Gospel Reflection for The 19th day of February in the year of Our Lord, 2026

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Luke 9:22-25

22 Saying: The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the ancients and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day rise again. 23 And he said to all: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; for he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, and cast away himself?

Today is a particularly difficult Gospel. Jesus promises us not happiness if we follow Him, but suffering. To be tested and refined in the fire is a sign of His love. As a convert to Catholicism, such readings, difficult though they are, have opened to me various truths that were not taught to me in the Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist churches in which I was raised and educated in the faith. We were taught that “God is love” and that those who love God would live lives full of blessings. While that is true, Catholicism dares face the hard truths of life and history that the doctrines of other denominations are simply too fragile to explore. Catholicism not only admits, but embraces the reality of suffering… real suffering, like fleeing for your life and the slaughter of innocents. Consider Fr. Spirago’s commentary on the Catechism regarding martyrdom:

…Immediately following Christmas are the feasts of St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents, as though the Church would say: “If you would follow Christ, you must become a martyr like St. Stephen, if not to the shedding of blood, at least to the denial of self and the bearing of suffering. You must love God and your neighbor like St. John, and do works of mercy; and finally, you must be like a child with God.”

This is a very hard teaching for anyone - I guarantee this is not going to be preached in many churches today! We, in our extremely limited human understanding wonder why the innocent Holy family had to flee, why innocent children were killed and why Saint Stephen would be executed merely for his religious beliefs. Yet, the Church teaches us that these were the first people who lived during the time of Christ to experience the promises of Christ - the joy of Heaven. These children were the first Christian martyrs, before even the Crucifixion and Resurrection of their Lord. Saint Joseph would die a natural death and then advocate for the souls in limbo and purgatory, especially the faithful Jews who died before they had a chance to know Jesus. The Blessed Mother would be assumed into Heaven, never experiencing the corruption of death. Saint Stephen saw Jesus welcoming him as he was stoned to death. Suffering meant eternal joy for these first fruits of Christianity.

Perhaps especially, we wonder why innocent children would die. But, it was not they who suffered, but their parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings. It was those who had refused to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Wow, that is hard to swallow! Yet, even Sodom and Gomorrah, the very symbols of immorality in the Old Testament, were not annihilated merely for sexual perversion and violence, but also for lack of hospitality toward the heavenly visitors. It was the lack of hospitality, kindness and love of neighbor that brought the final judgment upon them.

Perhaps most significantly we must remember that Satan rules this world. Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. Jesus promises eternal happiness in Heaven. On earth, He promises us suffering and rejection, telling us that if we endure to the end we will be saved. This is not the “prosperity doctrine” of the Protestant televangelist! This is real and painful…. this endures hardship, and life is hard. Anyone who says it is not, is not telling the truth.

So, today we celebrate suffering and the redemption that comes through suffering. We remember that without the Cross, there is no salvation.

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Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings January - June, 2026 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GDK16N45

and

Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK

His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic