Cardinal Tobin: Lent reminds us to deny ourselves and take up the cross of Christ
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” (Mt 16:24-26)?
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
When I was growing up, the most common sign of Catholic identity was abstaining from meat on Fridays. Now the requirement of Friday abstinence is limited to the six weeks of Lent (with fasting required on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday), but the admonition to deny ourselves comes directly from the Lord, and it is not restricted to any particular day or season.
The Fourth Precept of the Church is to observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church. This represents the minimum, the basic expectation for Catholics in good standing, which is to practice self-denial in the form of ritual observance as the Church requires. But if this is all we do, we can hardly call ourselves faithful disciples. Much more is required of us if we wish to follow Jesus. We must be willing to lose our lives—both literally and figuratively—by taking up the cross of Christ every day of our lives.
Lent is a season of vivid reminders. During this time of preparation for the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection, we are called to be especially conscious of the importance of self-denial. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (our sacrificial giving of time, talent, and treasure), we are called to “lose ourselves” for the sake of the Gospel. We are challenged to let go of the pursuit of comfort and security in order to follow Jesus through the narrow gate that leads to the joy of his heavenly home.
There is no teaching of Jesus that is more challenging than the one quoted above: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24-26). Everything in our culture tells us to place our own needs and desires above all else. Comfort, security, satisfaction and self-indulgence are not just the sins of the idle rich. They are temptations that confront all of us. If we’re not careful, we can spend all our time, effort, and money pursuing self-serving ways of life. Even our charity can become a way to assuage our guilt rather than a genuine outreach to our sisters and brothers in need.
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