I ran a half-marathon once, courtesy of the United States Marine Corps—13.1 miles on a hot, humid September morning in Quantico, Virginia. Along with 120 other happy Leathernecks, I never could have run this distance successfully without prior training.
I couldn’t have made it without the refreshment stops provided by our benevolent leaders along the way either. Even though I had stamina, discipline, and faith in my abilities, all of that would have been for naught without ice cold water available at stations along the route. I wouldn’t have made it to the finish line without them, and no one else would have either.
For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.
Thus, “it” can’t be done without the Church. And what is “it?” Well, a lot harder than running a half marathon, let me tell you. Quite simply, “it” is to become fully human, to reach the zenith of what it means to be a human being. To reach the “end” that we are created for. The Gospel reading in Luke tips you off with the quote from Deuteronomy 6.
Our vocation, then, is to love, wholeheartedly and unconditionally, so that we can become like God. This can’t be done by yourself, can’t be done without the Sacraments (which sustain, cleanse, and commit us to one another, while fortifying us in this endeavor), and can’t be done through reading Scripture alone. Come to think of it, I couldn’t have become a Marine on my own either.
What did Gandhi say about Christians? “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” That is because we are works in progress, while Christ is God. We have potential, but Christ is the model for us to emulate. He is the genuine article, Man as he is intended to be.
There is a huge chasm between us and Him, between where we are now and where we want to be. This is where the Church comes in. She is the bridge across this chasm, a beacon on the journey, serving much the same purpose as those water stops in Quantico did on a very long run, a long time ago. Because as Frederick Faber describes clearly, the Church
More subtle than 12 weeks of boot camp, the transformation takes a lifetime of study, prayer, and perseverance in the faith. But unlike some quickie self-help program, with a lame money-back guarantee, a hand shake and a smile, the Church is here eternally with both tangible and spiritual aids to help us make it to the finish line.