Some of us want to be somebody in this world. We work hard, and do our utmost best to climb the career ladder, hoping to become a VIP (Very Important Person) or a big shot in some way. Perhaps some may try to accomplish some extraordinary feat to become famous or successful. However, all these things we do or try to gain: are these things all that matters? In our efforts to make a name for ourselves or to gain recognition or power or prestige, we may in the process be losing our life, especially our spiritual future.
In today's Gospel, Jesus admonishes and reminds us: "If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?" We may be so engrossed with our temporal achievements, that we may neglect other things. For example, we may neglect our health, our family, and our friends, and one day we may find that we may have achieved what we desire, only to lose other things which are in actual fact more precious and important, but we failed to realise and appreciate these other things till it is too late. In the same way, we may lose our spiritual future and we may only realise our loss only when it is too late.
Are we aware of what is happening, or have we become engrossed only with ourselves? Let us be reminded what Jesus tells us: "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour." Have we been behaving ourselves for the benefit of our eternal future?
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