Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 21, 2025
Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
“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
and that of the Gospel will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
What could one give in exchange for his life?
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words
in this faithless and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of
when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
He also said to them,
“Amen, I say to you,
there are some standing here who will not taste death
until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power.”
I consider myself to be an incredibly blessed person. I have an amazing husband of 14 years and two healthy and happy children. My husband and I have been able to manage two active-duty military careers. We have supportive extended families and a community of friends across the world. However, even acknowledging all of this, I still get caught up in the minor hiccups of life, getting frustrated or overwhelmed by stressors.
I am then brought back into focus when I look at examples of the real crosses people are carrying around me. I look at the sailors I have been privileged to lead, who are managing the known stressors of military life with incredible burdens such as children with illnesses, dying parents, financial struggles, and domestic disputes.
In my empathy, it is easy to go down the road of asking why. Why does this person have to struggle this way? Why this tragedy? Why me? This is when I turn to the wisdom of my amazing mother. She was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She has embraced this cross with grace, humor, and strength (and a newfound love of boxing!). She always says, “Worrying is a lack of faith.”
As faithful followers, we must realize it is not our job to understand God’s plan and why we are given certain struggles. Our job is to remember there is a greater plan and have faith in following God, knowing that God’s glory is awaiting us. It’s as simple as Jesus’ words in today’s gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
May we pick up our crosses, recognizing the strength of prayer, faith, and empathy for those around us who are carrying their crosses, too.
Prayer
Father, give us the courage to be faithful to Christ and his words in the midst of our own faithless and sinful generation. May we never be ashamed to be called Christians, servants of the kingdom of God and not of the world.
Saint of the Day
St. Peter Damian was declared a doctor of the Church for practicing what he preached. He reformed and strengthened the Church as an administrator, but he led people with his example.
He was born in 1007 in Italy as the youngest of a large family. When he was orphaned at a young age, he was sent to live with an older brother, who treated him like a slave and sent him to tend the pigs. Another brother, Damian, a priest, took pity on him and welcomed him into his home and educated him. In gratitude, Peter took this brother’s name as his own last name.
Peter was an excellent student and continued in school until he was teaching himself. He was also very pious and devoted himself to prayer and fasting. He seemed to always have a poor person under his care, and often fed them at his own table. He was considering a vocation to the religious life when two Benedictine monks happened to visit him. He heard about their community life and decided to join them.
He was so devout that his fasting and mortifications interfered with his health, and he had to spend time recovering. He used that time to learn the Scriptures well, and when he recovered fully, he was tasked with teaching others, both within the monastery and beyond.
Peter was eventually elected to lead the Benedictine community when the abbot died, and he greatly expanded the monastery and even went on to establish seven other houses for new communities.
He was so intelligent and led such a faithful life that popes and kings began to ask for his assistance in deciding matters. He was named bishop and cardinal, and fervently fought to reform life of the clergy, who were living in worldly ways. Whatever he proposed for others he practiced himself. The pope used him a number of times as his representative.
Peter never lost sight of the life of prayer, and continually sought relief from his official duties so he could live as a hermit. He encouraged people to live heroic lives of faith, especially through his own witness.
St. Peter Damian was declared a doctor of the Church, a title given to 37 saints who are known for elucidating the faith by their words or example. Some of his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Peter Damian, you urged others to live with heroic virtue by your own example—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Peter Damian is in the public domain. Last accessed December 6, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
