Matter of Life and Death

Matter of Life and Death. In Scripture, we hear a lot about dying to ourselves. We are commanded to do it and told it is essential for life. So, what does that actually mean? What is dying to ourselves? Is there a value in suffering for the sake of suffering? No! The power and beauty of suffering come by enduring the pain and suffering of this life by joining it to the suffering of Christ.

As baptized members of His Body, we die with Him and rise with Him to know life. In this way, death is active, not passive. It’s staying connected to the Lord by actively and consciously uniting our pain to His. We are called to die to sin and selfishness by embracing our crosses for the love of Him as He embraced the Cross for the love of us. That union with Him – the Divine Indwelling of the Holy Trinity gives us the power to go through anything.

How are you planning to die today? How am I planning to die today? – Rather than planning to please ourselves, we can plan how to let His Spirit and grace flow through us. That’s how we can be conduits of grace rather than consumed with ourselves. It allows us to become more and more transformed into Him. We can suffer on our own, but in doing it in union with Jesus, we are able to grow into deeper spiritual maturity.

It’s more a matter of how we do what we do. It doesn’t matter if we are called to a life of ministry. Going the extra mile above and beyond the call of duty in whatever it is, we do we die to our plans and our convenience and are able to be Jesus to others in very simple and practical ways.

There’s a joy that comes from doing these things. We are physically made for these things to feel good! Oxytocin – one of the feel-good hormones – is released when we minister to others, are ministered to, or even witness someone else minister to another.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Living to die to ourselves brings the deep joy for which we are made. St. Francis of Assisi said that when we do these things, the second death will do us no harm. We will already be fitted for Heaven!

Matter of Life and Death