Last week, we meditated on how to bear witness to our faith like the Maccabean martyrs. We saw that to be a witness of Jesus Christ, we must first have a living experience with Christ, bear witness to Him for the Glory of God, and do so with courage. As we come to the end of the liturgical year, the readings take us to the end. When we talk about the end, I am reminded with gratitude of one of my professors in seminary who recently passed away and was buried on Thursday, Fr. Pat Boyle. The one thing I shall ever remember from his class was the distinction between the two ends of whatever we do: what we intend to achieve (the finis operis), and why we intend to achieve it (the finis operantis). The why is the more important but we often fail to pause and ask the why of what we do. Today, I would therefore like to ask us the following questions: What awaits us at the end of being faithful disciples of Jesus, and why do we seek to achieve this end? I would like to show that the goal of discipleship is to be conformed to Jesus Christ, and the height of discipleship is to be a model for others to follow.
1) The Goal of Discipleship
It goes without saying, that the goal of every disciple is to be like the master. The goal of every disciple of Jesus Christ is to be like Christ. What do the Gospels tell us about Christ that we are called to emulate? Jesus came to teach us how to love God and our neighbor. His love was a total love that gave it all without reservation. His love was a faithful love that loved all those who were His to the end. His love was a love expressed in mercy: a mercy that would leave the ninety-nine and go in search of the lost; a mercy that will embrace the prodigal son who repents no matter what they have done; a mercy that heals the broken hearted and wounded like the Good Samaritan to the man robbed on the way side; a mercy that would forgive the persecutor at the height of His cross. Above all, every disciple is called to be like Jesus Christ who came to save us at the cost of His life. His whole life as Pope Benedict XVI observes is one that can be summarized with the word, “for” others. He is the only man, Fulton Sheen maintains who came to this world, not to live but to die. In saving us by His suffering, death and Resurrection, Jesus reminds us of that timeless truth: “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains but a grain of wheat, but when it does, it bears fruits in abundance.” By His wounds we were healed; by our wounds, our sufferings borne with love and united with Jesus’ sacrifice, many too can be saved. All He asks of us today is to persevere to the end: “You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head
will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
2) The Height of Discipleship
In the second reading St. Paul makes a statement that all mature disciples should aspire to make: “In toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you.” Elsewhere, he would simply state: “Imitate me as I have imitated Christ.” One could say the height of being a student is to be a teacher of what we’ve learned. The height of being a disciple is to be a model for other disciples. That is why the saints are for us examples of perfect discipleship, amongst whom the Blessed Virgin Mary stands as the disciple of all disciples. St. Paul goes further to identify two qualities that we are called to possess as disciples of Christ: to act in an orderly way, and to be hardworking. He was told: We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.” Our God is a God of order. To be orderly is to imitate Him. The desire of the evil one is to create confusion, doubt and disorder. We cannot be models neither in the physical life nor spiritual life without discipline and consistency. It takes the grace of perseverance to attain the height of discipleship and to maintain it.
Without order/structure, we can easily fall into the second vice Saint Paul warns us against: sloth. Once we have a structure and are faithful to it, we can hardly be derailed by any passing distraction. Without order we easily fall into sloth. Sloth is knowing that which is good for us, but unwilling to make the necessary sacrifice to achieve it. One of the greatest negative effects of COVID was sloth. As we got comfortable in our couches, many have not still been able to rise from them. The greatest work we are called to make the effort daily in doing is the work of salvation: What profits a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? In Philippians 3:13, St. Paul invites us not to be afraid to strain every nerve toward what lies ahead just as an athlete exercises every fiber of their being in attaining the trophy. The truth remains, no one gets crowned without a struggle. However, we must have a clear vision of the crown in order to put up with the struggle. This leads us ultimately to the “why” of discipleship.
3) The Why of Discipleship
While the goal of being a disciple is to be like Jesus Christ, we must also ask the question: but why do we seek to be like Jesus? To possess Jesus is to possess all. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one but desires and seeks the truth. Jesus is the truth we are all in search of. No Jesus, no life; and to know Jesus is to have life in its fullness. Jesus is the only Way toward the eternal happiness that we all seek. Jesus is the only One who can grant us eternal life. However, eternal life with Jesus does not begin when we die; it starts in our relationship with Him from the day of our baptism when we died and rose with Him to new life in the waters of baptism.
He who encourages us to persevere to the end, does not leave us without the necessary help on this earthly pilgrimage. He continually strengthens and defends us against our adversaries with His Words of Life and Sacraments. Such is the meaning of those words: “Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” And to our greatest surprise, He assures us not only of His saving wisdom, but most especially of His abiding presence in the Eucharist wherein is fulfilled His most consoling promise to us: I will be with you always until the end of time (Mtt 28:20). When the psalmist discovered this truth, He stopped complaining: What do I have in heaven but You O Lord? On earth, I want nothing but you (See Psalm 73). The Eucharist is the pledge of Jesus’ love with us forever. As we receive Jesus today in the Eucharist let us receive Him intentionally as our Lord, and totally as our all, as we prepare to welcome and celebrate Him next Sunday as our King.