What Profit?

“…whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” Luke 9:24-25

This verse always brings to mind the innumerable saints who were willing to lose their lives for Jesus’ sake. There’s St. Maximillian Kobe who volunteered to take the place of a husband and father about to be executed in Auschwitz, the death camp in German-occupied Poland. Then there’s persistent St. Sebastian who was a Praetorian Guard under Diocletian. When he was found evangelizing his fellow soldiers, he was tied to a tree, and left for dead after being pelted with arrows. He didn’t die however and once he was healthy again, he sought an audience with Diocletian who then had him clubbed to death and dumped in a Roman sewer. 

Less well known is St. Margaret Clitherow who allowed masses to be celebrated in her home secretly during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. That was a crime punishable by death and when caught, Margaret was pressed in between a sharp stone and a door topped by an 800 lb. weight. She died after 15 excruciating minutes. St. Bartholomew, one of Jesus’ apostles, became a missionary in what are now Turkey, Iran and other nearby states. When he converted the King of Armenia’s brother to Christianity, his skin was peeled off his body in strips while he was still alive. Only then was he beheaded. 

Today, how can we “lose our life for Jesus’ sake”? We are not persecuted or hunted down when we worship Him, pray or read the Bible. We are not beheaded when we try to evangelize anyone. Being a Christian in these days is not life-threatening, and yet we barely are able to do the minimum. How much time do we spend in prayer, and pondering the words of Jesus? How much do we give of our treasure to those who are hungry, who need our help? St. Maximillian gave his very life for a stranger. Do we give time to pray for those who are sick? Do we intercede for those who need prayer cover when they evangelize in danger zones like North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Nicaragua, or China? There are still many countries where being a Christian makes them a target for persecution and harassment. 

Let us lose some of our time, talent and treasure for others, and make sure Jesus will recognize us at the heavenly gates.