By: Dcn. Pasquale Coccimiglio (Sleeping Giant TEC)
Before Jesus began His ministry on earth, He spent forty days in the desert fasting, praying, and facing temptation from the devil. His journey through the desert provides us with a marvelous example of what we too must do in order to fulfill our mission here on earth. We must die to ourselves, to our greed, our selfishness, and our own will. In doing so, we allow God’s will to lead us through our journey of life. We can only accomplish this through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
This in essence is the invitation and opportunity that Lent provides us with. What do we do with this invitation? When we receive an invitation, we are given an opportunity to respond, to RSVP our willingness to attend. We can always say “no”, but a “yes” can help lead us to that most special moment in our lives when we get closer to Jesus and allow Him to guide our journey in this life. Our response can, and often does, change our lives and the lives of those around us. There are countless examples in scripture of how a “yes” to God have changed not only individual lives, but in some cases, the direction of history itself. The one that stands out for me, in particular, is Mary’s “yes” to the Angel Gabriel. Mary put God’s will ahead of hers; we all know where her “yes” led the course of the world. The forty days of Lent are an opportunity for each one of us to die to ourselves and allow God’s will for each of us to take hold of our lives so that we can become the best version of ourselves and glorify God our Father.
But dying to ourselves is not at all doom and gloom. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Jesus told us that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains but only one grain. But if it dies, it will create new life and a multitude of fruits. Each of us is like a grain of wheat planted by God Himself. What is Jesus calling you to die to? We must die to ourselves in order to bear the fruits of God’s love. This is a gradual process, and it happens in small ways. Every act of humility involves dying to our own pride. Every act of courage involves dying to our cowardice. Every act of kindness involves dying to cruelty. Every act of love involves dying to our selfishness. Our false self dies, and our true self, the one made in God’s image, is born to a new and eternal life.
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ died, only to rise again. Our faith offers us hope in that very resurrection for ourselves. St. Paul says, “Faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.” Jesus’ love for us resulted in His dying on the cross for our sins. His death resulted in His rising to eternal life. Our “yes” to Him, our dying to self, our doing God’s will, offers us the same glory of eternal life with our Father in heaven. Rejoice and be glad! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
May each of you have a happy and glorious Easter.
