Gospel: August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025 (Friday)

18th Week in Ordinary Time

Psalter: Week 2 / (White)

St. Dominic, priest

Ps 77:12-13, 14-15, 16 & 21

I remember the deeds of the Lord.

1st Reading: Deuteronomy 4:32-40

Gospel: Matthew 16:24-28

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If you want to follow me, deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me. For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life, for my sake, will find it. What will one gain by winning the whole world, if he destroys his soul? Or what can a person give, in exchange for his life? Know, that the Son of Man will come, in the glory of his Father with the holy angels, and he will reward each one according to his deeds. Truly, I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death, before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

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Reflection:

“If you want to follow me, deny yourself.”

The spiritual life has different phases, and if we persevere, our faith deepens and our understanding of what is most important becomes more acute. This happened in the life of Saint Dominic, the great preacher and teacher of the Catholic faith and founder of the Order of Preachers or the Dominicans. While Scripture, study and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament remained essential to Saint Dominic’s prayer, in later life, the crucifix became central to his meditation, since it stirred his devotion and his love of God.

Meditating with the crucifix highlighted the personal side of faith, as faith is not only content, but also commitment and love. Looking upon the cross, like Dominic, we can meditate upon Christ’s sacrifice for us, and ask ourselves what we are willing to sacrifice for him. “If you want to follow me, deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me.” The cross of Christ presents us with the stark question: Do we want to live for Christ and for others, or for ourselves alone? Saint Dominic developed a deep, personal devotion to Christ which shaped his life and ministry. That personal devotion is necessary to keep shouldering the cross of loving sacrifice.