Daily Readings - Thu Mar 03 2022
Deuteronomy
15Consider what I have set forth in your sight this day, life and good, or, on the opposite side, death and evil16so that you may love the Lord your God, and walk in his ways, and keep his commandments and ceremonies and judgments, and so that you may live, and he may multiply you and bless you in the land, which you shall enter in order to possess17But if your heart will have been turned aside, so that you are not willing to listen, and, having been deceived by error, you adore strange gods and serve them18then I predict to you this day that you will perish, and you will remain for only a short time in the land, for which you shall cross the Jordan, and which you shall enter in order to possess19I call heaven and earth as witnesses this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your offspring may live20and so that you may love the Lord your God, and obey his voice, and cling to him, (for he is your life and the length of your days) and so that you may live in the land, about which the Lord swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give it to them.
Luke
22saying, "For the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the leaders of the priests and the scribes, and be killed, and on the third day rise again.23Then he said to everyone: "If anyone is willing to come after me: let him deny himself, and take up his cross every day, and follow me24For whoever will have saved his life, will lose it. Yet whoever will have lost his life for my sake, will save it25For how does it benefit a man, if he were to gain the whole world, yet lose himself, or cause himself harm
Sermon
In today’s readings, we are presented with a profound choice: between life and death, between self-interest and self-denial. In Deuteronomy, Moses lays before the Israelites the consequences of their decisions, urging them to choose life by following God’s commandments. This passage is set in the context of the Israelites standing on the brink of the Promised Land, ready to inherit the land God had sworn to their ancestors. Moses reminds them that their choices have real consequences—not just for themselves, but for their children and future generations. The choice to love and obey God is not merely a moral decision but one that leads to life, blessings, and prosperity.
In the Gospel, Jesus shifts the focus from external choices to the interior disposition of the heart. He speaks of the necessity of self-denial and taking up one’s cross as the path to true life. This teaching comes in the context of His own journey toward Jerusalem, where He will suffer, die, and rise again. Jesus makes it clear that discipleship is not about comfort or gain but about surrendering one’s life for the sake of the Kingdom. The paradox He presents is striking: to save one’s life, one must lose it; to find oneself, one must give oneself away.
These readings invite us to reflect on the choices we make in our daily lives. Are we choosing life by loving God and following His ways, or are we turning away, seduced by the empty promises of the world? Jesus calls us to embrace the cross, not as a burden, but as the path to true freedom and fulfillment. In a world that often values self-preservation and comfort above all else, the Gospel challenges us to reevaluate what it means to live a meaningful life. Let us ask ourselves: am I willing to let go of my own desires and ambitions for the sake of following Christ? Am I ready to lose my life so that I might truly find it? May we, like the Israelites, choose life—life in all its fullness, life rooted in love for God and service to others.