Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr

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.

In order to live for God, we must die to ourselves. We must be willing to give our every possession, including our lives, in order to do God's Will. This is the only way to produce the good fruit God desires from us. We cannot yield anything but the weeds of sin if we do not tend to our souls and cultivate the virtues of faith, hope, and love. If we love ourselves more than God, then we lose the light of truth, our roots wither, and we put ourselves at risk of dying a death that we can never return from. But if we are willing to sacrifice everything we are and have for God's sake or for His children, then we shall preserve our lives for eternity with the Holy Trinity. We must follow in Jesus footsteps if we want to be saved. This means living a life that is sacrificial and loving and selfless. Then and only then can we claim to be servants of God and discover the honor that comes from being a humble disciple of Christ, His Father, and the Holy Spirit.

Are we willing to die to ourselves so that we can live for God and His children? How can we prune our lives of the temptation to selfish love? What can we do to be better followers of Christ?

O Lord, we hand over our lives to you. Do with them what you will.

Amen.