forgetting oneself - thursday after ash wednesday 2019

In this season of lent it might be good that we will take a specific virtue to develop so that we can grow in virtue and in character as followers of Jesus

The first virtue is self-denial.  It has been said, and rightly so, that the greatest enemy for our growth as disciples is our own selves.  I am my greatest enemy.  You are your greatest enemy.  Why? Because the self would always insists that he should be loved more than any other, he should be favored more than any other, honored more than any other.  The self would always like to be the winner, the greatest, and the champion of all.  The self would even insist that its needs should be catered to, its desires should be fulfilled, its wants should be provided.  And the self wants these immediately.  This is called self-centeredness.

Jesus provides today the anti-dote."If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself.”  We call this self-denial.  Better still we call it, forgetting oneself.

For example, if I am corrected and inwardly I want to fight back and even reason out, I will choose to forget myself today and shut my mouth bisan daw na-ugot-ugot pa ako.  For example, I want to do something else but then I was told to do this.  I want to protest but then instead of doing so I follow silently and quietly.  If you were not acknowledged today, congratulate yourself quietly despite your feelings to the contrary.  Now circumstances are forcing you to forget yourself.  If you did not make it to number one today, well and good.  Subong may oportunidad ikaw nga mangin kulihot and the opportunity to deny yourself the pleasure of being number one.  

Some of us go to the gym to train our muscles, to acquire physical health and even to look good.  Now in lent we have the opportunity to train instead our souls, to hone our character, to exercise our spirit so that God will be pleased with us.  Self-denial helps us to think of others first, to think of others more, to live for God and neighbors, instead of working to make ourselves the center of the universe.  So today the first exercise is self-denial.  Self-denial is always the first lesson in order to become a loving person like Jesus.