Deny Yourself and Follow Me Abnegation as a Liturgical Act of Love

Jesus taught that true discipleship requires denying oneself and taking up one’s cross. Christian tradition has called this practice abnegation, viewing it throughout history as central to spiritual growth. Drawing on Catholic writers from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, this book examines abnegation through the often-overlooked lens of liturgy.

Rather than seeing self-denial as simple discipline or harsh renunciation, the author presents it as an act of worship. By surrendering personal desires and uniting one’s will with Christ’s, believers participate in Christ’s own offering to the Father. In contrast to sin’s pursuit of self-glory, liturgy directs the heart toward the glory of God.

Within this liturgical framework, concepts such as abnegation, annihilation, and mortification are understood not as expressions of severity but as acts of love. Self-denial becomes a way of purifying worship and drawing closer to God, not only for monks or spiritual specialists, but for the entire Church.

Author: David W. Fagerberg / Softcover, 233 pages.