Today’s Gospel shows the disciples speaking with Jesus, getting to the heart of the question of his identity. At the core of this question lies the disciples’ search for happiness. We too search for happiness, only to be often disappointed by disillusionment, pain, and suffering. This happens because we become attached to the illusion of happiness and forget to look for Jesus himself.
I want to share an experience that led me closer to an encounter with Jesus himself.
To Go Or Not To Go
I was in Rome at the time of the beatification of Pope John Paul II. Now, Papal masses are amazing, with all the pomp and grandeur that help the faithful to experience the spiritual depth of what is happening; however, they are also intensely crowded. Rome had been flooded by pilgrims at the time and I was not so sure about whether I should go to the mass or not. It seemed like a lot of hassle and there was no guarantee we could live the mass very well given that so many people would be crowding into St. Peter’s square and thereabouts.
The day before, one of the other brothers at our formation house in Rome invited me to go with him. We planned to leave a bit after the rest of the community and focus on being there for the homily and beatification, not so much for the whole mass. This sounded like a plan I could get behind. We got to that part of Rome much after the rest of the community and proceeded to take a long route in an attempt to circumvent the crowds. It seemed impossible to gain access to the plaza. Trekking through a very long route, taking us past Castel Sant’Angelo and cutting through several alleyways, I was about ready to give up. Getting in would require the ingenuity of a team like Oceans 11. We were not up to the task.
A Crack in the Defenses
Hope appeared when we saw a Columbian bishop who let us walk with him, playing the part of two young secretaries. He took us through empty streets past various checkpoints until we were in line to enter the square, which still seemed impossible. We were about to enter into the square for the Papal mass, getting ahead of thousands of people who had shown up hours before. Soon, we arrived where he had to go with the bishops and he looked at us with a look that told us we were now on our own. We took the hint and exited into the square, having now attained a great position from which to witness the historic event.
I was happy to join in because for me Pope John Paul II was a great man and one who influenced deeply my faith and my vocation. For this reason, I wanted to be there in the square when his name was announced. This is why I was so glad to see that kind Columbian bishop that day. Yet, deeper down, the one whom I truly desired to see was Jesus. We are like the Greeks approaching Philip: “We want to see Jesus” (cf. Jn. 12:20).
Pope John Paul II’s Call To Happiness
Pope John Paul II would not have been disappointed to realize that we were looking for him but really looking for Jesus. In fact, he was one of the key figures who taught me this truth. Whenever we are looking for joy and happiness in our life, we are truly looking for Jesus. Pope John Paul II spoke to the youth at Tor Vergata in Rome in 2000.
It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be grounded down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal (St. John Paul II, 19 August 2000).
Who do you say that Jesus is? These words echo in my heart and I hope that they echo in yours. Answering this question is a key step to developing your own relationship with Christ. Your faith should not depend on your grandparents or your cultural heritage. Nothing less than your own personal experience of Jesus justifies following him.
Jesus Satisfies
Jesus is the person who can satisfy your deepest desires. Look at all the pleasures of the world. As enjoyable as they may be in the moment, they leave you feeling empty and disgusted. Your hearts are made for more than empty pleasures. Your hearts are made with a Jesus-shaped hole and only he can fill it.
Jesus Knows You
Too often, we feel invisible. We feel like no one cares and can come to believe that our lives do not matter. This is always a lie. There are normally many people who care about you without you knowing. Much more than them, Jesus is the one who knows you and loves you like no one else can.
Jesus Inspires
Our world is telling you that you can do less. Jesus is telling you that you can do more. Jesus inspires you through his own example and sustains you through his own life. When we look at the life of Jesus, we recognize that we are called to more than what we are currently accomplishing. This is not to feel disappointed or down, but rather to gain courage for the future.
Fleeting Pleasures or True Joy?
By the end of his life, Pope John Paul II was a small man from Poland. He had written philosophical and theological works. People knew him as a great pastor. He had stood up to the Nazis during the Second World War and the Soviets after the war. He is credited along with President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as being among the leading causes of the fall of the Soviet Empire. And yet, his greatest desire was always to bring others to Christ, knowing him to be the one true source of happiness. Will you cease chasing the fleeting pleasures of the world to rest in the font of joy that is Jesus?
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