Pastor
~ How do I get there from here?
Before the days of GPS or smartphones, that was a pretty common question on car trips to an unfamiliar place.
Now, we don’t ask “How do I get there?” as much, at least not when it comes to driving. But it is a question we still may ask.
How do I get to a place where I feel settled and confident?
How do I get to a place of peace and serenity?
How do I get to a place where I’m not worried?
How do I get there?
In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus tells his friends: “You know the way to the place where I’m going.” But Thomas replies, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going – how can we know the way?”
Perhaps you’ve been in Thomas’ shoes…
Trying to find the way?
Trying to find your way?
Trying to find the Lord’s way – and the Lord’s way for you?
How do we get there from here?
But where exactly is there? Where are we trying to go? One answer, certainly, is heaven. The final goal of our lives is heaven. Jesus promises us heaven. He tells us that there is a place for each of us in His Father’s House. And Jesus says to Thomas and to all of us, “You know the way. I am the way, the truth and the life.”
Ah, but there is not just heaven, I think! Yes, we Christians want to get to heaven, but there is also the here and now where God is present and where God wants us to find the fullness of life. There is living our spiritual life to the fullest. There is fullness of life, even now. There is the Kingdom of God, among us. There is heaven on earth.
But we don’t know how to get there, and often we fall short of that goal. Our sins and our failings distract and dominate our lives so that it feels more we are living a hell. It is easy to be overwhelmed by life, burdened by life, and let’s be honest, some people’s lives are very difficult and unfair.
We can often be more concerned with the minutia of life than the reason why we do what we are doing. We lose sight of the big picture. We miss the forest for the trees.
Young people and teenagers can be more concerned with going to school than the reason why they are there, to develop their God given abilities to serve Christ.
Parents can be so concerned with the daily chores of raising children that they forget why they are working so hard, doing so much. They may forget that they are raising children of God and for God.
We can be so concerned with our jobs and our finances that we forget that why we work. We work so that we have what we need to live a good life and care for those we love and those who are in need.
Even we priests can get so involved in the minutia of our daily duties, that like the Temple priests in the parable of the Good Samaritan, we can often walk right by the opportunity to serve the Lord in the person in need on the side of the road.
And then there is the constant noise of our society that keeps us from experiencing heaven on earth. The news and the soundbites from presidents and politicians is just too much. The bickering and gossip of our everyday lives is just plain noise, distracting us, hurting others. Movies and TV shows are often written by folks who do not share our Catholic or Christian values. And the internet with its virtual worlds, social media, and complex games not only cause us to waste hours each day, but often lead us where we should not go.
Friends, we can’t get there, to the place we want to be, unless we let Christ lead us away from the distractions. We can’t get there to the place we want to be unless we focus on Christ as we go about the daily duties and chores of our lives. We can’t point others to where they also need to go unless our lives are pointing to the Lord.
Jesus is the way to fullness of life. When we focus on Jesus, he draws us to himself, away from the distractions, away from the noise. The One who loved us to death, now loves us to life. He loves us so much that he draws us to His Life if only we let him into our lives.
That is why we Christians must have an active prayer life. An active prayer life includes talking to the Lord throughout the day, but that is not enough. We also need to set time aside for prayer. Now, we need to be a little cautious when we consider what an active prayer life is, though. An active prayer life does not always mean feeling all warm and fuzzy like we do at times during retreats, or during Holy Week, or when things are going well in our lives. All that is good, but that is simply one of many manifestations of our union with God. A prayer life is active even if we often struggle just to concentrate on what we are doing and saying when we pray. After all, the Lord wants to be with us in good times and in bad, and God wants every part of our lives to be open to grace.
Friends, Jesus is the way.
If you are not satisfied with your life and you want to be somewhere different, Jesus is the way.
If you want a different, better prayer life, Jesus is the way.
If you are searching for meaning or for purpose, Jesus is the way.
If you want heaven on earth, Jesus is the way
If you want to get to heaven, Jesus is the way.
I once read a story that during the 2nd World War, in Malaysia, a prisoner of war escaped. He was assisted by a native who led him through a thick forest and from there to freedom and back home. The native fellow walked ahead and the man followed him from behind. With great difficulty they were finding their way through thorns and bushes, and ups and downs, and twists and turns, and the man got very tired. At one time he asked the native, “Are you sure this is the way?” The Malaysian man looked at him, and in broken English he said, “There is no way. I am the way. If you want to be free and go home, then you just have to follow me.”
Jesus says the same to us. There is no way. I am the way. If you want to be free and go home, then you just have to follow me. So what do you say to Jesus?
