"For whoever would save their life will lose it and whoever will lose their life for my sake will find it."

Here is the essence of the Gospel. The abundant life is ours not in our hiding from the things that can bring grief but by welcoming them into our lives.

G.K. Chesterton wrote, "Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die."

Such thinking is the mark of a Christian understanding of life. We must develop the courage to die in order that we might fully live.

Yes, the dangers are there. Yes, the risks are everywhere. Yes, by reaching out to others we may be rejected, scorned or ignored but it is precisely in such courageous actions that we will discover the kingdom.

Someone paid me a great compliment by remembering something I once said in a sermon. For a moment, I was quite pleased with myself until I realized I hadn’t said it at all.

It was the words of the resurrected Christ at the end of the gospel of St. Matthew. Christ is speaking to his disciples, to those who will now carry on the mission.

He said, "Be not afraid."

That is the message that must guide us all on.

Not, "I’ll take away your problems," or "I’ll guarantee an easy life."

But, "Be not afraid."

Jesus knew that it is when we discover the willingness to die that we will discover what it really means to live.