Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 23, 2023
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”
What does it mean to be a success? We receive grades and diplomas in school. In the military, promotions follow achievement. It’s easy to tell who won and who lost in sports by looking at the score, but the scoreboard can be harder to read in our daily lives, especially if we lose sight of our mission.
Today’s Gospel from Saint Luke follows the passage where Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the “Messiah of God.” The response Jesus gives must have stunned his disciples: tell no one!
In fact, instead of rewarding his disciples, the Messiah foreshadows his death and warns his closest friends that they must take up their crosses and lay down their lives for his sake. In case that wasn’t direct enough, Jesus then speaks even more plainly: what do we profit if we gain the whole world but lose our souls?
Lent has just begun, and we face the great test of our faith: do we trust Jesus?Do we make time for Christ in our lives? Can we put down our phones and prayerfully listen as he tells us how to follow him today? Will we fast and give alms cheerfully without complaining about what we are giving up? Can we turn our hearts away from social media, tax returns, job titles, and worldly definitions of success to listen for Christ’s voice?
Jesus does not promise following him will be easy; he promises it will be worth it! He reminds us that success means ignoring the anxiety and temporary pleasures of this world in exchange for the joy and peace of mind that comes from following him.
For Christians, success means we can disregard the scoreboards around us because we know and trust Jesus. Easter joy comes by way of the cross! There is no other path to success.
Prayer
Jesus, my Lord, all too often we define ourselves by what we have or what we do, instead of who we are. All I will have left is me – and you. Oh Jesus, I wish I valued you as much as I value other things or people in my life. During these 40 days let your words change me: “What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?”
Saint of the Day
St. Polycarp was an important early martyr, and the story of his death is famous because he was miraculously preserved when they tried to burn him at the stake.
Polycarp was among a group of Church fathers who were in the first generation of Christians to be taught by the disciples themselves—he learned the faith from St. John, and in turn, Polycarp taught others, such as St. Irenaeus.
Polycarp lived at a time when the faith was still taking shape—the smallest deviation from the truth that he had received would have long-reaching consequences for us today, and he seemed to be aware of that. He had no patience for those who distorted the faith. The story is told that he once passed by a man in Rome who was teaching the faith with error. When it seemed that Polycarp walked by him without recognizing him, the man called out, “Do you not know me?” Polycarp replied, “I know you—you are the first-born of Satan!”
He was an active leader in the early Church, writing letters to far-flung Christian communities and engaging the pope on matters such as the date of Easter. But Polycarp is most famous for the account of his martyrdom.
He lived during a time of persecution, and while some Christians were willingly giving up their lives—going so far as to turn themselves in to be eaten by lions—he is remembered for being ready to die for his faith, but also living to spread that faith for as long as he could.
When he was to be arrested, he fled and hid for as long as he could. He was eventually betrayed and when authorities finally discovered him, he refused to escape any further. He met the officials at the door, and even fed them supper. He only asked for a few hours to pray before they took him away.
He was taken to an outdoor amphitheater where a great crowd assembled to see him face a judge. He was ordered to renounce Christ, and he flatly refused, confessing his faith plainly and forthrightly.
“I have wild beasts,” the judge said.
“Call for them,” replied Polycarp, “for we will not be moved from good to evil.”
“If you hate the beasts, I will have you consumed by fire,” the judge said.
“You threaten me with fire that burns for a season and is quenched after a while” Polycarp replied, “but you do not know of the judgment to come and of the fire of eternal punishment that is prepared for the wicked. Why do you delay? Bring against me what you please.”
They built a pyre and placed him on it, and began to prepare to nail him to the stake. He told them to leave him alone, telling them that “the one who gives me grace to endure the fire will enable me to remain on the pyre unmoved.” They tied only his hands behind his back, and Polycarp proclaimed a moving prayer that praised God and asked that his death be a Christ-like sacrifice.
Witnesses report that when the wood at his feet was ignited, it swelled like the sails of a ship to gently surround Polycarp without burning him. They said that they could smell a fragrance like incense.
Seeing this, the authorities thrust a spear into his body, which finally killed him. This is remembered as happening on February 23, but scholars disagree as to whether it was 155 or 166. The relics of St. Polycarp rest in the Basilica on campus, and his icon appears here with permission from Catholic.org.
St. Polycarp, you were the early Church martyr who was miraculously preserved from burning at the stake—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Polycarp is available for use under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Last accessed December 6, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
