St. Paul warns us: Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. This age is all about getting — getting more money, getting ahead, getting revenge, getting my way, getting what I want, getting recognition. Jesus offers a way of being which transforms us: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Instead of getting, Jesus is about giving, giving oneself in love. Instead of thinking, “what’s in it for me,” a follower of Jesus thinks “what can I do to make the world a little more as God intends it to be, a place of peace and justice.” We see the contrast most vividly in the world of politics where those elected to office seem to make decisions about what will get them re-elected instead of what will promote the common good. But we are no different. In our own lives we must keep examining what motivates our actions — is it about me or is it about we?
