Daily Readings - Thu Mar 03 2022
Deuteronomy
15"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.16If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.17But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,18I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,20loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."
Luke
22saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."23And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.24For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.25For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
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.