“If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8).

With these words, St. Paul offers a profound statement of Christian identity and purpose. This verse comes from Paul’s letter to the Romans, written around the year 57 AD, likely from Corinth to a community he had not yet visited. The Roman Christians were a diverse group of Jewish and Gentile believers trying to live as one Church in the heart of the empire. Paul writes to address tensions within the community over matters of conscience, especially dietary practices and the observance of certain days. Some believers were judging others over their choices, creating divisions. Paul’s message is pastoral and theological: stop passing judgment and remember who you belong to- Christ. In this context, Romans 14:8 is a unifying declaration. Paul reminds them that every aspect of life and death belongs under the lordship of Jesus. Whether one eats or abstains, lives or dies, all of it must be oriented to the Lord. This was not simply moral instruction; it was an invitation to radical trust and unity grounded in their shared identity as God’s own people.

For us today, this verse grounds us in the same truth: our lives are not our own. In a world that often defines success by self-determination, autonomy, or personal accomplishment, Paul’s words call us to surrender. To live “for the Lord” means that every part of our day- our work, our struggles, our relationships- is an offering. To die “for the Lord” means even death loses its fear, for it becomes a final act of belonging. The saints understood this well. They did not live for themselves, but for Christ. From martyrs like St. Cecilia and Blessed Miguel Pro, who offered their very lives, to quiet servants like St. Martin de Porres and St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who lived humble love, each witnessed that holiness is simply a life lived for the Lord.

This weekend, we celebrate both the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of All Souls. We remember not only those officially canonized, but also the many unknown and unsung faithful who lived for Christ. Their lives echo Paul’s verse with clarity: they lived for the Lord, and in death, they are still His. These celebrations remind us that the Church is a communion, a living body, that includes the saints in glory, the souls in purification, and those of us still on the journey. In November, as the days shorten and the liturgical year draws to a close, the Church invites us to lift our eyes to the eternal horizon. Judgment, heaven, hell, and purgatory are not meant to frighten us, but to focus us. We are the Lord’s. This is our hope and our identity.

This week, consider what it would look like to live more fully “for the Lord.” Are there areas of your life where you live for yourself- for your reputation, comfort, or control? Ask the Lord to help you surrender these. Choose one concrete way to serve or witness to Christ this week, perhaps through quiet faithfulness, intentional prayer, or an act of mercy. Let the lives of the saints inspire you. If they could live for the Lord in their time and place, so can we.