Today is United
Nations Day. The UN Charter became official on October 24, 1945. just after
WWII. Even though the UN results may be mixed, the goals of the 193 member
nations are worthy: to maintain peace, provide international humanitarian aid,
enforce international law, and protect human rights. These goals certainly
relate to the Word of God.
The Word of
God takes us back to the 6th century before Jesus. Jeremiah speaks
about hope: a new beginning for a people
now conquered but soon to be free, now overwhelmed by tragedies but soon to
enjoy prosperity and peace.
Jeremiah challenges us to hope always in God.
The
letter to the Hebrews speaks about the saving
work of Jesus, our high priest who re-established our relationship with God
and one another.
The author challenges us to see our
earthly life, in light of our true purpose: a new heavenly reality with God and one another forever.
In
the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus asks a blind man: “what do you want me to
do for you?” How would we answer Jesus?
The man in the Gospel answers: “I
want to see.” Jesus replies: “Your faith
has saved you.” And the blind man saw.
Today
I would like to speak about another man who was once blind to who Jesus was,
and suddenly saw him as the living Christ: St. Paul.
Paul
was well educated in Judaism and Greco-Roman philosophy. He had been a rabid
persecutor of the early Christians.
Suddenly Paul was blinded by a light
from above. That awesome visionary experience of Christ turned Paul’s life
upside down. He became God’s chosen instrument to the non-Jews, one of the
greatest evangelizers.
Paul
established faith communities throughout the eastern Mediterranean, and
authored letters shaping the history of Christian thought. Eventually he was
beheaded in Rome by order of Nero.
I
believe Paul, well versed in philosophy, had a keen insight into what makes
people tick. The desire for happiness is universal. We often do things that we
think will make us happy, only to end up miserable. Why? Because we sometimes
confuse pleasure with happiness.
Etched
into Paul’s vision of human beings were the words of Jesus: "I came so
that they might have life and have it more abundantly."
For Paul, the path to the fullness of life is discipline. Think about it.
When we eat well, exercise often, and sleep regularly, we feel more fully alive
physically. When we love, give priority to our significant relationships, when
we encourage people, we feel more alive emotionally. When we study the
achievements and marvels of the human spirit in various cultures, our world
expands and we feel more alive intellectually.
And when we take time each day with
God in prayer, humbly and openly, we experience more fully the transcendent
dimension of our lives, the spiritual, the awesome presence of God.
All
of these life-giving endeavors require discipline. Discipline sets us free for
our ultimate purpose: love of God and our fellow human beings.
Paul
grasped this and preached that Christ came to reconcile us with the Father, and
in doing so, Christ satisfies the craving for happiness that preoccupies our
hearts. Our yearning is ultimately for friendship and intimacy and relationship
with our Creator. Augustine’s words in the fifth century echo anew in every
place, in every time, in every heart: “Our hearts are restless until they rest
in you, Lord.”
For St. Paul, Christ is indeed “the
way, the truth, and the life.”
And
who is this Jesus who captivated Paul and should captivate us? The Gospel
writers give us a glimpse. They wrote to different audiences and emphasized
different ways in which to follow Jesus.
In
Matthew, Jesus is the long-awaited
Messiah, the new Moses, the teacher, the rabbi who instructs the disciples,
especially in the Beatitudes; and Matthew invites us to teach as well,
especially by example, by the
practice of virtue.
In
Mark, Jesus is the suffering Messiah—human,
approachable. Mark proposes that like the early Christians, we may have to cope
with suffering. We may wonder at times if God has forgotten us. But Jesus
reminds us, “do not fear. I am with you always.”
In
Luke, Jesus is compassionate and
forgiving, and salvation is for everyone. Remember the parable of the
prodigal son. Luke challenges us to be compassionate and forgiving in our
relationships with one another.
In
John, Jesus is noble, majestic, divine.
“The Word was God.” “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus invites
the first disciples to stay with him, and John invites us to stay with Jesus,
especially in prayer.
Jesus
is more than any one person can describe.
What
image of Jesus inspires us to become the kind of person today that Jesus was in
his day? Let that image captivate you the way it captivated St. Paul and so
many holy men and women in Christianity.
