Homily for Ordinary Time 5 - February 6, 2022

 

Homily for February 6, 2022

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Mission, Repentance, Encounter

 

            All three readings today have a similar progression of three themes. A person is called for a mission, they recognize their sinfulness, and they encounter the merciful God Who forgives them and confirms them in their mission. Isaiah, Paul, and Peter all experience those three parts to their call. But this idea of mission is not only for prophets and Apostles – every single person in this world is created for a purpose. But what is it? What is the meaning of life?

            Some people say that we don’t have a meaning – in fact, a recent study in the UK found that 89% of young people ages 16-29 “believe that their lives have no meaning.” If we don’t have a meaning to life, then all it’s about is just trying to get through the day. Without a purpose to life, we just try to strive for a little pleasure, for a few successes – but doesn’t that just seem meaningless? What are we living for: a Bermuda vacation, for a nice retirement, or just to get through another day? We all want more than that – we know there has to be a meaning.

            But what is it? I asked our Confirmation class two weeks ago what the meaning of life was, and one kids said, “To eat food.” (My kind of guy!). The modern world says that the meaning of life is “to be a good person” or something generic like that.

            But I’d like to make a claim. The claim is this: the meaning and purpose of this life is to know, love, and serve God in this world, so that we can be eternally happy with Him in the next. That means the purpose of this life…is not about this life, but about the next! Haven’t you ever had the thought, “There must be something more than all of this”? That intuition points to a deep reality – we have eternity in our heart because we are not just evolved animals – we are made in the image and likeness of God, and our souls long to be united to the One Who created us.

            Think of it – why do we spend nine months in the womb? It’s not so that we can stay there indefinitely. That would be weird! Rather, it is so that we become physically ready for the outside world – strong muscles, developed lungs, ready to breath air and eat food. Those nine months are really about preparation for the outside world. So then why do we spend 70, 80, 90 years here? So that we can become spiritually ready for the next world. So we develop our muscles of virtue, our lungs to breathe grace, ready to be nourished with Heavenly food. If earth was our final stop, we would feel satisfied here – but pretty much every human being experiences a restlessness here on earth. We were made for a different world! We’re pilgrims here, passing through a foreign land; in Heaven we will finally reach our true home.

            So that’s the meaning of life: to know, love, and serve God in this world so that we can be eternally happy with Him in the next. Obviously this purpose includes following the commandments, loving our neighbor, having a prayer life, growing in virtue. But the mission is the same for us all…but everyone lives it out differently. Isaiah lived it out as a prophet; Paul lived it out as a missionary; Peter lived it out by being our first Pope. How is God calling you to live out your life of loving God? Some people live it out in marriage, some in the single life. Some as a teacher, a shopkeeper, a computer programmer, a lawyer, a priest or nun. And all of us who have discovered the meaning of life, have a mission to bring that Good News to as many people as possible.

            Around the turn of the century, a French philosopher named Jacques Maritain and his wife Raissa felt that restlessness. Both were atheists, but were genuinely seeking the truth and authentic fulfillment – and couldn’t find it in the money, the pleasure, the things of this world. The two of them, after having searched for years, in 1901 made a pact with each other that if they did not find a meaning for life in the next year, they would mutually commit suicide at the end of the year. By God’s mercy, a friend invited them to a talk by a Catholic philosopher. They realized that Catholicism made sense – and found the meaning and purpose of their lives, and became dedicated, holy Catholics. All because a friend took the time to invite them to discover the meaning of life through the lens of our faith in Jesus Christ. I bet a lot of people we know are wrestling with that inner restlessness, that discontent in life. So – part of our mission is to bring as many people as possible to Heaven with us!

            So, we’ve got the purpose of our life – but when Isaiah, Peter, and Paul hear about their mission, they recognize that they are unworthy of the task. Indeed, this is the problem with you and me and every other human being – we are sinners. If our life’s purpose is to love God for eternity, then sin is acting against the purpose of our lives. And that is why we need a Savior.

            And what a Savior we have! He doesn’t deny that we’re sinful – He does something better – He forgives it! He looks at Peter and says, “Yes, I know your sinfulness – and I forgive you. Come follow Me.” He looks at Isaiah and says, “Yes, you do have unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips – so let me purify them, and go forth.” What mercy! He doesn’t require us to travel to foreign lands or undertake arduous penances or pay money to be forgiven. All we have to do is humble ourselves, like Peter and Paul and Isaiah, and say, “Lord, I have sinned,” and in the Sacrament of Confession our sins are forgiven – and we are back on our way to being the saint God has created us to be.

            What a joy it is, then, to find God’s mercy and to live out our purpose! This Easter, we are going to give all parishioners a book by a Catholic writer named Chris Stefanick about joy in Christ. He became a serious believer through joy. When he was in eighth grade, he was a typical kid who didn’t care much for the whole “Jesus thing”. His parents convinced him to go to a youth conference for Catholic teens. Reluctantly he went, and he was struck…not by a talk, or a small-group discussion, but by a man. This man was in his late 60s, overweight, not particularly good-looking. But as everyone began singing hymns during Eucharistic Adoration, Chris noticed this man standing in the back of church, his hands raised, eyes closed, singing, and a look of pure joy on his face. It was the look of joy that struck that eighth-grade boy – and he thought, “That man is joyful – that man knows and loves Jesus - I want joy, so I must know and love Jesus!” And from that moment on, he gave his whole life to Jesus Christ.

            And you know what? If we fulfill the mission for which we were created – to know, love, and serve God in this life, so we can be eternally happy with Him in the next – then we, too, will know joy – the joy of sins forgiven, the joy of inner peace, the joy of knowing the love of the Lord.