Sermon – Whoever Wishes to Come After Me Must Deny Himself (Matthew 16:24–28) – August 7, 2026

Saint Jerome teaches the following:

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me; and so it goes on. Whoever leaves the old man and his works denies himself, saying, “ I no longer live, but Christ lives in me,” and takes up his cross and is crucified for the world. And whoever is crucified for the world follows the crucified Lord.’”

Saint Jerome helps us understand this biblical passage:

Self-denial: “He who leaves behind the old man and his works denies himself by saying: ‘ I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. ’”

Carrying the cross: By "cross, " we mean anything that goes against our "comfort zone." This also manifests itself in the duties imposed by our circumstances: having to study, having to work; having to obey our superiors, parents, civil and religious authorities. All of this— obedience, duty— goes against our "comfort zone."

Aziz says: (...) "He takes up his cross and is crucified for the world."

The World: What is it? What is meant here is not the world created by God; rather, it is an anti-Christian environment where God is completely forgotten and only worldly pleasures are considered, while the true blessings, the eternal ones, are forgotten. It is living solely for pleasure and entertainment.

To follow Christ: to imitate Him; just as the Son of God gave up His heavenly glory to become human, and gave up His life to sacrifice Himself for us on the cross, we too must step outside our “comfort zone” to seek the good of our brothers and sisters; we must seek not only worldly good, but above all, the highest good, that is, eternal life. This means we must pray for our brothers and sisters, teach them Christian doctrine, and make sacrifices to God for them. In short, we must love.

Let us ask for this favor from the Blessed Virgin Mary.