“I have come that you might have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). These words of Jesus have always stirred something deep inside of me – a dissatisfaction with living a mediocre life, a desire to live radically, to have a full and abundant life. With the arrival of spring and new life all around us, I’ve found myself reflecting on these words more frequently once again. How often I find myself falling into the monotonous routine of life. A lot of days it certainly doesn’t feel like I’m living this “life to the full” that Jesus spoke about.
Our beloved Blessed Pope John Paul II who was just beatified this past weekend had something to say about living the fullness of life. “You are young and you want to live. But you have to live life to the fullest and with a specific goal. You have to live for God, for others. And no one can live his life for himself. The future is yours, but the future is above all a call and a challenge to find your life by surrendering it, losing it, sharing it through a loving surrender to others.” The fullness of life that Jesus promised comes in losing it, in laying it down for others. Living a radical and abundant life means that we will refuse to settle for mediocrity when it comes to love. St. Therese of Lisieux and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta lived such abundant lives because they lived each day doing small things with great love. We find purpose and meaning in our lives and break free from the dull monotony that limits our existence when we decide to make self-giving love our primary goal and motivation. In our society this is crazy! To think that living for someone else, not putting ourselves first, is what leads to a full and abundant life? That’s a radical thing. Is it easy? Certainly not. But is it worth it? Absolutely. Why? Because it is in doing so that we find the fullness of life. As we are reminded in this Easter season, the Resurrection is only possible after the Crucifixion. The new life that Jesus promises can only come after we die to our selves. We have as our model Christ Himself who showed the fullest extent of his love by his radical death on the cross. But who then proved the fullness of life that this brings by his powerful rising from the dead. Let us choose to live this fullness of life! Christ is Risen! Alleluia!
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