Her exemplary life manifested a profound love of God and neighbor, a love which forgot itself, according to Jesus' words to His disciples: If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow me (Mt. 16: 24). Whoever loves his life loses it, while whoever hates his life in this world preserves it to life eternal (Jn. 12: 25). As Pope John Paul II explains, «[These words] contain a truth which today's world often scorns and rejects, making love of self the supreme criterion of life.
Chi ama la sua vita, la perde; chi odia la sua vita in questo mondo, la salverà per la vita eterna (Giov. 12, 25). «Si tratta qui, spiega Papa Giovanni Paolo II, di una verità che il mondo contemporaneo spesso rifiuta e disprezza, perchè fa dell'amore di sè il criterio supremo dell'esistenza.