Only one day into the Lenten journey, the words of the gospel passage show us that Jesus didn't try to deny the fact that his journey would not be easy. Even as he was inviting his disciples to follow him, he was brutally honest about what they could expect, and the same is true for us.
Knowing that his disciples were misinterpreting his claim to be the promised Messiah, Jesus wanted to set the record straight. Whereas they were expecting him to somehow wield political power, his idea of leadership was very different: The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected ... and be killed and on the third day be raised (Lk 9:22). This plan must have been surprising to them, and so we should also expect that God's plans will surprise us.
Lest we become discouraged at the thought that our Messiah's plans are not the same as our dreams, Jesus explains: If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily (Lk 9:23). We should never be surprised by the fact that God's plans for us may be different from our own hopes and dreams, but we can also find comfort in the fact that he will never abandon us. He has already suffered, been rejected, been killed ... and been raised ... and he promises that this will be the way for us as well.
Have a great day.
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