The following homily was preached by Deacon Donald Massoud on
Sunday, September 10 at St. Anthony of the Desert Maronite Church in Fall
River, MA.
St. Paul tells us that the Cross is foolishness and a stumbling block
to some, but to us who believe it is the sign of salvation (cf. 1 Cor 1: 18 –
15). It is beyond the logic of some who consider their wisdom and knowledge
equal to God to understand that Christ had to die for our sins in order to
provide us with the hope of salvation.
In today’s Gospel (Jn 12: 20 -32), Jesus says, “whoever loves his
life will lose it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it
for eternity”. He goes on to say, Whoever serves me must
follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor
whoever serves me.
The
phrase to “to lose one’s life” means to die; so Christ is calling us to come
and die. He is not calling us to improve our earthly lives in comfort and
wealth, but to let go of everything and discover authentic life – life in
Christ Jesus.
The
death to which we are called may not be the death of our bodies but the death
of our old selves and coming alive into Christ’s way of living. It may be the
death of our ways of thinking and wanting that do not reflect the life of
Christ. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul tells us, “Do not be conformed
to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you
may discern the will of God” (cf Rom 12:2).
The
struggle between seeing life through the eyes of the world and seeing it
through the eyes of Christ is not easy. Jesus’ vision often seems peculiar,
while the world’s makes sense. “Be all that you can be!” “Live life to the
fullest!” “Enjoy the good life!”
Many
of us long to have good things in life, knowing full well that they can neither
satisfy nor really give life in all its fullness. Christ calls us to stay with
the struggle and trust that true life comes from Him. The world’s vision is
captured in words like: buy, shop, have, eat, acquire, accumulate, consume. But
Jesus asks, What profit would there be for one to gain the
whole world and forfeit his life? (Mt 16: 26).
We
are watching the terrible devastation in Florida. The governor was begging the
people to obey the direction to evacuate. He told them, “we can help you
restore your houses, but we cannot restore your lives”. The horror and
sadness of those people who have lost not only all their material goods but
also those of sentimental value has been very difficult to watch.
However,
transformed into the mind of Christ, those words of acquisition are replaced by
words like, “offer, serve, feed, and give”. Those who want to save their lives
will lose it. Christ promises, “and those who lose their lives for My sake will
find it”. Life is found in giving and serving because these actions best
reflect God’s image in our lives.
This
runs against the voices that want us to acquire, to hold on to, voices that are
sometimes so overwhelming that they are hard to ignore. This was demonstrated
clearly in the hurricane reporting. After watching cars jammed up on highways
or waiting in line for gasoline and people huddled in shelters, we have a
commercial telling us which car to buy, where to go on our next cruise, and how
to stay well groomed and well dressed.
Christ’s
invitation to us is for us to let go of our need to get, buy, keep, and
accumulate and embrace the desire to give, feed and serve. It is also His promise
to us for eternal life.