If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me

And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" So they answered and said, John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:18-27

In Saturday's reading, we read of Jesus' sending out of His apostles on their first mission. They were to act in all humility, taking no extra clothing, staying in the first home in which they were welcome -- and if they were not welcome in a town, as a rebuke they were merely to shake the dust off their feet. Upon their return, He took them privately to a deserted place -- but the crowds follow. Jesus heals and teaches, but it becomes late and there is little to eat. So, finally, He instructs the returned apostles to give them something to eat. In a prefiguring of the Eucharist, 5,000 men (and more women and children, no doubt) were fed. See Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority.

And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" So they answered and said, John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again." We so often read that Jesus takes time for private prayer, just as in Saturday's reading, we learned that the first thing He did upon their return from their first mission was to take them privately to a deserted place. These periods of prayer seem both to follow and precede Jesus' great acts of power, as well as each new step taken that opens up and expands His mission and ministry in the world. Now, He asks an important question. Also in Saturday's reading, we were given hints of all the rumors that are spreading, what people are saying about Him. We read of Herod's piqued interest because of popular understanding such as is expressed here in the disciples' answer. My study bible makes an important point: "What the crowds have to say about Jesus is of little importance. The disciples learn that lesson here. In the New Testament, the opinion of the crowd is seldom, if ever, clear, and often completely wrong."

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day." It's interesting that this revelation of what is to come happens just as Herod has begun to get curious about Jesus (see Saturday's reading). The public will feel however it feels, with its opinions wrong and contradictory -- or worse, vacillating from one extreme to another. But so many of our recent readings have focused on the importance of faith. And this one continues with that understanding. Here is the great confession, made for all by Peter. Who is Jesus truly? The moment this is revealed, open, no longer hidden but declared clearly, Jesus prepares them for what is to come.

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God." My study bible points out that Luke eliminates Peter's initial refusal to accept the announcement of the Passion. But the emphasis here is clear: this is the news for all of us reading this Gospel, not just Peter. Faith involves a great struggle, a journey, of taking up the cross. It is not only Christ who will undergo His Passion, but we who follow in faith must also be prepared to follow from His example. We may perhaps find ourselves at that place of the cross many times, but through it, it is our faith that must sustain and give us the answers in going forward. This is, He says, truly how we find our lives. The instrument of death will be transfigured into one of life-giving abundance. In our own lives, that cross will always ask us to make choices - and it is faith that will provide the answers for life.

I have found myself in this place many times, of making hard choices. My faith leads me one way, but convention -- and what I would prefer -- may lead me another. Sometimes one has to leave harmful relationships behind, no matter how much we want them to work out. Sometimes a dream must be given up. But always there is the Christ there, waiting in prayer. The Spirit works through our lives to give us choices, to lead us forward, to open up new doors, but always the place of the Cross will call us, and we will have our own cross to take up, daily -- that is His promise. Often, I think, we expect our faith to simply provide us with the perfect life. But here, Jesus teaches us that we give up our lives: perhaps the things we think are important, in exchange for the life He will give us. That is the place of the cross. In all the lessons in recent readings about faith, this is the one that gets to the heart of a faith-filled life in this world. If you find yourself at that cross, take care and note this is what He promised - and it is the way of life in abundance that we seek and in which we find faith. This is the way in which we preserve our own souls rather than lose them to "the world," the "crowd" of false opinion and empty promise. Stay instead with that place of faith within you that shows you the way.