"Since the Cross of Christ is the sign of love and salvation, we should not be surprised that all true love requires sacrifice. Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice." -Blessed JP II
It's a simple enough statement, and seems pretty obvious to most practical people. Loving parenting means waking up in the middle of the night to hungry, crying, or sick children. A loving friendship means not always going to the movie or the restaurant you would prefer. Loving your family members means dealing with embarrassments and petty arguments. Love requires sacrifice in place of comfort.
It's a simple concept, but one so often forgotten. If we have nothing invested, what motive do we have to continue caring? Think about the last project you were a part of. Did you participate? Did you invest? Did you care? Most likely, you just answered all three questions with a yes or all three with a no. As humans, we are incredibly selfish. If something is bigger than us, we usually don't take interest unless we are a part of that something. Participate, invest, sacrifice, love.
This world makes it so easy to get comfortable. We have air conditioners to avoid the discomfort of sweat, music to avoid the discomfort of silence, all kinds of food to avoid the discomfort of even the slightest hunger. What we need isn't comfort; what we need is discipline. Sacrificing even the smallest things-a song on the radio, an afternoon snack-can lead us into the discomfort of discipline that we so greatly need. A hunger for the physical leads us in a special way to a hunger for the spiritual. In participating, we have something invested in what is bigger than us; we have given up comfort for love. It is no longer about us, but about our part in the Body of Christ. In giving of ourselves, we are investing and we are loving.
May we continually strive to give more each day, choosing Christ over comfort.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray that we may be more like you!
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