This is Catholic Schools week. Let’s salute our teachers and staff who encourage in our youngsters deeper faith in God, excellence in academics, virtue in
character and service in the community. Thank you for
all you do.
Now and then emails really make me think. Here's a mini story.
A whole town decided to pray for rain. Everyone gathered, but
only one brought an umbrella. That's FAITH. There's no assurance of tomorrow,
but still, we set the alarm clock. That's HOPE. We plan big things for the
future. That's CONFIDENCE. Finally, an elderly man's shirt proclaimed, "I
am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience." That's
ATTITUDE.
The word of
God brings us many stories. God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, to speak on
God’s behalf. Jeremiah describes how the Hebrews were unfaithful to their
promises in the covenant. Now he proclaims a new covenant and urges the Hebrews
not to fight the ancient Babylonians.How unpatriotic of Jeremiah, many
Hebrews said. Yet, Jeremiah, perceiving God was with him, spoke God’s message courageously. The author may asking whether we have
the courage to stand up for what’s right.
St. Paul, in
his letter to the Christian community in Corinth, poetically describes the many
facets of love. It is not showy. It is not envious or rude or irritable. Nor
does love insist on its own way. No, love is like a prism shining the myriad
characteristics of patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, forgiveness,
compassion, self-discipline, peace, joy. Love never ceases because God is love.
Paul may be
asking whether we try to live these characteristics.
In the Gospel,
Jesus pursued his mission. He proclaimed that the kingdom of God was breaking into our midst, and that all people can share in this kingdom by
living a life of discipleship, of virtue.
The thought that God would include
all people – even non-Jews -- shocked and outraged many in the synagogue. Jesus
encountered opposition even from his own townspeople. Yet, because God was with
him, Jesus continued his mission.
Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus had a
passion: to bring God's message to all
people. That fired them up.
What energizes
us? Where do we find purpose? Some argue convincingly that we find meaning in a mix of what we do, what we experience,
and our attitude to the inescapables of
life.
Here's a true
example. A medical doctor found purpose primarily in his work. But then he
developed spinal cancer, which paralyzed him. Soon he couldn’t work. So, he
found meaning in his everyday experiences, at the facility where he was cared
for. He encouraged other patients.
He read good books, listened to uplifting music, stayed in touch with family
and friends.
At length, he
couldn’t even continue these things. The young doctor now had to find meaning
primarily in his own suffering. What did he do? He became a counselor to fellow sufferers and an example by living sans complaint.
Finally, he had to let go of his life, and with faith, he made a leap into the
mystery of death, into the hands of God, trusting that God would bear him away
within himself.
Life indeed
was worth living. He found meaning in every stage. This raises the question,
what are human beings meant for?
What is our life all about? Our finest thinkers hold that we are meant for
something greater than merely existing. Beyond animal instincts, beyond
acquiring and spending, economic feats and engineering marvels.
The answer
points to something transcendent:
the human spirit. Always open to
relationships with an awesome God and
to one another. Yes, no matter what
age or profession or status, our purpose is to be in relationship with God and
one another forever.
Here’s another
brief true story capturing courage. In the 1960s, a Harvard student, Kent
Keith, wrote the “Paradoxical Commandments.” He published them without much
notice. But eventually, on the Internet, someone transmitted the “Paradoxical
Commandments” which began circling the globe, attributed to everyone from
psychiatrist Karl Menninger to Mother Teresa. It was a paradox when it was
discovered they were written by a 19-year-old
student no one heard of. Here are a few of the paradoxes he outlined:
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered; Love them anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow; Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness
make you vulnerable; Be honest and frank anyway. What you
spend years building may be destroyed
in one night; Build anyway. And
finally give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth; Give
your best anyway.
Yes, the word of God challenges us
to find meaning and purpose in our work,
in our experiences and in our attitude toward the three inescapables in
life: suffering, guilt and death. Life is indeed worth living. Amen
