November 2014
So much time today is spent on “being all we can be.” Somewhere along the way serving others got lost on the road to greatness. I often think that somewhere in the meaning of the words sacrifice and love we can rediscover what “being all we can be” is really about.
To equate love with sacrifice is difficult since the word sacrifice carries deeply emotional feelings of suffering, and suffering is not a fun activity.
The notion of life as sacrifice has very little appeal for most of us. Yet, for those that love deeply, sacrifice is a way of life.
Sacrifice can be the ultimate act of giving. Whether the suffering is chosen or is afflicted upon us, when done or offered for others, you are giving the gift of life. For most of us this is extreme and will not be part of our experience.
But what about the small acts of sacrifice that we make everyday for others or for ourselves? Whenever we put our own needs or wants aside to create a greater good, are we also not sacrificing?
How many times a day do we serve others before ourselves? This is a key question that when asked can tell us much about who we are, and who we are in the process of becoming.
Not to be excluded in our thinking process is the need to sacrifice for our own good – the need to give up part of ourselves so we can grow to be more appreciative of the life we have.
Sacrifice on this level become acts of love – love for yourself and for others. This is a concept that cannot be assimilated easily. Only those who have experienced it directly can emotionally understand its impact.
When we serve others in a healthy and giving way we serve ourselves and the community we live in. It is the life we all strive for because in our surrender to others and to ourselves, we find the meaning of our existence.
This translates sacrifice into love and makes the two synonymous.
Submitted by Brother Franco. (In a note to Pizzaonian Novice Monks) July 20111 Pizzaonian beta world time
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