“ For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many” ( Mk 10:45)
Our life, our whole life, is service. Each person has to discover the real meaning of his mission. Each one has fruit to bear, people to help. Each one can be water that quenches the thirst and gives life. It is this that makes our life beautiful.
The human being is happy and fulfilled inasmuch as he develops his creativity. On the contrary, his life becomes boring when it is deprived of this characteristic. The animal is continuously and exclusively guided by its instinct. Its activity is extremely repetitive. There is never anything new in its behavior. This does not make it sad. In fact, it is a reason for pleasure and satisfaction. This happens because the animal has no conscience. The animal is not aware of its actions; it does not reflect on its behavior, it neither foresees it nor analyzes it afterwards; it does not evaluate it, it neither rejoices nor regrets what it accomplishes. The animal is not called to transcend itself. It simply obeys the external and internal stimulus of each moment. If the human being imitated the animal and started to avoid reflecting about his being and his activity, he will very soon experience the so-called “tedium vitae”, that is the boredom of life with the corresponding desire to end it.
What makes life exciting and colorful is the possibility of making it always different. This does not necessarily involve doing new things. The interior renewal that accompanies our actions is enough. Therefore, you can continue your usual commitments without fear. Man is never the same. Each experience, each event has an influence on him. In turn, he influences whatever surrounds him. If each one of us got up in the morning with the idea of doing something good for himself and for the others, for sure he would never think his life useless or boring.
Perhaps you are thinking that I am addressing these words only to very gifted people who are able to change the world. No. I’m addressing these words to you, precisely to you, whoever you are. It does not matter if you are a child, a young person, an adult or an old man, rich or poor, healthy or sick, married or unmarried…
You, precisely you, can be fruitful. You have to find the way for it. There is no state or circumstance of life that prevents you from doing this. If you know that you are intelligent and gifted, develop these qualities as best you can and put them at the service of the others. If your condition involves continuous help from the others, don’t think that you are exempt from this commitment-joy of service. You also have a mission to accomplish.
The physical and psychological illness and old age are also very fruitful. They transform us and consequently are a source of energy for others. They teach us humility and gratitude, they train us to be dependent without shame, they make us more appreciative of the gift of life, they make us understand what is important in life, they invite us to a more recollected and quiet lifestyle, they make us more sensitive towards people who suffer, and they present to us the frailty of our human condition. Through them, we discover that what we are and what we have does not belong to us. So it is right and just to give it back, to offer it as a sacrificial gift.
While the body corrupts itself, the spirit is reborn. In this kind of existence an incredible miracle is fulfilled: whatever is negative, (suffering, pain, weakness) gets transformed in prelude of resurrection. It is the Redemption that continues.
“ For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many” ( Mk 10:45)
