August 5

St. Oswald of Northumbria

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct" (Matthew 16: 24-27).

Without faith, this is very difficult to understand. Christ wants us to focus our lives on eternity. Getting rich for a few years is not worth losing Heaven over. Whatever you do, ask yourself if it is helping you to get closer to eternal life with God in Heaven. If not, is it worth the risk?

Jesus, give me the light to know what helps me to grow closer to You.

Impact Sports: Do I appreciate how much time and effort my coaches put into our team?

Impact Life: Can I keep myself on track or do others have to constantly remind me?