Why We Need to Die.

A Good Day to Die
This is a phrase that was often repeated by Lakota (Native American) war chiefs on the day of battle. They would ride around their armies chanting this, reminding their warriors that they must be willing to sacrifice all if they had any hopes of living to fight another day. And so it is with us. Our Lord has gone before us, He has surrendered all for us, and we simply respond in kind.

For the Christian, death is never an end. What seemed to be the darkest day for humanity turned out to be the day that all was made new. Good Friday is not the end, it’s the way we get to Easter Sunday. In our world today, men and women spend time, money, and emotion trying to increase their lives. We do everything we can to enhance our lives, to avoid suffering and sacrifice at all costs. We live as if death is the end. But we know that resurrection is only possible through death. We know that Christ does not come to improve, enhance, or make our lives better. He comes to give us NEW LIFE. Anything worth pursuing is worth suffering for. Any athlete knows this, anyone who’s ever loved knows this. Our heroes are always men and women who stand fearless in the face of death. I highly doubt any of you will endure torture, beatings, or crucifixion during the next forty days. But I promise that you will find inconveniences, pain, and a thousand small opportunities to die to yourself every day. How will you respond? Will you shrink in the face of difficulty, or will you hold onto the knowledge that we will only be fully alive when we are unafraid to die?

Each Day, here’s what you should do:
1. When you wake up, offer this simple prayer “Dear Lord, I offer you everything that will happen today. All my thoughts, words, and actions, all of my hopes, all of my fears, all of my joys and sufferings. Unite them with your One Sacrifice made present in the Mass, and turn all I give you today into something beautiful.”
2. Read the passage for the day, and ask yourself these questions:
a. What is actually going on in this passage?
b. What is difficult about this?
c. What is God saying to me through this?

(THEN YOU READ THE PASSAGE)

3. Find one opportunity to die a small death for love of God.
This could be any inconvenience that you choose to offer up to God as a prayer, maybe waking up 5 minutes early, being nice to a person that annoys you, helping out around the house, not arguing with your parents, your teachers, your friends. I promise that you will have thousands of opportunities to sacrifice each day…

Before you go to bed, ask yourself:
1. How was I able to die a small death today?
2. What ways did I choose to live for myself?
3. Ask God to help you live for Him and die to yourself.