Jesus offers the perfection of his heavenly Father as a norm for our Christian life, and engages us in an intense struggle against sin in order to destroy in us its deepest roots and even its slightest traces.
This is what Jesus teaches in these few short words: “deny yourself.” We must deny “self” with all its imperfect habits and inclinations; and we must do so continually.
Such a task is fatiguing and painful, but it is indispensable if we wish to attain sanctity. Jesus says: “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Mt 7:14).
Insist strongly on detachment and self-renunciation as the indispensable foundation of the spiritual life.
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