My life is not important

In recent decades, self-esteem has been pushed by today’s culture as the be-all and end-all of human existence. Many educators, for example, effectively made “feeling good about yourself” so much more important than things as, well, education, that many young people came out of their school years with very little learning, almost no intellectual discipline or curiosity, and sometimes functional illiteracy. For the individual, the result can be disastrous: with little ability to create value, contribute meaningfully to society, or even earn a living. For society, the greater the numbers of such empty-headed graduates may be, the greater the likelihood of catastrophic collapse will be.

In today’s first reading (Acts 20:17-27), St. Paul says something that is the absolute opposite of today’s self-esteem fetish.

I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.

Paul, of course, is not suicidal or depressed (although he is sad to leave the Ephesians). Rather, he sees clearly who he is and what life is all about.

To be sure, we should take proper care of ourselves, as good stewards of the life which God has given us, but we must remember that our life on this earth is not an end in itself but rather an instrument in the hand of God for his glory and for the true good of others.

...if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.