Remembrance of Self-Sacrifice: a call to live Christ
This week has included our remembrance of the tragedy that struck our nation 14 years ago on September 11, 2001. It affected and changed the world. We honor the thousands of innocent lives lost as a result of the terrorist attacks. Our remembrance includes those who heroically sacrificed their lives attempting to save others. We also honor the families and loved ones with our prayers.
And as you know, today we honor our city and county—police, firefighters, sheriff’s department, paramedics, Volunteers, and other officials involved with emergency readiness and protective service to our community. They deserve our thanks and prayers for their dedication to serve us and all of the community.
Many of our civil servants risk their lives and sacrifice greatly. Let us remember them not only today but daily in our prayers along with all of our military personnel and their loved ones. How blessed we are by the willingness of thousands in our nation who serve our needs for safety and protection.
Such a witness of service for the good of others includes a paradox that our faith and relationships can teach us-that happiness includes self-sacrifice. A mindset that is basically self-centered cannot understand self-sacrifice. Those of you who are raising a family know that real love demands selflessness– includes personal sacrifice—daily. You sacrifice for the good of others-out of love not from resentment or ego need.
Our faith beliefs and our life experiences also remind us that life cannot be fully lived without self-sacrifice and compromise. Faith-formation-family-witness and moral-development are all linked and based upon giving up something for the good of others.
We teach our children and youth to be socially conscience and in parochial schools and religion classes we teach that such a social responsibility is based on the moral teachings of Jesus who calls us to do for others. The attitudes with which we are unselfish and compromise, forms our daily view of all of life—and of our “self” and one another.
The reality of self-sacrifice as a part of daily life is best summed up by Jesus. He certainly makes that clear once again, in the gospel of Mark for this 24th Sunday.
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny them self, take up their cross, and follow me.”
The Lord is telling us that the cross of self-sacrifice is a condition of a life in faith. We will never get an answer as to why life must include a cross of innocent suffering. However, Jesus will always teach us how to endure our suffering by the way we imitate his sacrificial love with “our cross”.
Now I’m not saying seek the cross, or that we are to be masochistic, nor are we to live in situations of abuse—that would be criminal–sinful. But how we live with the cross of sacrifice can make life easier and oddly make it more joyful—if we partner our cross with the Lord—follow him by offering our suffering for the good of others—freely from love. That’s the Old Catholic spiritual exercise of offering it up! “Lord I endure this suffering for the good of others and offer my suffering to help lessen your burden.”
Strangely, we find inner peace when we surrender our suffering for the good of others through Jesus—putting our faith into works. A guide for our behavior and compassionate sacrifice is also in our gospel for today. Jesus asked Peter “…who do you say that I am?”
Jesus reminds us that before teaching or preaching to others about him, we must know him well and live him. Such a relationship and formation requires us to have a daily personal inventory. Do my choices include what is beneficial to others as well?
That loving like Christ —love for the good of others. Those of you who are married certainly know sacrificial love and how love grows with such sacrifices. Those first years of marriage without children offer a greater ability to be present just for each other.
Then when children come that time goes to them and you recognize that you sacrifice more for your children with the growing responsibilities. The division of labor is not always equitable and requires self-sacrifice: who is doing the drop off and pick up, who is taking the dry cleaning, groceries, getting dinner-all the details.
Often couples tell me that as marriage and children require more self-sacrifice they experience a greater love for one another—the bond of faith in one another grows. Sacrificial love includes some of you who are taking care of a husband or wife who is sick. Single people also learn to live sacrificial love in many moments of life for parents who are elderly and sick or siblings or friends in need.
There are many examples of self-sacrificing love that answer the question Jesus asks: Who do you say that I am? How we respond affects how we love, live, pray, make decisions, and form relationships—it is also how we put our faith into works.