Aug 6 Wed
Should I be afraid of death?
A doctor of the Law asked Jesus: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Lk 10:25). Those words express a constant desire in our life: our yearning for salvation, for an existence free from failure, evil, and death: happiness. This is the most important concern, what gives meaning to everything else.
This hope of the human heart is described as something to be “inherited”, not something to be gained by force, begged for, or negotiated. Eternal life, which God alone can give, is bestowed on us as an inheritance, as parents do with their children.
That is why Jesus tells us that, to receive this gift of God, we must do his will. It is written in the Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,” and “your neighbor as yourself” (Lk 10:27; Deut 6:5; Lev 19:18). When we do these two things, we respond to the Father’s love.
God follows this rule. Thus, He loved us first, unconditionally, in his Son, Jesus.
Am I willing to receive God’s Love as my inheritance as his child?
Jesus shows us the meaning of authentic love for God and for others. A love that goes to the point of forgetting about ourselves, without limits, and must grow constantly with acts of service. It is a love that is generous, not possessive; a love that forgives without question; a love that reaches out and never abandons others.
We must never think that we are loving enough. If we began measuring and limiting our love, it would have begun to die; we would not be loving God above everything.
It is worthwhile to leave everything behind for this love; it is a love that never disappoints. One may seek somebody’s love and never find it. Did anyone seek God sincerely and never find Him?
In Christ, God made himself a neighbor to each and every man and woman. That is why each of us can and should become a neighbor to all whom we meet. Imitating the example of Jesus, the Savior of the world, we too are called to bring consolation and hope, above all to those who are experiencing discouragement and disappointment.
To live eternally, we do not need to cheat death, but to serve life by loving God and caring for others in this, our time. Do not be afraid of death; rather, live your life as God wants you to do. That is the supreme law that is before all society’s rules and gives them their meaning.
Let us ask the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, to help us open our hearts to God’s will, which is always a will of saving love. In this way, we will become artisans of peace every day of our lives.