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The Necessity of Self-Denial

Blog The Necessity of Self-Denial

On the Third Sunday of the Coptic month of Hatour, our Mother, the Holy Church, nourished us with a passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke 14:25-35 in which our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us that the cost of being His disciple, the cost of being a Christian in this world, is a total and complete commitment to Him. This total commitment to Christ necessarily begins with self-denial, as our Savior teaches us, “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Lk 14:27).

Self-denial, therefore, is a necessity in the life of the Christian. When people hear this word, they become frightened, because they believe self-denial leads to fatigue, temptations, and difficulties generally. To be perfectly honest, that is true, but more importantly, self-denial also leads to love, perfection, and holiness. If a person cannot learn to deny himself, he cannot love, because love by definition is sacrifice. And, tragically, if a person cannot love, he can never be holy. How can we share in the life of God Who sacrificed His own life for us if we are not able to sacrifice our own desires?

Practically speaking, this means being dedicated in our relationship with God, our Father, and the Holy Church, our Mother. It means we have to sacrifice our time in prayer and reflecting Christ’s light throughout the world. It means sacrificing bodily tiredness for the service of our brothers and sisters who could use our help. Self-denial essentially means a continual self-sacrifice to the point that it is not something we do, but rather, something we become. By God’s grace, our lives should be transformed into one continual offering to God, and only then will we understand what it really means to be human.

This type of life is not only for the holy monks and nuns, it is for every person who carries the Name of Christ, because He Himself modeled this life for us and continually shows us the way by His example. In this Fast, for example, we’re learning to eat less and pray more. We’re learning that, as a consequence of eating less, it is easier to fight against our passions, things like lust, anger, jealousy, etc. We’re learning that, instead of vegging out in front of some kind of electronic device, whether it be a television, tablet, smartphone, computer, etc., we can perhaps help out a little more at home or in our community, or share the Gospel with a friend or neighbor.

This self-denial is part of the cost of discipleship. As the saintly Russian Orthodox Metropolitan of Sourozh, Anthony Bloom, wrote in his meditations, the cost of discipleship “means a gradual overcoming of all that is self in order to grow into communion with that which is greater than self and which will ultimately displace self, conquer the ground and become the totality of life.” In other words, being a Christian is all about getting rid of the ego, the self, and making way for our Lord Jesus Christ. It is joyfully proclaiming with the Holy Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Galatians, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Ga 2:20).

As long we strive to live this kind of life, we will be close to Christ, because this is how He lived. The Holy Apostle Peter described His service in the Book of Acts: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Ac 10:38). Our Savior went about doing good, because He lived a life of self-denial. ☩

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Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles
  • Orthodoxy
    • Our Faith
      • The Creed of Faith
      • The Holy Trinity
      • The Holy Scripture
      • The Holy Tradition
      • The Holy Virgin Saint Mary
      • The Heavenly Hosts
      • The Saints
      • Back
    • Orthodox Life
      • New to Orthodoxy
      • The Orthodox Christian and Spiritual Reading
      • Back
    • Coptic Orthodox Church
      • A Brief History of the Christian Church
      • Overview of the Coptic Orthodox Church
      • Introduction to the Coptic Orthodox Church
      • History of the Coptic Orthodox Church
      • Liturgies of the Coptic Orthodox Church
      • The Feasts of the Church
      • An Introduction to Coptic Music
      • Back
    • Pope of Alexandria
      • His Holiness Pope Tawadros II
      • Pope Shenouda III of Blessed Memory
      • Papal Messages of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
      • Bishop Serapion Remembers Pope Shenouda III
      • Condolences for the Departure of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
      • Important Information Concerning the Election of the New Pope
      • Back
    • Back
  • Diocese
    • History of the Diocese
      • An Historical Perspective
      • A New Diocese and Bishop
      • The Enthronement Ceremony
      • Document for the Establishment of the Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California and Hawaii
      • Back
    • Our Hierarchs
      • His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion
        • Articles by Metropolitan Serapion
        • Pastoral and Festal Messages
        • Press Releases
        • Back
      • His Grace Bishop Abraham
      • His Grace Bishop Kyrillos
      • Back
    • Diocese Parishes
      • Parish Locator
      • Parish Directory
      • Schedule of Divine Liturgies during the Great Holy Fast 2016
      • Naming of the Churches
      • Acquiring a Church Building
      • Back
    • Diocese Clergy
      • Clergy Directory
      • Clergy Monthly Meetings
      • Clergy Theological Seminars
      • Back
    • Recent News
    • Recent Events
    • Press Releases
    • Back
  • Ministries
    • Santa Verena Charity
      • About Santa Verena Charity
      • Serve in the Santa Verena Charity
      • Sponsor a Christian Family
      • Official Website
      • Back
    • Family Services
      • Ecclesiastical Council for Family Affairs
      • Saint Monica Family Education Committee (FEC)
      • Protect Your Family on the Internet
      • Get Help Now
      • Back
    • Youth Ministry
      • Youth Spiritual Competition (YSC)
      • Mahragan Al Keraza Competition
      • Youth Retreats and Conventions
      • Youth Sports Ministry
      • Graduates and Young Professionals
      • Coptic Clubs
      • Arabic Youth Ministry
      • Back
    • Education and Learning
      • St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Theological Library
      • Coptic Educational Foundation
      • Diocese Publications
      • Coptic Schools
      • Newcomer Ministry
      • Internet Ministry
      • Back
    • Celibate Orders
      • Saint Paul Brotherhood
      • St. Paul Brotherhood Online Store
      • Santa Verena Sisterhood
      • The Life
      • Back
    • LogosTV قناة لوجوس
      • Logos TV Website
      • Back
    • Back
  • Resources
    • Articles
      • Feasts of the Church
      • Patristics
        • Conventions
        • Back
      • Spiritual Growth
      • Social Issues
      • Back
    • Resources for Deacons
      • Diocesan Rules for Deacons
      • Deacons’ Guidelines
      • How to Play the Cymbals and Triangle
      • Back
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