Eighth Stage: Deny Yourself (Luke 9:57-62)

 Theme: The LORD teaches you to deny yourself.

As the disciples were proceeding on their journey someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

And to another Jesus said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Let us meditate on how Jesus taught us that denying self is not to hate ourself or to disregard our lifve, but rather, it is to get away from anything that can hurt this self and destroy this life like addictions or unhealthy relationships that become an obstacle to our holiness.

Let us pray for all those who walk on this journey to heaven, so that they may be able to discern between what hurts their self and what helps it to reach perfection.

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For Spiritual Direction

This stage goes from the moment you make your first try to stay in the “Conversion” stage to the moment you rebel at the “Conversion” stage.

 The length of this stage depends from one person to another. Some people experience Deny Yourself for more than 2 years others for less than 1 year. All people experience the end of “Deny yourself”  with a painful detachment from the “Conversion” stage.

 In this stage, Christ teaches you to deny yourself.

 Man learns how to deny himself:

 Man denies the Lord for the first time:

 Meditations: John

 The rebellion against “Conversion” stage will lead you to the next stage: “Take up your Cross”.