Choosing the Cross: Dying to Self for Eternal Life

Click for More

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021926.cfm

Father Matthew Tomeny, MIC invites us to contemplate today’s Gospel in light of the witness of St. Thomas More and St. Anthony the Great.

Jesus warns, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Mt 16:24; NABRE). In the same breath He calls us to “pick up our cross daily and follow Me” (Lk 9:23; NABRE).

The drama of Thomas More, who refused King Henry’s demand for a divorce and chose fidelity to Christ above crown and comfort, illustrates the cost of true discipleship. When Rich perjured himself for worldly gain, the saint reminded him that “the whole world is fleeting; what truly matters is the kingdom of God.” This echoes the “Catechism”: “The Christian is called to die to self and live for God” (CCC 1033).

Saint Anthony the Great taught the same radical love: “Die daily, if you wish to live eternally.” Our lives are like a house on fire — clinging to material treasures ensures our destruction, while abandoning them opens the path to everlasting life. As Moses declared, “I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom” (Dt 30:15; NABRE).

Thus, each day presents a choice: hold fast to the fleeting comforts of this world, or lay them down at the foot of the Cross. The cross is not a burden to be avoided; it is the gateway to the resurrection. By surrendering our will to God’s will, we align ourselves with the divine plan and secure the promise of eternal life.

Let us, like St. Thomas More, abandon pride, ambition, and fear, and like St. Anthony, practice the daily death to self. In doing so, we fulfill Christ’s invitation: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn 14:15; NABRE).

Added to Favorites!
Added to Watch Later!

You might also like...

The Treasure That Leads to Heaven

When Jesus warns that “it will be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God” (Lk 12:21), He invites us to ask a deeper question: What truly matters to God? Wealth itself is not evil — Scripture shows that God entrusts riches to some for the good of others. But when wealth becomes our comfort, our security, or our idol, it becomes a chain that binds the soul.

Gothic Church Architecture

Why and how were Gothic churches built? Hear Fr. Matthew Tomeny, MIC explain the theology behind the Gothic form - which was a visible expression of the Medieval mind, especially in regard to light and order, - and how it was influenced by the religious faith and practices of Catholic European culture.

The Love That Compelled Christ to Die

Fr. Anthony Gramlich reflects on one of the deepest mysteries of our faith: how the Passion of Jesus was both the worst and the greatest moment of His earthly life. From a human standpoint, it was agony, humiliation, and death. From a divine standpoint, it was perfect love poured out — the very reason He came into the world. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, Jesus is the only person ever born with the mission to die, and to die for us.