"Joyful Sacrifice"

"Authentic Love requires sacrifice...Sometimes we have to let the people we love go be who God is calling them to be." <3

“You should not be living someone else’s life. 

You should be living the life God has called you to.” 

~Br. Elias

At dinner the other day, Br. Edward mentioned the idea of “joyful sacrifice”. This phrase has been on repeat in my mind for the past few days and I wanted to share my thoughts about it and its connection with what we have been learning in Br. Elias’ talks about “Benedictine Monastic Life and Spirituality”. The two lectures that stood out to me were Br. Elias’ talk on “Living with Others” and “Roles within the Community”. Both of these talks focused on how as human beings we are interdependent and must learn how to live in harmony with one another, recognizing that everyone has their own special gifts, strengths, and weaknesses. By learning what our special gifts are we are able to better fulfill our roles in a community and grow as individuals. Recognizing our strengths and weaknesses and those of others requires both grace and humility. Sometimes we must acknowledge that others are better suited for a job than we are. It also challenges us to step out of our comfort zones and to reach out when we know that our gifts could help others.

This being said…It is important to remember that living with others is not always easy. You are not always going to get along with every person in your community. There will be disagreements and misunderstandings. We must learn how to bear these small frustrations with patience, understanding, and compassion. We do not know what others are going through or what is in their hearts. By sacrificing and serving others, we are able to increase our love for others. In the Bible it says that “There is no greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for a friend”. I always thought of this passage in terms of dying for another or putting yourself in harm’s way to save someone’s life. However, Br. Elias pointed out that “laying down one’s life” could also mean doing small acts of sacrifice. In doing these small things we are able to achieve greater happiness and joy. As difficult as some acts of sacrifice are, we must remember that every act of sacrifice helps us to grow as individuals in love, compassion, and patience. <3

“Revealing the hidden life of the people we run into.” ~Br. Elias