Clinging

Before you begin: Please read the Introduction — How to Practice the Gospel Exercises

Reflection on (Mark 8:32–33; Mark 8:34–38; Luke 9:23–25; Luke 9:26; John 12:24–26)

Prayer

Holy Spirit, grant me freedom from clinging to myself and to the things of this world. Teach me to deny myself and to embrace the cross with trust that in Christ there is true life. Lead me with the courage to lose, so that I may find.

Amen.

Reflection

Jesus speaks plainly: “Whoever wants to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23) Yet in each of us there is a temptation: we want to follow Jesus—but on our own terms. And so we cling: to comfort, security, recognition, success, youth, health… and often even to life itself.

This is why Peter’s reaction is so revealing. When Jesus openly speaks about suffering and rejection, Peter tries to stop him. But Jesus responds sharply: “Get behind me, Satan! You are not thinking the way God thinks, but the way human beings think.” (Mark 8:33) This shows that clinging to human values can become an obstacle to God’s will—even when it seems reasonable or “pious” on the surface.

Jesus says: “Whoever loves his life will lose it. Whoever hates his life for my sake will keep it.” (John 12:25) This is not a call to self-hatred, but to freedom from attachment. Like a grain of wheat: if it does not fall into the earth and die, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears a harvest. (John 12:24) It is precisely in “letting go” that fruitfulness is born.

Clinging to the world, to our own control, or to a good name robs us of real life. “What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25) Whoever is ashamed of Christ because of the opinion of the world is, in reality, afraid of losing respect and comfort. (Luke 9:26)

Yet Jesus gives a promise: “Where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:26) What we receive in Christ is greater than anything we could lose.

Following Jesus, then, is not a romantic idea but a radical path. It leads through death—not always physical, but always spiritual: death to our ego, to our own plans, and to what we cling to. And it is precisely in this death that new life is born.

Discernment

Let us reflect: What do I cling to in my life? Which securities, comforts, or self-images do I protect so strongly that they keep me from following Jesus fully? Where am I afraid to lose—so that I risk never finding true life?

Let us recall concrete moments when we chose safety over the courage of faith, or when we were ashamed to acknowledge him so that we could keep the respect of others.

In prayer, let us entrust to Christ the things we cling to—our certainties, dreams, and control. Let us ask him for the courage to lose, so that we may find more in him.

Resolution

In the coming week, I will pay attention to where I hold on to things that keep me from freely following Jesus. When I notice that I cling to comfort, recognition, or control, I will make a deliberate step of faith—I will let it go and say:
“Lord, I belong to You. You are my life.”

Prayer

Our Father…