＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

２ Corinthians 9:6-10

 Remember: the one

Who sows meagerly will reap meagerly, and there shall be generous harvests for the one who sows generously.  Each of you should give as you decided personally, and not reluctantly as if obliged. God loves a cheerful giver.   And God is able to fill you with every good thing, so that you have enough of every­thing at all times, and may give abundantly for any good work.

 Scripture says: He distributed, he gave to the poor, his good works last forever.   God who provides the sower with seed will also provide him with the bread he eats. He will multiply the seed for you and also increase the interests of your good works.

 

Ps 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9

Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

John 12:24-26

　 Truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

　 Those who love their life destroy it, and those who despise their life in this world keep it for everlasting life.

　 Whoever wants to serve me, let him follow me and wherever I am, there shall my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

 

     

Gospel Reflection：

Dying as a way to fruitfulness seems absurd to the present age, where preoccupation with the self takes center stage. But there is no other path to growth. We have to give up what we have been comfortable with in order to change our lives for the better. Take, for example, human growth.

Each stage has a crisis of change that one has to successfully navigate in order to grow in maturity. To die is to live a much better life. It is not physical death yet, rather dying of the existential kind. The ultimate death that we will experience is a physical death that leads us to a much better life in the spirit. But in between, there would be a series of death experiences that give depth and weight to our existence.