“Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me.”
As we enter the fifth week of Lent, we are getting closer to Holy Week and the Crucifixion of our Lord. Over the past five weeks, we may have struggled with our Lenten duties, and some of us may not have made it up to now. To some people, this may show our human weaknesses and failings. However, to God, it shows our love and striving to follow Jesus.
St. Francis of Assisi shows us how to live like Jesus. Born into a somewhat wealthy family, he never suffered for money, food, shelter, partying or friends. His family were well-to-do merchants, and Francis would one day take over the family business.
As it turned out, it wouldn’t happen. Francis left that life behind to follow Jesus and truly live like Jesus. He gave up everything he had. Most of us will not be so willing to give up our lives as we know them, like Francis lived and followed Jesus.
Every generation brings its own selfish acts of charity, and these acts of charity can be all about vanity. Lent is not about a person’s vanity or ego. Lent is about getting closer to Jesus. Ego does not bring us closer to Jesus and is not for the glory of Jesus; this type of self-glory is for ourselves.
We need to keep the focus on what we need from Jesus: salvation, forgiveness, peace, love, and so much more. When we keep our Lenten promises, we must remember that we do this for the glory of God, not for our glory.
My own Lenten practices from past years were strictly from the standpoint of being part of the crowd. At the company I worked for, the Ladies in the office all decided one year to start doing Lent. We all proudly said what we were going to give up. A couple said they were giving up chocolate, another fast food, another candy. I decided to give up coffee. I now realize I didn’t do it for Jesus; I did it only because I was drinking 20 cups of coffee and found out that was a dangerous amount to drink.
Yes, for my lent, it wasn’t necessarily about health reasons but more for my ego. I didn’t want to be the only one not doing something. I also wasn’t doing it for the glory of Jesus; no, that didn’t even enter my mind. I wanted to prove something to the ladies that I could do this where the others failed. It was pure ego on my part.
What happens to us when we hate our lives as the lection states? Removing vanity and ego gives us a new perspective from “what I want” to “what God wants.” Shifting the focus from us to him.
When we “hate” our lives, we can eliminate what is unnecessary and put the focus directly on God.
Like St. Francis, by giving up the luxuries and chachkas we have acquired or want, we are free to focus on Jesus. We can pray, pray the rosary, and do charitable work. Our focus then shifts by following Jesus wholly and freely and going from “what do I want” to “what does God want.”
By following Jesus and his teachings, we grow closer to him and develop a deeper and stronger love for Him. We are not doing this for our glory but for the glory of Jesus, for our salvation, to grow our faith, and to commit to God. Following Jesus deepens our strength, love, and commitment to him.
Jesus is about to die and asks us to follow and be like him. He will die on the cross for us, for our sins, and our salvation. All we have to do is give our thanks, accept him as our Lord and follow his teachings.
So, when we consider the Crucifixion and Jesus on the cross, and what it means to us, let us focus on following him and make God our priority, instead of our desires.
Amen
