Reflection for the Week - February 18

To follow after Jesus is to first deny oneself. Self denial then is a denying of a particular self – a self centered self, a self sufficient self, a messiah making self, a selfish self: = a false self. This does not mean to become nothing, but it means to put one’s counterfeit self interests aside, especially with regard to messianic ideology, and to embrace the Other, namely God and then the things of God. Bogus imaginary constructs and unrealistic hopes can often turn us into our own messiah makers. Messiah making is a risky and dangerous enterprise and something that we can all tend to do in one way or the other. Better to discover and explore the steps of the Crucified and Risen One, which has the explosive potential of leading us in the direction of being true selves.