Communications is a popular major in colleges/universities. And here’s an example about how to communicate effectively.
A mother hollers in the morning, “You get down here this minute...you’re late for school.” Her son yells back, “I don’t want to go to school. Kids don’t like me. The teachers don’t like me. And everyone is talking behind my back.”
The mother rushes upstairs and points to her son and says, “You get up, because you are going to school for two reasons: You’re forty years old. And you’re the principal.” Now that’s communication!!!
The Word of God carries us back to the 13th century before Jesus, to Moses, a prophet or mouthpiece of God. Here we heard a different kind of communication. God spoke to the Hebrews “in peals of thunder and flashes of lightening,” writes the author of Deuteronomy. That terrified them.
So Moses promises them prophets who will be the “voice” of God throughout their triumphs and tragedies. These prophets will have the courage to speak truth and justice, freedom and peace, despite the cost to themselves. The early Christian community saw in this prophecy Jesus as the definitive voice of God, our way, our truth and our life.
St. Paul urges the Christian community at Corinth in Greece not to be anxious about their lives but to live a God-centered life every day. The end-time is near.
And in the Gospel, Jesus enters a synagogue and amazes his listeners with his compelling words and awesome power. Even the demons recognize Jesus as the holy one of God. Here Jesus exorcizes a “crazed” man.
Jesus had one passion: to proclaim that the kingdom of God, a new age, is entering into our midst with his signs and wonders. That mission fired Jesus up.
The question for us is, where do we find purpose in our lives? Some argue convincingly that we find meaning in a mix of what we do, what we experience, and our attitude toward our own inescapable suffering or illnesses and dying.
Here's a true example. A new medical doctor found purpose primarily in his work. But inoperable spinal cancer gradually paralyzed him. Soon he couldn’t work. So, he began to find meaning primarily in his everyday experiences, especially at the facility where he was cared for. He welcomed and encouraged other patients. He read good books, listened to inspirational music, stayed in touch with family.
Eventually he couldn’t even do these things. His life took another turn. This young doctor now had to find meaning primarily in his own suffering or illness and dying. He became a counselor to fellow patients and an example by bearing patiently his own illness. Finally, he had to let go of his own life, and with faith in God, he made a leap of faith into the mystery of death and into the hands of God, somewhat like a trapeze artist trusting that in that free fall, God will catch and embrace him forever.
The point is this: life is worth living each day. We can find meaning at every stage in our life. In our work. In our experiences. And eventually in our suffering or illnesses and dying.
This raises the question, what is a human being meant for? What is our life all about? Most of our finest thinkers have held that we are meant for something greater than mere existence. Yes, far beyond mere animal instincts, beyond acquiring and spending, beyond having a nice home, a fancy car, a vacation getaway, even beyond all the scientific and medical achievements, the engineering marvels, and the financial feats of this world.
But what is that “something” we are meant for? The answer points to something transcendent, beyond ourselves: the human spirit. Always open to a relationship with an awesome God and to one another. Yes, our purpose, no matter what our profession or age, is to be in relationship with God and one another forever.
There's an ancient wisdom that says God sends each person into this life with a special message, a special song, a special act of love to bestow. Perhaps this prayer can be our message and song and act of love:
In a world that's out of tune, may we be people full of harmony...
In a world marred with anger and hate and violence, may we be people of peace...
In a world suffering heartaches and frustration, may we be people of hope...
and in a world of discouraging words, may we be people of encouragement. Amen.
