Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
We need to learn to follow Jesus all the way to the cross. We must hate our lives in this world the way he did. By that we understand that we must prefer God's will and life eternal to this life. It isn't about being miserable. It isn't that the harder we work and the worse we feel the happier God is. Quite the contrary.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
We plant the seed not because we long to see the seed destroyed by the soil but because we love the plant which grows from it. We delight in the fruit of that plant.
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.
We are called to go cheerfully to the cross. Saint Lawrence proves that even this is possible by grace. After he suffered a long time on a gridiron over coals he said, "It is well done. Turn me over!"
The next time the LORD calls us to plant our seed for the sake of the kingdom let us not complain. Let us ask for the grace to be cheerful givers. We obviously can't do this on our own. We can't give away the smallest thing or the least amount of time without seeming to ourselves to be the most pitiable of men. Only grace makes the yoke easy. Only God's strength makes the burden light.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
God wants to make every grace abundance for us. If we don't feel that we have an abundance for every good work this is the grace that the LORD offers us today.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
Lavishly he gives to the poor,
his generosity shall endure forever;
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