💖 HOMILY - FEBRUARY 19 💖

First Reading - Deuteronomy 30:15-20 

Gospel - Luke 9:22-25

At the beginning of our Lenten journey, the Word of God places before us a clear and serious choice. It is not a complicated choice, but it is a decisive one: life or death, blessing or curse, self-preservation or self-giving. The readings today invite us to reflect deeply on the direction of our lives.

In the first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to the people with urgency and tenderness. He sets before them life and prosperity, death and doom. The choice is linked to loving the Lord, walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments. Life, in the biblical sense, is not merely physical existence; it is communion with God. To choose God is to choose life in its fullness. To turn away is to diminish oneself.

What is striking is that God does not force the choice. He respects human freedom. Yet he also reveals the consequences. Obedience leads to flourishing; separation from him leads to loss. Moses pleads: choose life. This is not just a command but an invitation rooted in love. God desires life for his people, not destruction.

In the Gospel, Jesus deepens this understanding of life and loss. He begins by speaking of his own suffering, rejection, and death. Then he turns to his disciples and says that anyone who wishes to follow him must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow. This sounds paradoxical. How can denying oneself and taking up a cross lead to life?

Jesus explains the paradox clearly: whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for his sake will save it. The instinct to cling, to protect, to secure ourselves at all costs, can actually lead to spiritual emptiness. On the other hand, surrendering ourselves in trust, even when it involves sacrifice, opens us to deeper life.

The question Jesus poses is piercing: what profit is there in gaining the whole world but losing or forfeiting oneself? Success, recognition, comfort — all these may appear attractive, yet none can replace the integrity of the soul. A life centered only on self ultimately shrinks. A life offered in love expands.

Dear friends, choosing life is not a one-time event; it is renewed each day in small and concrete ways. We choose life when we forgive instead of holding resentment. We choose life when we speak truth instead of falsehood. We choose life when we place God’s will above our immediate desires.

Lent is a privileged time to examine what we are truly choosing. Are we holding tightly to what cannot ultimately save us? Or are we willing to entrust ourselves to Christ, even when the path includes sacrifice?

God does not hide the cost of discipleship, but he promises something greater: real life. The cross is not the end; it is the path to resurrection. Today, once again, the Lord sets before us life. And he gently urges us: choose it.