落在地裏的麥子

by FLL Editorial Team
2013-08-09

那時候,耶穌對他的門徒說:「我實實在在告訴你們:一粒麥子如果不落在地裏死了,仍只是一粒;如果死了,才結出許多子粒來。愛惜自己性命的,必要喪失性命;在現世憎恨自己性命的,必要保存性命入於永生。誰若事奉我,就當跟隨我;如此,我在那裏,我的僕人也要在那裏;誰若事奉我,我父必要尊重他。」
若望福音 12:24-26

wheat_grain-wide耶穌在今天福音中說那粒落在地裏死了的麥子,就是祂自己。祂知道祂的死能結許多果實。為祂來說,結果實比起祂自己的安全和舒適更為重要。

但耶穌不只叫我們紀念祂,更要仿傚祂所做的。我們不只被召叫去相信祂,而是去作祂的門徒。耶穌失去了祂人性的生命,但卻得到了復活的人性。

我們全部人都有自己的生活方式,總有一些人、一些地方、一些事令我們感到安逸的。我的生活也許不完美,但卻是熟悉的。耶穌邀請我們把自己交出。祂叫我們把自己的計劃、意願和命運全都放在祂手裡。領洗的意義就在於此,「我生活已不是我生活,而是基督在我內生活」(迦拉達書 2:20) 我不再坐在司機的座位上,但我請耶穌坐在那裡。我把我最愛的所有都放在祭台上,當天主把它們交給我,我才領回。

為何我們要這樣做?就是因為我們真的相信,把生命和夢想的種子埋在天主肥沃的土壤裡,會結出許多果實。我們會像宗徒們一樣,不斷成長,成就一些完全超乎我們想像的事。

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”
John 12:24-26


The grain of wheat that Jesus spoke of in today's Gospel refers to Himself. Jesus knew that his death would be fruitful beyond all imagining. And being fruitful was more important to Him than being safe or comfortable.

But the Lord calls us not just to remember it, but to imitate it. We are called to be not just believers, but disciples. Jesus lost his natural human life, but was given in return a new, risen, humanity which explodes the limits of the humanity we know.

We all have a life that we're rather attached to, with people, places, things, and activities that we are comfortable with. My life may not be perfect, but it is familiar. And it's mine. The Lord invites me not just to give up dessert for a few weeks, but to give up myself. He asks me to die to my own plans, my own will, and put my destiny entirely in his hands. Incidentally, that is what baptism is supposed to mean–that it is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me (Gal 2:20). That I'm no longer in the driver's seat, but I've put Jesus there. That all that is dearest to me, I've put on the altar, and will only take it back if the Lord gives it back.

Why would we do such a radical thing? Only if we truly believe that planting the seed of our lives and dreams in the fertile soil of the Lord's vineyard will produce much fruit. That we, like the apostles, will grow to be more than we'd ever hoped we'd be. That he would do through us, as through them, more than we'd ever dreamt possible.

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