Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“The Father will honor whoever serves me.”

 

Gospel Reading: 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.”

 

What does it mean to serve God?  Today’s gospel reading (John 12:24-26) is the parable about the seed. Jesus compares our spiritual life to a grain of wheat.  For a plant to prosper, it must die. In the process of dying, it produces seeds for new life. If these seeds fall to earth, they will produce many new plants. This message was a foretelling of the pending fate of Jesus. He would have to die on the cross and be buried in the earth before he could rise from the dead and become our savior. Jesus is the ultimate seed of new life. He knew that our salvation over sin was through his death on the cross. Jesus defeated sin by dying on the cross. We too are called to “die” to ourselves so we can “rise” in the new life of the Holy Spirit. In this paradox, death leads to life. So what does this really mean? It means that we must kill those things in our life which opposes the will of God. We must experience self denial and sacrifice before we can enjoy the resurrection in the Kingdom of heaven. We must be willing to take our sins to the cross. If we die to our sins and those things that cause us to sin, we will become fruitful in God. Jesus blesses those who sacrifice. We must die through mortification before we can yield a most blessed harvest.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Most Heavenly Father, I offer up my sins and my sinful ways.

Let me die to those ways which kill my soul.

Give me new life in your ways.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon