UNLESS WE DIE

There is no harvest without death.

We must fall to the ground.

We must lose our life in this world.

we must follow Jesus' footsteps.

Notes taken from Homily by the Most Rev Honesto F Ongtioco, DD, Bishop of the Diocese of Cubao, Philippines

8 Oct 2022 Saturday, Church of the Gesu, Ateneo de Manila University, The Philippines

@ the Ordination to the Diaconate of Bro Zacchaeus Okoth Oduor, MCSPA (and companions)

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GOSPEL -  John 12:24-26  THE GRAIN OF WHAT

Unless the wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat, but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

Notes taken at homily:

In life, we try to do so much of what we want to do for God, by ourselves.  

• Our motives are right, are hearts are right, our plans are made with prayer, the problem is we sometimes end up doing everything except the crucial thing - we are not willing to die.
• Our identities get involves in pulling off our plans, our hopes and our feelings about Christian service get tangled up in the success of our plans.  

Jesus reminds us there is no harvest without death.  

• The seed has to be planted and die before it can germinate, grow and bear fruit.

• When Jesus invites us to follow him,  He really means "be like me, think, speak, serve and love like me, be ready to die".
• Jesus submitted his everything, including his fears and his friends to the will of God.  It cost him his life. 

We are called to serve

• The real servant serves Jesus and no one else, not even himself. 
• The servant forgets himself, that is, he loses his own life for the sake of Christ.
• Life is not about what we do for others, it is about what we do for God and for others.

Three concrete ways of losing our lives in order to produce much fruit

1. We must fall to the ground
• We must die to ourselves, which necessitates being transformed continually through self introspection and determination to confirm our thoughts,  our words and our deeds to Jesus. 
• We must be humble. 
• Self transformation is painful but it is the only way by which we can become true witnesses and followers of Christ.
  
  
2. We must lose our life in this world
• We must go out of our comfort zones and immerse ourselves in meditation, prayer and in actual services to people, especially the poor, the needy and the opposed. 
• It is a fact that when serving others, we will experience difficulties and sometimes even opposition. 
• Be strong and be determined to do the will of God.
  
  
3. We must follow what Jesus is
• Jesus reaches out to people wherever they were.  He went to the Customs post when he called Matthew.  He looked up to Zacchaeus who climbed a Sycamore tree and told him that he will go to his house.  Jesus went to different places, like at the sea, on a mountain, to preach to people.   
• He walked his talk, and listened to people as he journeyed to them. 
• Jesus lived synodality, He was faithful to his mission until the end.

Jesus came into the world to give us an example what it is like to be a humble servant.  We are asked to to fear losing our lives because with Jesus death leads to life.

The Lord has loved us first

• He sought us out first, he was generous to us. 
• Be generous in return.
• Our vocation is his gift to us, our commitment is our gift to him. 
• Give ourselves and our ministries completely, holding nothing back, keep nothing for ourselves.

The Gospel challenges us to love and to serve like Jesus.  Let our love be constant, faithful and persevering until the end.