Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 12, 24-26
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.”
The process of letting go to gain
1. ‘If I don’t die, I remain alone.’ I could say that today we will be talking about the process of narcissistic people – those who like to have all the spotlights pointed on them. Those people always like to show off, they like to shine, and they want to be above others. They always want to have the last word. Narcissistic people like to have everything and not lose anything; they are only interested in being full and do not want to feel that they are short of something. They hate to feel some sort of need. They are so selfish that they want things only for themselves. But deep down, even if they show off, they are lonely and empty.
2. ‘Being ‘alone.’ When you do not learn to take risks for what you love, for what you want, for what you feel, when you do not go “all in” to life, you end up being left alone. I am thinking of people who, for fear of married life or priesthood, stay with their parents their entire life, because they feel comfortable in their parents’ house. I’m thinking of people who do not live up to the adventure of life; they do not take risks to live their life to the fullest. And so, they end up being left alone. Life demands risks. It’s learning to let go and learning to try. I understand that you might feel fear, but it is something that sooner or later you have to face. We go through different stages in life and at every stage there is a test you must overcome. If you are alone (in the sense of negative loneliness) – and forgive me for saying so, we might disagree on this – if you are alone today, it is because you want to, or because it is the effect of your fear of not letting go. If you complain of being alone, do not blame God for that.
3. ‘Honor.’ Today, God shows you that if your life is based on serving, you will never be alone. A person who has a positive vision of life and serves others will never be alone. There is something divine inside you that allows you to fight and confront your fears. I call that faith: faith in God, but also faith in yourself. Believe in yourself, come back to your essence, and let go of everything you are not. It is letting go to gain. Take care of your integrity and your honor. Your honor is to keep your feet on the ground knowing who you are and that what is around you will not change you. The circumstances of life, whatever they may be, do not control you, but, rather, by knowing who you are, you can change what is around you. Come on! Take the plunge! Jump in at the deep end! I assure you that you will be able to swim!
Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
