LIVE IT TODAY: Monday, February 23, 2026
Do not fear the cross before you—follow Me, and you will find the life you were made for.
LIVE IT TODAY: Monday, February 23, 2026
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NEW! Our weekly episode of the Live IT Today Podcast just dropped. This week, we enter the Transfiguration, reflect on Saints Perpetua and Felicity, and welcome Terry and Danielle Gromes of TheCanaryProject.org—bringing the daily reflection into real conversation and practical application for your marriage, family, and digital life.
GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
Do not fear the cross before you—follow Me, and you will find the life you were made for.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Luke 9:22-25
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
The way of the cross is not loss—it is alignment with eternal life.
Jesus does not soften the forecast. He will suffer, be rejected, be killed—and be raised. The path of redemption moves through pain, not around it. Resurrection is promised, but the cross is not skipped.
Then the invitation widens: “If anyone wishes to come after me.” Discipleship is voluntary but total. The phrase “deny himself” does not mean self-hatred; it means renouncing self-sovereignty. To deny oneself is to refuse the lie that we are our own saviors.
“Take up his cross daily.” In the first century, a cross was not a metaphor for inconvenience; it was an instrument of execution. Jesus is not exaggerating. He is inviting His followers to die to pride, control, comfort, and ego every single day.
The paradox is sharp. Whoever saves his life will lose it. The instinct to preserve reputation, security, and preference shrinks the soul. But whoever loses life for Christ’s sake discovers the deeper self God designed.
This strikes at the heart of the domestic church. Marriage, parenthood, caregiving—these are arenas of daily dying and rising. When we cling to our rights, resentment grows. When we surrender in love, grace multiplies.
The world measures profit in possession and applause. Jesus measures profit in fidelity and communion. To gain the world but forfeit the soul is the ultimate bankruptcy.
The cross accepted with Christ becomes the doorway to joy. The cross resisted becomes a chain.
Build saint-forming homes by embracing daily sacrifice as the path to holiness, pray over your children by name that they may learn courage through surrender, and act boldly in the power of the Holy Spirit, teaching your family that losing life for Christ is the only way to truly live.
“By his obedience unto death, Jesus accomplished the substitution of the suffering Servant, who ‘makes himself an offering for sin’, when ‘he bore the sin of many’, and who ‘shall make many to be accounted righteous’, for ‘he shall bear their iniquities’.” (CCC 615)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: What comfort or control is Jesus inviting me to surrender today?
In My Home: How are we modeling joyful sacrifice rather than reluctant compliance?
In My World: Where might I be chasing worldly gain at the expense of eternal identity?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one small sacrifice you can offer for love this week.
Then pray together aloud. As parents, place a hand on each person and pray over them by name, asking that they know God’s love personally, be freed from the Enemy’s lies about comfort and control, be strengthened to overcome temptation, and be filled with courage to follow Jesus faithfully.
Daily Challenge: Choose one concrete act of self-denial today and offer it quietly for someone you love.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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