“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” These words in today’s Gospel can lead to a perhaps painful examination of conscience. I confess:
I guard my resources, the money and things I’ve worked to earn. I invest to preserve and increase these things, and I resist the innumerable requests to give them away and the many who try to take them.
I save my self-esteem, reading tips on health, mental and physical, repeating “affirmations” I see on the internet, where entire websites are devoted to making me calm and comfortable and attractive.
I save my peace of mind by facing away from the suffering of others. When the news comes on television, I turn it off. It’s depressing, and what can I do anyway?
I save my life by separating myself from those who aren’t like me, and the world has arranged ways to facilitate this: gated communities, real and metaphorical, protect me from “undesirables”; borders enforce separation of land and people, even when families are separated; we even divide the world into First, Second, and Third World nations.
All of these ways of saving our lives were pinpointed by Pope Francis in a televised interview last May. Asked to define the biggest problem in the world today, he answered in one word: “Indifference.”
Jesus tells us: See others. Help others. Pray for others. When we do, we will save our lives—our eternal lives in Our Lord.

Richard Reece

Richard Reece is a writer and retired magazine editor. He is former editor in chief of Catholic Digest magazine and of NC Catholics, the magazine for the Diocese of Raleigh.