Falling into the earth…
Falling into the earth…
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit… And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself…” (John 12: 20-33)
Christian death is not really a taking away of a life by our Creator. Death becomes Christian when it is the surrender of a life to our Lord and Savior. Christian death does not consist in a single act of breathing our last breath. Christian death is a masterpiece that comes together after life has been lived with its various acts and decisions. As Christians, we continuously die to ourselves as we continually put our hands into things that benefit others and give glory to God. Our death is defined by how we live our lives.
We have to live life with the fullness of love and devotion, rooted in the willingness to live by life’s ultimate end which is to render service to God by serving others as we encounter them in this pilgrimage on earth. Our goal is to strive for true happiness by making others happy.
Our Christian spirituality requires that we surrender our life to God even as we live on this world, in terms of sharing our time, talent and treasure for the good of others and for the greater glory of God. As Christians, we don’t wait for death to take away the gift of life and its resources. As followers of Christ, we voluntarily give up our life and all our efforts for God. This is the meaning of our life as Christians, we gain life by losing it.
We have to learn to let the seed fall into the earth and die… We have to learn to let go of ourselves, surrendering our life to our God who has given it to us as a stewardship that has to be accounted for at the end. Life is like a loan that has to be invested in a volatile market, trusting that God is ultimate arbiter of everything that has come to be. Falling into the earth and dying… this is the meaning of Christ’s paschal mystery. Christ’s being lifted up from the earth draws us all to himself, inviting us to share the fruits of his suffering, death and resurrection.