Last week in my homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, I said, “Life has meaning when we are willing to live and die for something bigger than ourselves.” I also said that at the end of our lives, like Paul, we too should be able to say, “I have competed well. I have run the race. I have kept the faith.”
Today’s scripture readings help us reflect more deeply on the meaning of Christian living. I would like to explore this in three points.
A Purpose-Driven Life
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 10:1–12), when Jesus sent the seventy-two disciples out in pairs, he was doing more than making them partners in his ministry. In reality, he was making them part of God’s creative and redemptive plan. By going out in obedience to Christ’s command, these disciples became part of God’s mind, God’s heart, and God’s saving love for all humanity. The mission gave them a purpose. The mission gave them their identity. The mission added invaluable meaning to their lives. The mission gave them a reason to get up in the morning. The mission took hold of them. In the end, the disciples came back rejoicing because they had seen the impact of their work in the world.
Let us apply this to the meaning of our own lives. When we think of ourselves, how do we imagine our identity? We may think of ourselves as parents, spouses, elders, singles, or youth. We may also define ourselves by what we do—teacher, nurse, engineer, or whatever our profession may be. Today’s Gospel invites us to think of ourselves first and foremost as people integral to God’s mind, God’s heart, and God’s saving love, God’s redeeming mission. We are chosen. We are sent.
This mission should be the primary purpose of our lives. It should give us our identity. It should be the source of meaning in our lives. It should be the reason we get up in the morning. The mission should take hold of our lives. Who we imagine ourselves to be and what we do for a living should flow from our understanding that we have been placed on this earth by God to be his heart, his mind, and his love—and to carry out Christ’s redeeming mission.
Life in Light of the Cross
Let us define this mission a little more clearly. In today’s second reading, Paul says, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal 6:14). There are three elements in this statement—Paul, the world, and the cross of Jesus Christ. Central to Paul is the cross of Christ. Whatever interaction Paul has with the world, and whatever interaction the world has with Paul, happens in light of the cross of Jesus Christ.
Saying “yes” to the mission that Jesus entrusts to us means this: that no matter who we are, what we do, or what state of life we find ourselves in, we live our lives in light of the cross of Jesus Christ. And when the world comes into contact with us, it should become aware of that cross.
For example, as a priest, every interaction I have—with parishioners, colleagues, superiors, friends, or even enemies—must take place in light of the cross of Jesus Christ. Whatever relationships you have—as a parent, spouse, child, friend, or even foe—must be lived in light of the cross. Whatever you do professionally must be fulfilled in light of the cross. Our entire lives—every moment—must be lived in light of the cross of Jesus Christ.
Preparing a Place for Christ
There is yet another way to understand the mission and purpose of our lives. Luke says, “Jesus sent his disciples ahead of him to prepare the places he intended to visit” (Lk 10:1). This is a beautiful way to understand Christian life: that every place we visit should be a place prepared for Jesus. These days, in the context of climate change, we often hear that we should leave the earth better than we found it. We can apply that same principle to the Gospel. Can we leave our home, our workplace, our neighborhood, our nation, our world more prepared for Christ than it was before? We can make and leave the world a better place because we have prepared our space for him.
When Jesus returns, may there be room for him. May he not be rejected. May he not be crucified again. When he returns, may he find the world prepared for him. And the best place to begin is in our own spaces—our homes, our workplaces, and the places where we find ourselves each day.
“Life has meaning when we are willing to live and die for something bigger than ourselves.” May the meaning of our lives emerge from living in the light of the Cross.
Photo by Yannick Pulver on Unsplash
Fr. Satish Joseph was ordained in India in 1994 and incardinated into the archdiocese of Cincinnati in 2008. He has a Masters in Communication and Doctorate in Theology from the University of Dayton. He is presently Pastor at Immaculate Conception and St. Helen parishes in Dayton, OH. He is also the founder Ite Missa Est ministries (www.itemissaest.org) and uses social media extensively for evangelization. He is also the founder of MercyPets (www.mercypets.org) — a charitable fund that invites pet-owners to donate a percent of their pet expenses to alleviate child hunger. MercyPets is active in four countries since its founding in December 2017. Apart from serving at the two parishes, he facilitates retreats, seminars and parish missions.
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