Every human being desires an answer to just one question. After we get past questions like “Why do I exist?” and “What should I do with my life?” we realize that the question we actually care about, that’s really at the core of things, is “How can I be truly happy?” As Catholics, we know that God is who can bring us happiness. More than anything else, more than anything in this world, being with God will bring us happiness. So the question in the Gospel today, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” is, really, asking this core question: “How can I be happy forever?”
We are in the cathedral of a diocese that was founded in the year 40 by St. Pancras, who was sent by St. Peter–as in the apostle–to preach the faith here. After 1000 years, it became a part of another diocese. And after another 1000 years, here we are. And we still are asking the same question as St. Pancras, as those first believers in Taormina, as the scholar of the law in the Gospel.
We heard a few days ago that our entire life on earth is a pilgrimage. Our final destination is heaven. Along the way we make mistakes and bad decisions. We might even try to run away from God’s call like Jonah did. But eventually, if we love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and if we love our neighbor as ourself, we find our way to happiness. This pilgrimage is what us nerds would call a “microcosm” of this life-long journey. It isn’t perfect, and we’ve all, most likely, made at least one bad decision already. Sometimes it isn’t clear where we’re going or what we’re doing. Sometimes we do take a side trip to experience something new or interesting. Sometimes we don’t pray quite as much as we would like, or maybe not even as much as we should.
Many of you have heard that 12 years ago, I was on a similar pilgrimage to Rome. I had come trying to find some clarity on a very important question: do I apply to seminary or not? I even had similar frustrations to some I’ve heard: not enough time to pray, why are we walking over all of the Lord’s green earth, all that. I took some initiative and made some time for prayer–instead of shopping in Rome I went to the adoration chapel at St. Peter’s basilica and prayed. I didn’t come home with clarity or obvious answers, but looking back, I can see that God was at work on that trip, giving me exactly what I needed to make the decision myself: and we are all experiencing–at this very moment–the effects of that pilgrimage.
From my experience on that pilgrimage and others, I have one thing I want to share with you. I know we all want to take pictures to help us remember these wonderful places, but please remember to experience the place yourself before you start taking pictures. Allow the beauty of the places to penetrate your mind and your heart. The memory of the place will be so much stronger and sweeter if you do. The moment that I first walked into St. Peter’s Basilica, I felt something move in my heart that I had never experienced before. I feel it every time I walk into that place. If I had experienced St. Peter’s through my camera lens first, though, who knows? I might not have been able to recognize the work God was doing on me. I would not have know what true awe was. I might not even be a priest today.
On this pilgrimage to the Holy Doors of the Jubilee Year of Hope, we find our selves wandering, in a way, to Rome and St. Peters. The journey, just like life, is not a straight path. We must strive to give witness to our faith and to the Gospel through how we treat each other. We must put aside the sufferings and frustrations not because they don’t matter, but so that we can offer them to the Lord instead of inflicting them on each other. Finally, we must trust God, remembering with hope that he will give us exactly what we need.