LOSING YOUR LIFE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING!

Gospel Reading Luke 17:1-9
First Reading Wisdom 13:1-9
"Whoever tries to save his own life will lose it; whoever loses his life will save it." Luke 17:33
"If they had enough intelligence to speculate about the nature of the universe, why did they never find the Lord of all things?" 13:9

Have you ever heard a mother say "I feel like I have lost myself." I've heard it before and have felt it a time or two. Jesus says several times in the Gospel that whoever loses his life will save it and whoever saves his own life will lose it. This is very contradictory to the world's views. When I read this verse and think of motherhood, I am hopeful my life will be saved by handing over my life to the Lord in service to my family. As mothers, if we give our all and everything in service to our family and others, our life as we knew it will be lost. Some may think this is sad, but I believe it is heroic. Similar to a soldier who loses his life for our country. Because he lost his life, our lives are saved. As mothers, we lay down our life for our families. This is the greatest act of Love. However, as mothers, we have to take care of ourselves in order to take care of our family. How do we take care of ourselves if we are losing our life? We are told by the world that we need to be using our talents and gifts outside the home to make money.....this is one form told by the world of how we won't "lose ourselves". We are told we need to go to the spas and receive treatments because "we deserve it". Our toes and nails are suppose to be perfectly manicured and we are to be perfectly physically fit as well. Our world says THIS is the way to take care of yourself. But I disagree..... First and foremost, I believe we don't deserve anything in life. I can't stand that term. Do we deserve eternal life? Notice, if you breakdown the word....de-serve....to not serve. This is just one example of how foolish our world is. I believe we have to take care of ourselves by nurturing our souls through prayer. I believe working out is important but do not let it consume your life by trying to have the perfect body. Going to the spa and getting treatments is a quick fix. Of course it is fun to do it from time to time with friends if that is what you like to do, but it will not nurture your soul the next day. Botox and all of the facial remedies is fine, but your pretty little face will eventually be buried in the ground (sorry to sound so harsh) but your soul will live forever. So losing your self to Jesus by serving your family and spending time in prayer, in Heaven's eyes, is pampering your soul. You will start feeling relaxed, rejuvenated & joyful and people will wonder what your remedy is. As Mother Theresa use to say, "Joy is the net to catch souls".

So, there you have it. Losing your life to your family is a beautiful thing. So what if you have to postpone your talents and career until after they are raised. The talents and jobs will always be there, but your children won't. They will be adults before we know it and it is up to us to lose our lives to save theirs. To make sure they grow up to love the Lord and want to serve Him. Take care of yourself by continuing to use your talents and gifts in ways where your family will still be first. Spend time in prayer daily with the Lord to rejuvenate your soul and bring joy to your life.

Have a blessed Friday and a wonderful weekend!