If you’re like me, the image of a grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying prompts uneasiness. Sure, if the grain dies, it bears fruit, but the cost seems illogical when I apply this to my own life. The world rushes in to warn me that the cost is not worth it: “rather than ‘hate’ your life, shouldn’t you ‘love’ your life and live it to the full?”
Indeed, when we choose to serve others, we choose to adhere to a different logic. And we risk looking illogical in the world’s eyes. But we also stand to gain the fullness of life. Why? Because Jesus reveals to us the true logic of the world: self-emptying love. When we follow Jesus and live according to this logic, our hearts are set afire and we become our truest selves.
Today, where am I being called to live by Jesus’ logic?
—Dan Finucane teaches theology and coordinates Campus Ministry activities at St. Louis University High School in St. Louis MO.