Take Up Your Cross and Follow Christ
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Christ Readings Reading - Nahum 1:15; 2:2. 3:1-3. 6-7 Responsorial Psalm- Deuteronomy 32:35-36. 39-41 Alleluia - Matthew 5:10 Gospel Reading - Matthew 16:24-28 Today's readings remind us that God is the just Judge who brings down evil and delivers His people. At the same time, Jesus teaches that true victory is not found in worldly success but in faithful discipleship, even when it involves sacrifice and the Cross. In the first reading (Nahum 1:15; 2:2; 3:1–3, 6–7), the prophet Nahum announces both good news and judgment. He proclaims peace for God's people because the Lord is about to overthrow Nineveh, the proud and violent capital of Assyria. The city that oppressed others and trusted in its own power would fall because of its cruelty, injustice, and arrogance. This reading reminds us that evil and injustice never have the final word. Although the wicked may seem to prosper for a time, God sees everything. His j...