Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.” JN 12:24-26
Feast of St. Lawerence
Jesus sums up a crucial point for day to day living to receive the ultimate goal, heaven (Become a saint!). This means heaven is attainable and we can even be holy right here right now. How? Die to self by giving up human desires that are against the will of God which requires discipline, self-control, prayer, God’s grace in the sacraments, making sacrifices, suffering (don’t forget to offer it up for grace) and creating good habits (virtues). The devil wants us to believe God is taking away our fun. Jesus never said we cannot fulfill human desires, but we cannot overindulge.
Jesus says we must serve Him and “the Father will honor whoever serves me.” We know in the works of mercy Jesus says we will find Him in the sick, dying, poor, prisoner, homeless, those on the fringes of society. These are the people He spent substantial time with while on earth. He was trying to teach us something. We also serve Him by following the commandments, loving God and loving neighbor and self. Then, at the Last Supper Jesus says “you are no longer my servants but my friends, love one another”. This is the pathway to heaven.
Today’s challenge: How can we serve in day to day living? Offer a hand with the dishwasher, cooking, cleaning, laundry, especially if it is not a chore you are required to do. Get off your phone and video games and talk to your parents and brothers and sisters. Do something together as a family. Cook together, eat together, clean it up together. Go with your parents to do stewardship for your parents or get involved in CYM/Junior CYM. Help out your neighbors especially if they are elderly, mowing, shoveling driveways, picking up limbs, walking their dog, getting their mail. Write a letter to someone saying how much they mean to you. Invite someone to go to Church with you. Look up a charity that interests you and see if you can do anything to help.
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
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