homilies

on the liturgy of the Sundays and feasts

by david q. liptak

Model of faith

Mary, Mother of God-January 1

Readings: Num. 6:22-27 Gal. 4:4-7 Luke 2:16-21

Title: Mary, the Example of Mature Christian Living

Purpose: (1) to look well at the Lord's Mother as we start another year of life; (2) to imitate her prayerfulness, fidelity, energy, sinlessness.

n Once again, at the beginning of a new year (so much closer to the end of the second millennium) we set out on our pilgrimage of faith in the company of Mary, the Mother of God. The Church is desirous that we proceed thus; surely this is why the liturgy offers us this Solemnity. (A Solemnity constitutes the highest form of liturgical observance.)

Indeed, Mary is the model of the authentic Christian, since she is the person of faith par excellence. Although she did not fully understand all the events which were taking place around her, although she did not comprehend completely the apparent contradictions which were occurring in her life, she nonetheless believed unreservedly, and never doubted.

Singled out by the Archangel, Mary found herself giving birth to Jesus in a cave. Hailed as blessed among all women, she heard Simeon refer to Jesus as a "sign of contradiction." The Spouse of the Holy Spirit, she and the Holy Family became Displaced Persons, while Jesus' death was sought by Herod. And her Jesus-"the Holy One of God" of whom the Archangel Gabriel spoke-was to die an ignominious death between two criminals.

All through these contradictions, Mary refused to doubt; her faith was total, profound and unqualified.

In this context the Church in its liturgy points to Mary as our guide for the new year. In her footsteps we too walk in faith, not fully understanding, but believing with all our hearts and minds, and absolutely refusing to doubt, regardless of the adverse circumstances which we experience in this vale of tears.

Believing what? That Jesus is Lord; that Jesus, born of Mary, comes to us even today through Mary's intercession (the doctrine of Mary, Mediatrix, as reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council); that to accept Jesus as Lord we must accept all that belongs to Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, to whom Mary draws us in faith.

Surely, this is an especially graced means of commencing a new year. With God, we say: "We believe, we believe with all our being; we will never doubt; we will never permit any difficulties we have regarding faith ever to turn into doubts, even when the contradiction seems the worst and the difficulties most agonizing."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums up this theology in a beautiful paragraph: "Only faith can embrace the mysterious ways of God's almighty power. This faith glories in its weaknesses in order to draw to itself Christ's power. The Virgin Mary is the supreme model of this faith, for she believed that 'nothing will be impossible with God,' and was able to magnify the Lord: 'For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name'" (No. 273).

Mary is also an example of prayerfulness and as such keeps us turned to Christ at the start of a new year. Recall the scene of the Annunciation as recorded by Luke (1:26-38). Note that Mary's response to the Archangel, the hymn which we traditionally call the "Magnificat," is replete with verses taken from the Old Testament Scriptures, especially First Samuel 2:1-10, known as Hannah's Hymn. Mary was steeped in the Scriptures, so thoroughly immersed in them that in a moment of joy she could hardly articulate God's glory except in Biblical terms. Recall, too, how Luke goes out of his way to describe Mary's contemplative life at Nazareth with the simple phrase: "His [Jesus'] mother kept all these things in her heart" (Luke 2:51). Obviously Mary reflected deeply and at length upon the events surrounding her Son, Jesus.

Finally, recall how Mary prayed-what other word would be more precise-for the guests at the wedding feast of Cana, when Jesus worked his first public sign (John 2:1-12). As one Biblical interpreter has remarked, "if she had not expected anything from him, her words to the waiters, 'Do whatever he tells you,' would make no sense" (Ignace de la Potterie, in Mary in the Mystery of the Covenant. Staten Island: Alba House 1992).

The prayerfulness of our Lady was beautifully described by St. Lawrence Justinian (d. 1455) in a sermon on the Feast of the Purification. This sermon is required reading for priests and religious in the Office of Readings on the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It reads in part: "The heavenly mysteries are opened to her . . . . How entirely blessed was the mind of the Virgin which, through the indwelling and guidance of the Spirit, was always and in every way open to the power of the word of God."

The Wedding Feast of Cana, alluded to above, in the context of prayer, also witnesses to Mary's spiritual energy. Though docile to God's will, she was not simply a passive bystander. On the contrary, she deliberately entered into situations in which ordinary human beings needed help-special help. And when Mary visited Elizabeth shortly after the Annunciation, she went "in haste," as St. Luke writes (Luke 1:39).

Mary's fidelity to the Lord is epitomized in her standing at the Cross of Jesus at Calvary. John, the only one of the Twelve who was there, carefully records that she stood (John 19:25). Standing is a sign of unreserved loyalty; "to stand by one's side" is a common expression to this effect. In fact, Mary is invoked in the Litany of Loreto as the "Tower of David," and the "Tower of Ivory." A tower stands; it is clearly visible; it is a symbol of strength. As Cardinal John Henry Newsman once put it: ". . . She [Mary] did not grovel in the dust, but stood upright to receive the blows, the stabs, which the long Passion of her Son inflicted upon her every moment. In this magnanimity and generosity of suffering she is, as compared with the apostles, fitly imaged as a tower."

Vatican Council II, in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, also insisted upon stressing Mary's standing at Calvary as a sign of her fidelity "There she [Mary] stood, in keeping with the divine plan . . . suffering grievously with her only begotten Son. There she united herself with a maternal heart to His Sacrifice and lovingly consented to the immolation of the Victim which she herself had brought forth . . ." (No. 58).

Finally, Mary, we believe, was sinless from the moment of her conception. Immaculately conceived, in view of the merits of her Son, Jesus, and owing to the Redemption wrought by him, she also never knew personal sin. God's grace was so bright in her, and Mary's response was so complete, that she was never under the influence of Satan, whose power was overcome by her divine Son.

This is the woman with whom we begin another year's pilgrimage. Contemplating her, we hope to follow in prayerfulness, fidelity, spiritual energy and holiness.

Christ Jesus be praised in Mary your mother.

Follow that star

Epiphany of the Lord-January 5

Readings: Isa. 60:1-6 Eph. 3:2-3. 5-6 Matt. 2:1-12

Title: Evangelization: Proclaiming the Gospel to All Nations

Purpose: (1) to explain Epiphany as the Gospel reaching out to all nations; (2) to encourage personal attitudes and programs that are evangelistic.

"Epiphany" is a word very much alive today. It is used as a synonym for "a religious insight" or "revelation." One hears that another has experienced an "epiphany." According to the Random House Dictionary, the word can mean "a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something."

The fundamental meaning of "Epiphany" as used in today's Solemnity, however, has another meaning, albeit a related one; namely, "the formal appearance of a king." In ancient times, a royal personage would travel to a distant part of his realm and there establish a temporary court, as it were. It is in this sense that Jesus, the newborn King of Kings, made himself manifest to the non-Israelitic peoples, represented in today's Gospel by the Magi-the Astrologers who came from the East. "Astrologers" here does not signify what we often mean by it in American English, wherein it hints of superstition. Here the descriptive "astrologers" refers to men who seriously studied the heavens, as well as the charts predicting the advent of a Messiah. (The Dead Sea Scrolls include a mysterious star-chart indicating the awaited birth of a Savior-King.)

If one wants to derive a practical lesson from today's Solemnity, surely it is to be found in the meaning of the Star. Jesus told us that anyone who seeks him, will find him. God sees to it that those who really care, who are sincerely in quest of truth and goodness, will find him, who is Truth and Goodness personified. Like the Star in the heavens, God sheds light on those in quest, helping them find him, despite the darkness everywhere. This means that the Gospel of love, forgiveness and salvation is accessible to all who, like the Magi, search for God. He is found in Jesus Christ, the Son of God Incarnate, born at Bethlehem.

From a loving knowledge of Christ derives a yearning to proclaim him to others, "to evangelize" in other words. "Evangelize" comes from a Greek expression signifying "to announce good news." As Catholics our whole lives resonate with a zeal to help others know that, as the Scriptures relate, "eternal life is to know . . . the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent" (John 17:3).

All evangelization can, in a sense, be summarized in the name, "Jesus Christ." "Jesus" literally means "Yahweh saves." "Christ" means "the Anointed." One recalls the Holy Name's being chanted during Pope John Paul II's last visit to the Philippines; the television record was awesome. Over four million people (possible five million) joined the Holy Father in exclaiming "Jesus Christ" three times.

All true evangelization begins and ends with the words, "Jesus Christ." He is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). To have seen him is to have seen the Father (John 14:19). It is upon him that the angels of God ascend and descend (John 1:51).

Evangelization-the Good News of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior-is meant for all persons, of all times, and all ethnic or racial heritages. The usual depictions of the Magi teach us this, although the number of these Astrologers is not given in Scripture. It is clear from Matthew's Gospel, however, that they traveled from afar; indeed, from the East.

Thus we are reminded that evangelization must be universal in its intent and goal; the Good News must be broadcast among all peoples. This is the reason why St. Paul brought the Gospel to Europe, and why St. Patrick of Ireland returned to the land of his enslavement, and why St. Boniface felled the Oak of Thor in the Germanic regions of Europe, and why St. Augustine set sail for England and the North American Martyrs for Quebec. This is why Blessed Damien of Molokai left Belgium and why St. Francesca Cabrini left Italy for the United States.

One dimension of evangelization on a global scale is inculturation-a word virtually coined by Pope John Paul II. While the Church is Catholic or "universal," it honors in accidentals the traditions, languages, customs and mentalities of the countless peoples who find within it their spiritual home. "Inculturation" means the incarnation of the Gospel in native cultures. SS. Cyril and Methodius, for example, respected the Slavic cultures to which they brought the Gospels, so much so that they refused to impose the Greek language or the Byzantine traditions upon their converts, but rather "adapted to the Slavonic language the rich and refined texts of the Byzantine liturgy and likewise adapted to the mentality and customs of the new peoples the subtle and complex elaborations of Greco-Roman law" ("The Apostles of the Slavs," John Paul II, Encyclical, June 1985).

Evangelization necessarily proceeds from God's word, of course, and not merely from human wisdom, howsoever valid and noble. Indeed, any so-called human science incompatible with God's word must be rejected as such, since it lacks merit in the pursuit of truth or goodness. God's word means the Scriptures as read within the Church, or reason illumined by Revelation.

True evangelization therefore is God-centered and God-inspired. The Magi set out on their journey because of "faith in search of understanding," which is the classic definition of theology. Their quest began with an openness to the divine inspiration. God had mysteriously drawn them, and they determined to follow out his promptings through the Star. This sounds so alien in a world wherein subjective norms have replaced solid ones anchored in God.

What matters in our relationship with God is his will, his word, his norms. Religion ultimately rests upon God's wisdom, not on man's subjective searches. If we must say, "It is inconceivable to me that God forbids," we ought to add, immediately and unreservedly, "even though I do not fully understand, nonetheless I believe; Lord strengthen my belief."

Some minds comprehend more profoundly and thoroughly than others, of course, and St. Thomas Aquinas is an obvious example. Yet even he-perhaps the most awesome intellect ever to bridge the area between natural reason and divine Revelation-completed his life's quest not by the power of his intellect but rather through a mystical experience so overwhelming that he summarily dismissed his incomparable corpus of writings as so much "straw."

No; Catholic faith is not built upon what seems "conceivable" to a particular theologian or even a host of theologians. A theology of substance never begins with phrases like, "It seems to me that God would . . . ." Rather, any theology of substance always begins with God's will and God's word.

True evangelization necessarily begins with Revelation, with the Light that shines from the Star of Bethlehem concentrating on the Word God Incarnate.

With the Magi, we too follow the Star which came to rest upon the Christ Child, who told us, in St. John's Gospel, that he alone is the way, the truth and the life.

New life in Christ

Baptism of the Lord-January 12

"B" Readings: Isa. 42:1-4. 6-7 Acts 10:34-38 Mark 1:7-11

Title: The Lord's Baptism: the Start of Work and Sacrifice

Purpose: (1) to show the Baptism of Christ as a commissioning to daily prayer, sacrifice, hard work; (2) to show that our Baptism is not a one-time event witnessed by a certificate, but a continuing process witnessed by our way of life.

The Bible Readings for today's Feast of the Baptism of the Lord are theologically rich.

The first is one of the celebrated "Servant of God Hymns," written by the Second Isaiah during the sixth century B.C. In Hebrew these songs are called the Ebed Yahweh hymns. There are four of them, each pointing to a mysterious "Servant of the Lord," who, by his suffering, would take away our sins, secure our redemption, and make this world a better place. These songs are always read during Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday. Today's text is always read as the first lesson during the Mass on Monday of Holy Week.

No one in ancient Israel knew who this Servant of God (this Ebed Yahweh) would be. Some thought that the title meant a great hero of faith, like Moses. Others argued that it really signified the entire Israelite people. Still others proposed that it referred to a prophet who, by a unique anointing, would completely change the course of history and atone for the sins of all.

The sacred riddle was solved, we know, when Jesus came. In five key New Testament passages, Jesus is spoken of in terms of the Servant of God: Matthew 12:18; Acts 3:13,26; Acts 4:27,30.

Furthermore, Jesus spoke and acted in the persona of the Ebed Yahweh. Again and again, he called others to follow him in suffering service (e.g. Matt. 8:34). And at the Last Supper, when he changed bread and wine into his Body and Blood, he used words from the Fourth Servant Song while speaking over the cup of wine; specifically, "which will be shed for you and for all, so that sins may be forgiven" (Matt. 26:28)

Thus it was that St. Peter, in a sermon recorded for all ages by St. Luke in his inspired Acts of the Apostles-today's Second Reading-recalls that Jesus "went about doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the devil, and God was with him" (Acts 10:38).

In a sense, Jesus' formal entry upon the path of suffering, which led to his crucifixion and Resurrection, occurred on the banks of the Jordan that historic day of his baptism. There the Lord's commitment to his life's work was solemnly symbolized, while his heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit ratified his mission.

Baptism is for us, at least in principle, the start of a lifetime of work in answer to the divine call. An infant is hardly conscious of this truth; obviously. But as a child grows in grace, Baptism helps him appreciate more and more the mystery of divine life and his vocation in terms of now and forever. For a baptized infant, a moment of truth occurs at First Penance, and, of course, most dramatically, at First Communion. In a sense a child "ratifies" at such moments the promises made in his behalf at baptism. In other words, through First Penance and First Communion the child articulates an affirmative response once made by his parents and godparents to the question, "Do you reject Satan?"

The process which begins with Baptism is-or should be-experienced daily. Prayer is one means by which this is accomplished. Each and every time a child prays, he is reaffirming his baptismal commitment. This means the Our Father and the Hail Mary said at the beginning of each day, as well as the Act of Contrition recited each evening before retiring. Such prayer, while brief, can keep the baptismal process alive and flourishing.

On the other hand, daily prayer itself reflects the grace of baptism. It is precisely because the risen Lord has returned to the Father that the Spirit comes to us and enables us to call God "Father"-which must be interpreted literally, not figuratively. Baptism, one needs to recall repeatedly, truly makes one a child of God.

Sacrifice is another essential means by which one's baptismal grace is continuously renewed. What is meant here is primarily a rending of the heart, an oblation of self on behalf of others for love of God. Since everyone who is baptized becomes a child of God, who can separate himself from others? Baptism seals our solidarity in Christ. Hence it calls us to be person for others-and it helps us carry through this process, as difficult as it may seem at times. If God has called another human being to be his son or daughter through Baptism, who are we to reject the same as brother or sister?

One might say that Baptism is the sacrament upon which the communion of saints is existentially founded. Baptism ushers the recipient in to the mystery of fellowship-what Pope John Paul II refers to as solidarity-a unity which reaches its summit in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

The continuous process by means of which Baptism is experienced throughout life is also implemented by hard work. The Christian is called to serve others and to make this world a better place, and he must do it in a sacrificial mode. Such a vocation is not for the complacent, much less for the spiritually weak or the doubtful. Jesus told us that once we put our hands to the plow we should not look back. Blessed Josemaria Escriva wrote:

"Listen, if you make an effort, with the grace of God that is enough. Put your own interests to one side, you will serve others for God, and you will come to the aid of the Church in the field where the battles are being fought today: in the street, in the factory, in the workshop, in the university, in the office, in your own surroundings, amongst your family and friends" (Furrow, No. 14. 1986).

Thus it is that Baptism is a beginning to a new life, a life replete with the divine power, a life that needs to be safeguarded, and nourished, and experienced, and brought to maturity. It is not simply a name-giving ceremony for which a certificate is presented. It commissions one to daily prayer and sacrifice and hard work; it launches a process which merges into eternal life in the Blessed Trinity, our ultimate goal.

The essential meaning of Baptism transcends the bestowal of a name. Baptism is literally a rebirth. Through Baptism, which remits Original Sin (and all personal sins), one is reborn as a child of God and becomes an heir to heaven; is configured to Christ by an indelible character, and is incorporated into Christ's Church. Hence Baptism looks to the future; it opens up the doorway to the other sacraments; it ushers one into a new life in Christ, which, again, is an ongoing process.

This ongoing life in Christ is a life modeled after the Suffering Servant of God, Jesus Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve; to help others; to unite others.

A true vocation

2nd Sunday of the Year-January 19

"B" Readings: 1 Sam. 3:3-10 1 Cor. 6:13-15. 17-20 John 1:35-42

Title: The Sacrament of Holy Orders

Purpose: to tell (1) the importance of ordained ministry; (2) the three grades of Holy Orders; and (3) to encourage appreciation of our ordained ministers.

The First Reading today is an old favorite; it relates that, and how, God called Samuel to his special service. It is the story of a vocation, a vocation to serve the Lord.

The Gospel is also the story of a vocation. Therein we read that, and how, Andrew was called to Jesus' special ministry. Andrew, today's Gospel tells us, was the first Apostle called by Christ. Moreover, he was the person responsible for leading his brother Simon to Jesus. Simon of course became Peter; our Lord changed his name to "Peter," meaning "Rock."

As a youth, Andrew had followed John the Baptizer; in fact, he is mentioned among those on hand that historic day when St. John first saw Jesus coming toward the Jordan and exclaimed in the Spirit: "Look there! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

Today's Gospel records Andrew's reaction to the Jordan event. He rushed up to our Lord and asked to speak to him-alone. All that Andrew required was a few hours (it was four in the afternoon, the Gospel tells us) to make his total, permanent, and irrevocable commitment to discipleship.

In Andrew's story-as well as in Samuel's-we can see the reality and the nature of a true vocation.

First, God's election follows upon sincere, humble curiosity; a holy curiosity about the mystery of life and death, about identity and goals. Like Andrew, we must all put aside the distractions of this world and seek out an interview with Jesus, who lives as risen Lord in our midst.

Secondly, there is need for some contemplation. We must try to remain open to the Spirit, to say with Samuel, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening." (This requires turning off the television occasionally, and the computer, and putting aside the daily newspaper.) Otherwise, God's personal call to us cannot be heard.

This means prayer, too. No Christian can live without it. God's calling us by name and his speaking to us can be detected only if we occasionally halt our routine worldly pursuits to make contact with his living presence.

Following Andrew, therefore, with holy curiosity about Christ, and with personal prayer, we can keep hearing God's calling us.

Any vocation to which one is called by God must be holy, of course. But for a few moments today, especially with reference to Andrew, we could dwell upon vocations to the priesthood-priestly vocations.

Priests are necessary, since without the priesthood we would not have the Eucharist, or the forgiveness of sins in Penance and Anointing. The priesthood focuses ministry, which is epitomized in Christ the Suffering Servant of God, who came not to be served, but to serve. Strictly speaking, ministry in the Roman Catholic Church's vocabulary refers primarily to service in Holy Orders, or to those who by means of a liturgical rite are officially set aside or "ordained" for service to Christ in his Church. The word order, which implies rank or grade, reflects Psalm 110 and Hebrews 5-7, wherein reference is made to the mysterious figure Melchizedek, who prefigured Christ by means of a sacrifice of bread and wine.

Ordained ministry is essentially distinct from the common priesthood of the faithful; the difference between the two is not merely one of degree.

Holy Orders has from Apostolic times been handed down in three ranks: episcopate, presbyterate or priesthood, and diaconate.

The first order belongs to the office of those who, appointed bishops from the beginning, pass on the apostolic power. Through those appointed bishops by the apostles, and through their successors down to our age, ordained ministry perdures as Christ's own ministry. "The order of bishops," Vatican Council II puts it, "is the successor to the college of the apostles in teaching authority and pastoral rule; or, rather, in the episcopal order the apostolic body continues without a break" (Lumen Gentium, 22).

The bishop is marked with the fullness of the Sacrament of Orders. It is his sacred task, first among ordained ministers, to preach the Gospel, to preside at the Eucharist until Christ comes again, and to serve as a principal steward of grace. Every legitimate eucharistic celebration occurs in and through the bishop. Moreover, bishops are the dispensers of Holy Orders, and moderators of penitential discipline, and the original ministers of Confirmation.

Presbyters or priests serve as assistants to the bishops in Christ the High Priest's mission of teaching, sanctifying and ruling the flock. Although priests do not possess the highest degree of priesthood, and although they are somewhat dependent upon the bishop in the exercise of their role, they nonetheless are ordained ministers, consecrated to preach the Gospel, to preside at the Eucharist, to reconcile sinners, to celebrate the sacraments in general, and to shepherd the faithful.

The third order of the ordained ministry received from apostolic times is that of the diaconate. The classical Biblical text pointing to this order is Acts 6:16; at least from Apostolic times this passage has been read by the Catholic Church as referring to deacons. Unlike presbyters, who are ordained to the sacerdotal function of the bishop, deacons are set apart for the diaconal function of service to Christ. This diaconal function is threefold. It includes the ministry of the word, the ministry of the liturgy, and the ministry of charity. Primarily, the last cited is the best known; it refers to Church temporalities and their administration. But the deacon is empowered to minister at the Eucharist by proclaiming the Gospel, for example, by preaching, and by distributing Communion. And whereas the deacon cannot preside at the Eucharist and reconcile sinners in the name of the Church, he can baptize solemnly, assist at weddings, and impart certain blessings in the Church's ritual.

From apostolic times, the power of orders has been transmitted by the laying on of hands, with the liturgical word or form appropriate to the degree or grade of the order. Among the Biblical fonts for this rite are First Timothy 4:14, and Second Timothy 1:6. The ordinal specifies this rite.

If the episcopate is the principal sacrament of priesthood, the vast majority of men in Holy Orders are presbyters or priests. Priests, like bishops, are ordained primarily to preach the word of God and to preside at the Eucharist; they are essentially preachers and cultic leaders. Priests also serve as ministers of the Sacraments of Reconciliation or Penance, Anointing of the Sick, and solemn Baptism. And they are empowered to witness to the Sacrament of Matrimony and to bless in Christ's name, and occasionally to confirm.

Today we are called upon not only to pray for more priestly vocations, but to nurture a sense of appreciation for priests. Listen to Pope John Paul II, who lived once on the other side of the Iron Curtain, where priests had to labor underground: "Think of the places where for many years, feeling the lack of . . . a priest, they [the faithful] do not cease to hope for his presence. And sometimes it happens that they meet in an abandoned shrine, and place on the altar a stole which they still keep, and recite all the prayers of the Eucharistic Liturgy; and then, at the moment that corresponds to the transubstantiation a deep silence comes down upon them, a silence sometimes broken by a sob . . . so ardently do they desire to hear the words that only the lips of a priest can efficaciously utter; so much do they desire Eucharistic communion, in which they can share only through the ministry of a priest, just as they also so eagerly wait to hear the divine words of pardon: Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis! So deeply do they feel the absence of a priest among them! . . . Such places are not lacking in the world. So if one of you doubts the meaning of his priesthood, if he thinks it is 'socially' fruitless or useless, reflect on this!"

Heroes of faith

3rd Sunday of the Year-January 26

"B" Readings: Jonah 3:1-5. 10 1 Cor. 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20

Title: Purpose of Life

Purpose: to describe (1) what a saint is, and (2) the purpose of life is to become a saint.

The Book of Jonah, from which today's First Reading is excerpted, is one of the most beloved Books of the Bible. It is as comforting as it is fascinating.

The story is captivating. Here we have a prophet deputed as such by God. Jonah is asked to preach to the people of Nineveh, where godlessness and immorality were rampant.

Jonah is hesitant about accepting his mission. For one thing, he was not especially open to preaching to Gentiles. (Today we might say that he was not interested in interfaith work.) But there is another reason for his lack of enthusiasm. Jonah knew very well how merciful God can be: slow to anger, ready to forgive. Jonah was concerned that he would expend his energies on preaching God's word to the Ninevites, who had gone astray, only to discover that, at the very first sign of repentance, God would forgive them.

Jonah, it appears, was convinced that God pardons sinners too readily. (Note: Jonah was telling God what God should do.) Reluctant to get involved, Jonah took flight from God-like the soul in Francis Thompson's masterpiece, The Hound of Heaven. In his attempt to escape, he is intercepted by the Lord, and set down where he began. The metaphor of a giant fish is used by the sound writer; a celebrated figure of speech known as "Jonah's Whale." (The original Hebrew reads "fish," however.) Hence, Jonah was turned back to God, and to the vocation to which God had called him.

Jonah's story was referred to by Christ our Lord. (See Matt. 16:1-4; 12:38-40). The only sign which he would give us, the Savior said, was the Sign of Jonah. The Sign of Jonah is fundamentally the Sign of the Risen Lord who enters our lives, and even turns us around, if need be.

The Risen Lord is the goal of our life's striving; as St. Paul writes in Philippians, death means to go home and be with him forever (1:23). So that getting to know Christ better is our life's work. Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Ultimately this is what finding meaning in life is about-finding Christ. Today there are so many theories, many proposed by psychologists, let alone philosophers, as to life's goal.

The search for meaning-for purpose in life-has been recognized today by psychologists as essential to personality formation. Dr. Viktor E. Frankl recalls, in his popular book, Man's Search for Meaning, that life ultimately means "taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Dr. Frankl survived a Nazi concentration camp.

For a Christian, the search for meaning is undertaken with the risen, living Lord. It means walking with the Lord through the grey, confusing, frustrating, sometimes agonizing corridors of this world; walking in his footsteps, as it were, at the foot of the Mount of the Transfiguration, with our eyes fixed upon the summit.

Each person is called in his or her own way; each person must follow the Risen Lord in a situation which is unique. Like Jonah, one often discovers himself drifting-or even running-away from Christ, misusing life for goals which fall far short of the Risen Lord, or which even run contrary to one's final goal in Christ.

There is a strong temptation to interpret the importance of personal fulfillment selfishly, without reference to Jesus' admonition that personal fulfillment necessarily means taking up one's cross daily and following him. Without the cross, there is no glorification.

Or, there is the temptation to do what is assessed by the world as "practical," in denial of the bedrock principle of the Gospel that the most practical way of living is the way of faith, since it alone readies us for life beyond this world.

In a sense, the believer ought to look for and welcome a "whale" in his or her life whenever escape from God and his specific mission for us is contemplated.

This is how the saints were made. A saint is one who, while trying to make this world a better place, has his or her mind and heart fixed on the Risen Lord in Eternity. And a saint is one who, unlike Jonah, does not hesitate but, on the contrary, joins the pilgrimage with the Risen Lord without losing time, in the conviction that, as St. Paul reminds us in today's Second Reading, "the world as we know it is passing away."

Mark how quick Jesus' first disciples were to follow him. "They immediately abandoned their nets," we read, "and became his followers."

Think, for example, of St. Francis Xavier. His whole life as a priest can be described as a rush to eternity through the most difficult venues of this world: India, Malay, Japan. He died on the Island of Sancian, just six miles from China, which he hoped to evangelize next.

Or think about the North American Martyrs, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Jean Brebeuf, St. Noel Chabanel, and their colleagues, expending their mortal lives in Quebec and upper New York State, almost as if against a deadline in order to bring Christ and the Gospel to the Indians.

Or think of St. Vincent de Paul, indefatigably at work: ransoming 1,200 Christian slaves, preaching countless retreats, founding the Congregation of the Missions, organizing all kinds of social service endeavors, establishing hospitals. No reluctant prophet, he.

Or consider St. Jean Vianney, the patron Saint of Parish Priests, preaching daily, hearing confessions hour after hour, sometimes for the greater part of the day. No reluctant prophet was he, either.

Or take St. Maximilian Kolbe, doubtless the most successful priest-journalist of the century. One of his journals reached a circulation of a million. At the same time he worked as a solid theologian, whose Mariology has been credited by no less a scholar than Jean Guitton as representative of the finest ever and replete with a new perspective, where everything is looked upon in the light of the Immaculate Mother. He also served as a missionary in Japan, organized the Militia of Mary (now serving the Church on an international scale), and died a martyr in infamous Auschwitz.

Saints are our models in following Christ the risen Lord. Having committed themselves, they pressed forward in the conviction that the only purpose in life is to serve and love the Risen Lord now and forever.

Unlike Jonah, they did not hesitate. Nor did they debate with God as to their specific mission. They listened; they accepted; they followed. They knew the real purpose of life, and they refused to be deterred. They lived by the principle, so beautifully expressed by Hilaire Belloc in his magnificent poem, Ballade to Our Lady of Czestochowa:

"This is the faith that I have held and hold, And this is that in which I mean to die."

Jesus is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the goal (Rev. 22:13).