“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”
The last sentence that Jesus proclaims in today’s gospel is, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” These are powerful words; here Jesus gives us the new covenant. He perfects the old law, and gives Himself freely for us. He does all this so that we might have life, however, Jesus takes it a step further and tells us not just to have life but to have it abundantly.
Why can we live life abundantly? We can live life the fullest because Jesus lived His life to the fullest and he is the model by which we are to form our lives. “When they follow him they have nothing to fear, nor will they lack anything; he indeed came ‘that they may have life and have it abundantly’, to the point where he was ready to sacrifice his own life to make theirs safe. By accepting death in order to save his flock.” [1] We should never fear to live life to the fullest!
When should we begin to live life to the fullest? As soon as possible! The time we fully enter into the Catholic Church we should be living life more abundantly. It is easy to live life to the fullest if we seek to our lives in accord with the life of the Church. The Church contains and gives all treasures, all gifts, and all graces from Christ to us. We live life to fullest when we allow Christ to enter into our hearts.
Which Sacrament brings our abundant life? In Baptism, we begin our full lives in the Church. “Baptism is precisely the sacrament which, immersing us in Christ’s Easter mystery, leads us into his sheepfold, where we shall find salvation.” [2] Once we are in the sheepfold, we are fortified (Confirmation) by the Good Shepherd who protects us and led to verdant pastures (Eucharist). These three Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism (the gate), Confirmation (fortification/protection), and the Eucharist (nourishment) give us a share in the Life of Christ, a life to the full.
ACTIVITY – Two views of life
View the following two Pop Culture Connections. What does each video say about what it means to live life to the full? Keep in mind that one video show how the “world” can form or perhaps deform “life”. The other video shows how “life” or in this case one life can form a better world.
One “life” forms a better world. This video portrays how one life can better form the world. One “world” forming / deforming a “life”. The video helps to show a secular portrayal of a "full life" consisting of wild adventure and experiences with little deep meaning. World traveling is of course not a bad thing, Saint John Paul II was known as the “Globe Trotting Pope”. The question that needs to be asked is this. “Are we forming the world, or is the world forming us?”
How do we live life to the fullest? When we live the life Christ intends for us, then we can begin to live life to the fullest. If we live life to the fullest then we live lives of saints. This should be a true desire for all of us, the desire to be a saint. However, we may say yes with our lips but not profess anything deeper than that surface level. Do we truly know what we are saying yes too? Some people might believe that becoming a saint and living life to the fullest is “unattainable, something to do with ascetical theology – but not a real goal for them, a living reality.” [3] These people are setting for themselves goals that are too mediocre. As C.S. Lewis reminds us, “aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.” [4] We are made for Heaven and that must be the goal that we constantly seek to achieve! If we are living to attain Heaven, we will be living life to the fullest and in the way God intends. Jesus tells us in Matthew’s gospel, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” [5] The Greek word used here is teleioi, which is also translated ‘full grown’ or ‘mature’ in the sense that one has reached the completion or end of a developmental process or journey. This reveals a beautiful insight into Jesus’ injunction to us that we are to be perfect in our lives, perfect not in the sense that we will never fall but in the sense that we are living already as if we were in Heaven. We are called to live in such a way as to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven by the salvation of our souls.
The Church echoes these statements in the Second Vatican Council, “The Lord Jesus divine teacher and model of all perfection, preached holiness of life (of which he is author and maker) to each and every one of his disciples without distinction…Therefore all the faithful are invited and obliged to holiness and the perfection of their own state of life.” [6] The Church is telling us whether we are 2 or 102 years old, we are called to holiness and to live our lives to the fullest.
Search: Path of Perfection
Finally, living life abundantly means that we know we will be knocked down. Saint Basil wrote, “Feeling easily deflated and lying down under adversity is characteristic of cowardly souls lacking the firm virtue of trusting in God’s promises.” [7] We know we will be hurt, scared, and torn by sin, but the difference that makes people saints is they do not give up because of sin. Saints are not sinless beings, but those who recognize they are sinners. They always get up from being brought down. Saints are those who did not let sin over take them, but the other way around. The way they overcame these sins is by staying close to Christ in the Church and living out the sacramental life of confession, repentance, prayer, fasting, and most importantly going to Mass.
Search: 12 Steps of Humility
Let us never grow tired to the point of giving up. Let us always live life abundantly for if we do not we are wasting what Jesus Christ has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us.
Discussion Questions:
Is it easy to live life to the fullest in this world? Why or why not?
What things are keeping us from being who God is called us to be?
What keeps us from living life to the fullest?
What things can we do to begin and eventually live life more abundantly?
[1] Gabriel, Divine Intimacy vol. II pg. 174
[2] ibid.
[3] J. Escriva, Christ is passing by, 96
[4] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pg. 134
[5] Mt. 5:48
[6] Lumen Gentium, 40, 42
[7] St. Basil, Homily on Joy