3 September 2023 Only By Grace Reflections
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TOPIC: HOW DO I DENY MYSELF, TAKE UP MY CROSS AND FOLLOW JESUS?
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First Reading: Jeremiah 20: 7-9
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
Second Reading: Romans 12: 1-2
Alleluia: Ephesians 1: 17-18
Gospel: Matthew 16: 21-27
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” ~Matthew 16:21-27
The first couple saints ⏤ St. Louis and St. Zelie Martin, the parents of another saint, St. Therese of Lisieux ⏤ responded to this invitation by living a life of holiness, by loving and caring for each other, offering their children to God and pursuing holiness. Their life together was characterized by selfless giving and genuine love for each other and for their children.
Louis and Zelie sought holiness through the devotions and traditions of the Church. They sought to do works of mercy, were very generous with their time and money towards the poor, and went out of their way to help dying people receive the Last Sacraments. They were daily Mass goers, and Louis especially liked to go on pilgrimages and participating in all-night vigils in reparation for the loss of the Catholic faith in France during that period.
Married for 19 years, they were blessed with nine children but only five survived to adulthood. After losing his wife to cancer, one by one, Louis offered his daughters to God. Four of his five remaining daughters entered the convent and one of them, Therese, became St. Therese of Lisieux. His happiness at seeing his daughters offering their lives to God was such that he prayed: “My God, it is too much! I am too happy; it is not possible to go to Heaven this way. I wish to suffer something for you, and I offer myself...”
May we too respond to God’s invitation to follow him, even if it means suffering and self-denial.
This is the 1227th
