Someone once said that we spend the first quarter of our lives learning how to live. The second quarter is spent on making a living. The third quarter is spent finally in living. The fourth quarter is spent preparing for death and life everlasting.
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In today’s Gospel (Matthew 10:37-42), Jesus gives us a checklist to make sure that we are finally and really living. It can happen that we spend our whole lifetime just learning how to live, or just making a living, and we never really and truly live, and never prepare for our journey beyond the grave.
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So, when do we begin to truly live? When we become a disciple of something or someone greater than ourselves. You are not a disciple if you make yourself your own Master. Without a Master, we end up proud, shallow, and empty in the end. With a Master, we can truly live a worthwhile and meaningful life. Service, sacrifice, and sharing can make us truly live.
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SERVICE. Service is our rent for staying in this world. Some people don’t pay rent at all! They just enjoy this world, even abuse it, and never contribute to its well-being. Payback time, please! The Lord tells us: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Service for and on behalf of our Master can make all the difference in our lives.
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SACRIFICE. The world tells us to go for it, have it all, and enjoy whatever we have worked for and what is rightly ours. On the other hand, the Lord tells us to sacrifice, to let go, and to offer for the sake of the common good. The “extra mile” is where our journey really begins, and it is there, too, where grace abounds.
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SHARING. The world tells us to be wise, to be secure, to be smart, save up, and hoard as much as we can so that we will have peace, security, and prosperity in life. But, as it happens, selfish people end up worried, shallow, and empty in life. Something dies in us the moment we stop loving and sharing. On the other hand, there is a joy that this world cannot give to those who share in obedience to the will of the Master. All the service, sacrifice, and sharing (SSS) we do as disciples must be done with sincerity, with a smile, and with secrecy (SSS!)
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SINCERITY. We must be true disciples with a heart that is true. In other words, it is God’s agenda, not ours, that we do. We don’t need “plastic” disciples who pollute and who are disciples for the money and for the show.
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SMILE. God loves a cheerful giver, and God loves a grateful disciple who is willing to give an extra smile. The most effective disciples work hard, but the efficacious ones are those who know how to be humble and joyful. They are the ones who point to God, not to themselves.
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SECRET. The true disciples are those who do not show off, nor focus on themselves. They do not grab the limelight or the microphone. These are the ones who listen to God in silence, and who speak their truth quietly and clearly, with no desire for recognition, appreciation, or adulation. Yes, they say little of who loves much and speak loud of who are silent and hidden.
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Think about this: Life is not just about making money or making a name as about making a difference.
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A moment with the Lord: Lord, help us to live a life of service, sacrifice, and sharing. Amen.