the troubles that come with denying oneself and carrying one’s cross here on earth, then you will be losing your life to the fiery Gehennah.
Let us, therefore, choose to lose our life here on earth for the sake of Christ so that on the last day we will save it and enter into the Kingdom of God where we will forever in great joy, be praising and glorifying God together with the Communion of Angels and Saints.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I wish to deny myself, take up my cross and follow You. Give me the strength to deny the pleasures of this evil world so that on the last day, I may inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
Bible Verse of the Day in Pictures
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