We all fail sometime, but should make a daily choice to do what Jesus asks of us
I recently had the opportunity to hear a great young preacher deliver a homily. It was on the occasion of his leaving his first priestly assignment after three years. It was like a parting message to his community and a reminder for himself as he transitioned to a new parish. He reminded us that our one mission in life is to keep Jesus at the center of our lives, to dedicate all of our energy and effort to doing what Jesus told us to do, and never to let anything replace Jesus as the most important person in our lives. All other things and people must be subordinate to that.
Even though all of us who claim to be disciples of Jesus know that to be true, it was helpful to hear it again, probably for the thousandth time. Anything short of that is the source of our insecurity and fear, and we often veer from the path of truth and fidelity. To seek and find the pearl of great price, to find a great treasure and bury it, and buy the land and procure it, is what he shared in his homily. Nothing should be more important than that. Therefore, we should take the opportunity offered to us and ponder the collection of Scripture readings for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time. This is an excellent opportunity for each of us to look at whether Jesus is the center of our lives.
The correct answer is that none of us has Jesus as the perfect center of our lives. We are all sinners, and we fail at this over and over again. It’s important to keep reflecting on this because this lack of commitment leads us into our own insecurities and fears, and we wander off the path of truth. We continue to fall for false idols. We put our trust in things that do not last. We continue to believe in fantasies that tempt us to believe that suffering and loss mean that God doesn’t love us. We keep thinking that money, status or power will be the secret weapon to get rid of our fears and anxieties. Look at our history, both personal and cultural. It never works, but we keep falling for it.
Practically speaking, what does it mean to have Jesus as the center of our lives? How well are we doing with that, and how do we measure that? One thing we know for sure is that Jesus spent a lot of time on the margins of society. Is that true for us, or do we spend most of our time around people who can live convenient, comfortable lives? Are we focused on protecting comfort and convenience, or are we willing to allow them to be threatened or sacrificed for the sake of another? In what ways do we consciously and actively empty ourselves for the sake of another? What is our first approach to a stranger that we meet? Is it love or suspicion? What part does reconciliation play in our daily lives? Would we prefer to hold grudges or seek out those with whom we have some brokenness and work at healing that?
Remember that we are all in this together. We are all sinners. That is not an excuse to continue putting our faith and trust in anything or anyone other than Jesus. It is not an excuse to give up trying. It ought to be the reason we get out of bed every day and choose to do what He asks. Seek the pearl of great price. Jesus possesses each of us as a great treasure. Do we return the favor?
