Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to 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.”
A grain of wheat gives life
1. Dies. You and I know that there are things we must die to, but for something greater. This entails dying to personal whims, like for example a mother who’d like to sit down and watch a TV program, but her children ask her to help them with their homework at that very moment. That’s dying to oneself for others. Or like that father or mother who has to go to work to provide for their family. I’ve even met people who look for a second job, working almost 18 or 20 hours a day in times of need. That is also dying. There are many ways to die in order to live and give life. What do you die to in order to help the life of others? Could you mention 3 things that you’ve died to for others?
2. Whoever loves himself. Narcissism leads to always desiring to be in the spotlight and wanting everything to revolve around oneself. When people are narcissistic they are too full of their own importance and don’t care about the feelings of others, so they easily “destroy” them. Those people like to show off, they like to shine, and they want to feel they’re above others, even destroying people who are close to them. Narcissists don’t care about the price they have to pay in order to show off. They like to have everything and not lose anything; they’re only interested in being full and don’t want to feel that they are short of anything. They are even capable of betraying others, lying and hurting the people that love them, in order to show a powerful image. But deep down, even if they show off, they are lonely and empty.
3. To serve. God invites you to serve, to give yourself to others. There is no better remedy against narcissism than works of charity. I assure you that if you do charity work with your children or close ones, you’ll be able to overcome the narcissism that hides within all of us. Visiting the sick or the elderly or feeding the hungry are remedies to overcome that need to show off. So, come on! Think of what you want to do and set out to do it. Don’t lie to yourself, make a commitment and honor it, do it out of love.
Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
