“Living for More Than Ourselves”
Praise God. Praise be to Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen
Come Holy Spirit Come.
My mother is in her middle 80's and despite pain insists on getting her hair fixed, putting on makeup, and dressing well. I ask her, “Why do you go through all this effort when no one’s coming?”
She said, “Today, someone might need me.”
That kind of self-forgetful love is rare. But that’s exactly the kind of readiness Peter and Paul lived. They didn’t wait for a perfect moment to serve—they lived every day as if someone might need the Gospel they carried. Because someone always does.
Peter, the impetuous fisherman, leapt at Christ’s call. When Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?”—Peter didn’t hesitate. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It was bold. It was raw. And it came from a place of deep conviction, not comfort. Jesus looked into his heart and saw a rock—a foundation on which He would build His Church.
Then there's Paul. A man who once hunted Christians with fury. But a collision with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus shattered that life, and something new broke forth. Paul poured every ounce of himself into proclaiming Christ—because he had come to believe with every fiber of his being that Christ alone was worth everything.
And that’s the crux of it: they lived for something beyond themselves.
In a culture that tells us to follow our hearts, prioritize self-care, and chase personal happiness, Peter and Paul remind us of a radical truth: discipleship is not about us. It's about surrender. It's about love. And love, real love, will cost us something.
Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the Gospel.” That call isn’t just for Peter or Paul. It’s for you. It’s for me. It’s an invitation to break free from lives centered on self and move toward lives that echo Christ.
Discipleship means recognizing that every situation, every struggle, every moment of beauty and pain is an invitation—a chance to love deeper, forgive more freely, and serve more fully. It’s waking up each morning and asking, “Lord, not what I want, but what You will. Not what makes me comfortable, but what brings You glory.”
It’s not easy. We will carry crosses. We will meet resistance. But Saint Paul reminds us, “The sufferings of this present time are nothing compared to the glory to be revealed in us.” That promise lights the fire of our endurance.
So the question becomes: are we content with speaking about the Gospel from a distance? Or are we, like Peter and Paul, willing to burn with it—enough to change our plans, our comforts, and even our reputation for the sake of someone else’s soul?
Being Catholic isn’t about having the right opinions. It’s about becoming the kind of person whose very life speaks, “Jesus is Lord.” Not halfway. Not someday. But all-in, right now.
Let us pray for the courage to live that way—to set our comfort aside and step into the adventure of self-giving love. Because in the end, when we give our lives fully to Christ, we don't lose ourselves. We find our true selves.
Be good, be holy. Fully give yourself, proclaiming the “Good News” of Jesus Christ, By the way, you live your life and love one another.
Praise God. Praise be to Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.
