“Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
Once again—as was already hinted at in yesterday’s reflection—the focus is on true life. From God’s perspective, true life is that which is united with Him and unfolds according to His will. Only here does life open up to its higher meaning, in which all natural obligations also take their God‑given place. However, if one does not truly encounter God, life remains limited to the natural level and does not truly awaken. This is not enough to grasp the deeper meaning of existence.
Only through an encounter with Jesus do we find the life that comes from God. In this life, we see ourselves integrated into a wise plan of salvation and called to our primary task on earth: to glorify God.
This life, which God desires to awaken, lies dormant within every person. If life is permeated by sin and occupied by secondary things, however, we must leave this life behind and seek God with all our hearts. Any clinging to the “old life” would stifle the true life from God and prevent it from entering and unfolding. This is surely what Jesus means when He speaks of losing one’s life.
However, if we leave the old life behind for His sake—that is, for our love of Him—then we gain life from God. This love for Jesus can become so great that we are even willing to die for the Lord, for Jesus’ sake, if it glorifies Him.
Here is the video featuring the words of Jesus that we meditated on today: