08/28/2026
PASTOR’S WEEKLY MESSAGE FOR THE 22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME A
THEME: THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks with striking clarity about what He expects from those who wish to follow Him.. He lays out the cost of discipleship in three movements: deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me. These three demands form the heart of Christian life. They are not optional, nor are they reserved for the spiritually elite. They are the daily posture of anyone who desires to walk in the footsteps of Christ. Each of these demands carries a cost, and each can be illuminated by the concrete experiences of ordinary people who have allowed grace to shape their lives.
The first requirement Jesus gives is self-denial. To deny oneself is not simply to give up pleasures or comforts; it is to dethrone the ego and enthrone God. It is the deliberate choice to say “no” to the impulses that contradict God’s will and “yes” to the quiet voice of grace. It is the daily living of the prayer Jesus Himself prayed in Gethsemane: “Not my will, but yours be done.” This surrender is often most difficult in moments of hurt or conflict. A parishioner once shared a simple but profound story. He was loading groceries into his car when another driver cut him off sharply, nearly hitting him. His first instinct was anger—he felt it rise quickly, urging him to shout or retaliate. Yet in that moment he remembered the Lord’s Prayer he had said earlier that morning. He took a breath, let the anger pass, and chose forgiveness instead of retaliation. Later he told me, “Denying myself felt like losing—but afterward it felt like freedom.” This is the essence of self-denial: choosing God’s will over instinct, grace over impulse, forgiveness over revenge. It is the humble submission of my will to God’s will, even when everything in me wants to do otherwise.
The second requirement Jesus names is the willingness to take up one’s cross. The cross is not merely a burden; it is the symbol of sacrificial love. To take up the cross means accepting the sacrifices that come with serving Christ and His people. These sacrifices are often quiet, hidden, and woven into the fabric of daily life. A young woman once dreamed of becoming a travel photographer. She saved money, planned trips, and imagined a life of adventure. But when her mother fell seriously ill, she put all her dreams aside. She moved back home, took a job as a nurse’s aide, and spent years caring for her mother with tenderness and patience. One day she said, “I didn’t get the life I dreamed of. But I think I got the life God wanted for me.” Her cross was not dramatic, but it was real. It was the cross of love, of sacrifice, of giving herself for another. The cross asks each of us difficult questions: Are we willing to follow Christ if it means losing friends who do not understand our faith? Are we willing to endure misunderstanding, ridicule, or alienation? Are we willing to sacrifice time, leisure, comfort, or ambition? Are we willing to give away what we could easily keep? Are we willing to let go of dreams we once cherished? The cross is not theoretical. It is costly. It is the price of love.
The third requirement Jesus gives is loyal obedience: “Follow me.” To follow Christ means to imitate His life in our own—to walk behind Him wherever He leads. When we were children, many of us played the game “Follow the Leader.” The leader would hop on one foot, crawl under tables, spin in circles, climb playground steps—whatever the leader did, everyone had to copy. A teacher once told me about a little boy who was exhausted during the game, stumbling and out of breath, yet determined to keep going. When she asked him why, he replied simply, “Because that’s the game. You follow the leader.” The Christian life is not a game, but the principle is the same. Where Christ goes, we go. If He forgives, we forgive. If He serves, we serve. If He prays, we pray. If He loves the poor, we love the poor. If He carries a cross, we carry ours. Following Christ means copying His life in our thoughts, words, and actions. It means walking in His footsteps even when they lead uphill.
These three demands—self-denial, the cross, and obedience—are not separate tasks but one unified path. They form the shape of Christian life. And though the cost is great, the reward is greater. Jesus tells us that whoever loses his life for His sake will find it. The world promises comfort, but Christ promises life. The world promises ease, but Christ promises meaning. The world promises self-fulfillment, but Christ promises resurrection. The path of discipleship is demanding, but it is also the path that leads to the fullness of life.
As we reflect on today’s Gospel, we ask for the grace to walk this path faithfully. Not perfectly, but sincerely. Not fearfully, but courageously. And always with Christ, who goes before us. May we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him—until the day we find the life that only He can give.
