Fullness of Life

A Reflection on the Gospel for December 22nd, 2019:
Fourth Sunday of Lent

Matthew 1.18-24

The birth of Jesus the Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.

But just when he had resolved to do this, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the Prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife.

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“Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25 NIV)

In the book “Life’s Great Questions” by Jean Vanier he explains that although this translation uses the word life, there are two different words used in the original Greek translation: psuche and zoe. He describes psuche as being “the animating soul, the energy that activates us in the world”, and zoe as “the fullness of life, the eternal life that God offers us.” If we rewrite this scripture passage according to the Greek translation it goes like this:
 
“Anyone who loves their psuche loses it, while anyone who hates their psuche will keep it for zoe.”

In the gospel this Sunday I couldn’t help but see the correlation with John 12. Mary and Joseph were both being called by God to surrender their lives, their psuche, and through their surrender not only was zoe being offered to them but also the entire world.

How do I surrender my psuche? How do I hold on to it for fear of the unknown? Eternity is the unknown and I’ll admit I can be afraid of it sometimes. I don’t know what God has planned for me in this life. I am uncertain of the direction my life will take, or the direction of the people whom I love, but if God used a simple Jewish couple to bring about the birth of our salvation, He can and will use me if I allow Him to.

Heavenly Father, help me to surrender my life to You so that I can live in the fullness of Your life. Help me to believe that Your plan for my life is good. Help me not to be afraid but to have holy confidence in You. Amen.


​Maxine Brown

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