From the Friars: The Joy of Self-Denial
In today’s Gospel Jesus makes a comparison of His Passion with that of a grain of wheat which falls to the ground and dies to produce fruit. After this comparison He adds a detail which helps us to understand the meaning of our own existence, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life” (John 12:25). Many times, when listening to passages like this, we might find it difficult to accept the full message of the Gospel, because the full message of the Gospel is always centered on the sacrifice of the Cross.
We live in a materialistic society which teaches us that happiness comes from power, pleasure, and possessions and that it does not matter how we obtain these because the only thing that matters is happiness in this life. Sadly, the desire for power and personal advantage, uncontrolled materialism, and the idea that this world is an end in itself have led us all to vanity, selfishness, self-satisfaction and false greatness. However, the Gospel tells us that if we do not die to ourselves by changing our lives, accepting the Cross daily, dying to our selfishness and our vices, we will lose our life. If we do not die like the wheat, we will not produce fruit.
Saint Paul tells us, “You should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires” (Eph 4:22). He tells us that our old self is the source of our sinfulness, our disordered passions, and our refusal to follow the Lord which is to say our unhappiness. The Catechism teaches us, “The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes…” (CCC 2015).
In these final weeks of Lent, let us live the virtue of self-denial with joy. Self-denial should never make us sad, we must accept it and live it with courage, daring, and joy. For self-denial is essential to help us overcome our earthly desires, to give ourselves to others out of love, and to break our self-love.
Behind voluntary self-denial is true, liberating and sacrificial love.
Br. Juan Diego