Jesus makes it clear in today’s Gospel Reading for the Mass for the Thursday after Ash Wednesday what you have to do to be His follower:

Luke 9:22-25: “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?’”

(Via USCCB.)

Do you “take up your cross daily?” Meaning, do you accept and offer up as a sacrifice whatever troubles, trials and tribulations that come into your life as a sign that you are a follower of Christ, or do you avoid or reject them? It is a human thing to try to avoid them at times. We are not always “on the beam” and focused on what we are supposed to do. And so we repent and return to accepting the daily crosses that we bear.

Accepting and taking up the daily crosses are “little deaths” that we endure as signs that we “lose our life” for Christ’s sake. And in so doing, we save it.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)