Fr. Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on the  Gospel of Sunday, August 30, 2026  entitled, “Whoever wants to come with me must deny himself.”

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The Word  that the Lord gives us today invites us, as always, to conversion.  It invites us to discover  what it means to be Christian .

Last Sunday, we heard in the Gospel that question from Jesus:  “But who do you say that I am?”  This question invited you to ask yourself: Who is Jesus in your life? To  ask yourself if Jesus Christ is truly the Lord of your life, of  your entire  life.

Today, in case we weren’t already clear, the Word continues to elaborate on this topic, and in a very forceful way tells us that  you cannot live simply letting yourself be carried away by the desires of your heart,  deeply wounded by original sin. Many things appear in your heart that are not good; but, in addition, things appear that, although not bad in themselves, are not what the Lord wants for you.

And that is why  being a Christian means denying yourself and following Jesus wherever He wants you to go:  That is the daily struggle, a difficult one. So difficult that Peter, driven by his good intentions and love for Jesus Christ, tries to dissuade Him from going to Jerusalem; but going to Jerusalem where Jesus is to be crucified is the Father’s will.

And Peter receives a very harsh response from Jesus: ”  Get behind me,  Satan !  You don’t think like God, you think like men .”

Being a Christian is not about  giving in to the desires that arise in your heart, nor is it  about following the world’s lifestyle . Saint Paul also told us this in the second reading: ”  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is”  ( Romans  12:2). It’s not enough to say, “Everyone lives like that.” That’s not the criterion. The criterion is what the Lord wants from you, how the Lord wants you to live.

And that’s why  being a Christian means asking the Lord, “How do you want me to live today?”  Everything is meant to be placed under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

This is the path of life , a path that is not easy, a path that involves a daily struggle with the Lord. Like Jeremiah’s experience: ”  You seduced me, Lord, and I let myself be seduced; you were stronger than I and you overcame me.”

Jeremiah experiences a struggle there, because our old self is within us and often protests. We all have this experience, and every day we must invoke the Holy Spirit, we must ask for God’s grace to remain faithful to Jesus Christ.

To be a Christian  is to live a love story with the Lord :  and love demands and gives  everything . We cannot love God only when it suits us and when it suits us: it leads us to give everything.

Come Holy Spirit!  (cf.  Lk  11:13).