“Our Savior says, “you cannot be my disciple unless you ‘Deny yourself,   take up your cross and follow Me!’  How do we respond to these three commands?  This seems to be the definitive test for discipleship. Within these three commands are found the answer to our most penetrating question: Am I really a follower of Jesus Christ, am I really His disciple? Or am I just playing a game with myself, pretending to be something that I really am not? Am I living an authentic Christian life? Am I fulfilling what I was created to be—a human being made in the image and likeness of God?”
(Homily at Holy Cross Hermitage Monastery in WV)