Fr. JC Maximilian

“Make a wish!” How many times have we heard that phrase? Usually it precedes blowing out the candles on our birthday cake, or breaking the wish-bone of the Thanksgiving turkey. Do you remember what you wished for on your seventh birthday? I cannot remember exactly when I wished for this, but when I was around seven I really thought Evel Knievel was cool, and they had this Evel Knievel motorcycle toy that could make jumps. I just thought I would be the happiest kid in the world if I got that motorcycle, and I did get it for Christmas and had a lot of fun with it. But you know what? Even though that toy made me happy, that happiness faded in a few days. Oh, I still had fun with it, well, at least until I was 8 or 9, but I am sure that by Groundhog Day there was something else that I thought would make me really happy.

Wishing seems to be a basic part of our temperament as human beings. It does not matter if we are young or old, an optimist or a pessimist, we all seem to wish for that “something” that will make us happy. The “something” varies depending on our age and background, but there is always something that we are wishing for – maybe it is to win the lottery, to get the perfect job, the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend, a new house, a car, or even a motorcycle. Yet we all know the disappointment, not only of not getting what we wish for, but even when we do get it we find that it does not bring us the real, lasting happiness for which we are longing.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers us the fulfillment of the deepest wish of our heart. He says that He is the Good Shepherd and He will give His sheep “eternal life” and promises that they will never perish. How many works of literature and film have told a tale of someone looking for the key to eternal life, a way of avoiding death. Death is our deepest fear, so it is only natural that we would want to avoid it.

Jesus has already defeated death by His Resurrection to a new life beyond the grasp of death and decay. Jesus says of His followers, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” As long as we try our very best to live for Him, death can never defeat us, any more than it defeated Jesus. For those who cling to Jesus, giving Him their entire life, the grave will be the gateway to a new life, one infinitely more wonderful than the life we live now.

Sounds pretty wonderful, doesn’t it? So how do we get this eternal life that Jesus offers to us? We must become the friends of Christ Jesus.

You may have heard some Protestants say “once saved, always saved.” The idea is that once you have accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, then no matter what you do afterwards you will still go to heaven. This sounds pretty nice, but in fact it is contrary to the Gospel.

Jesus came to set us free from the slavery of sin and death. Why would He make us slaves of another kind? God does not want us to be slaves in heaven. He wants us to be friends, and friendship is never automatic. Our friendship with God starts here on earth with our baptism. It grows as we get to know Christ, discover His plan for our lives, and strive to live, with the help of His grace, as He wants us to live. However, at any point along the way we can break off the relationship with Christ. We call this mortal sin. Because He loves us, Jesus leaves us free to do so. He wants us to love Him as completely, as totally as He loves us, but love must be freely given. It can not be forced.

Any friendship is like that. It can be broken by one terrible act of disloyalty, or it can slowly disintegrate due to a lack of attention. Our friendship with Christ is vulnerable in the same way because it is a REAL friendship. In fact, our friendship with Christ is even more vulnerable because Satan does his best to make it hard for us to stay faithful to Jesus. That is why Sts. Paul and Barnabas, in visiting the Christian communities, “urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.” God is the faithful Good Shepherd, and as Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.” God’s grace never fails, but we, stubborn and selfish sheep, are too often lured into temptation. We allow other, lesser but more immediate things, distract us from the deepest desire of our hearts – Heaven.

This is why one of the greatest virtues is perseverance. God wants to grant us the gift of perseverance for He is eager for us to grow in our friendship with Him. He wants us to become the noble, wise and joyful men and women that He created us to be. Surely each of us, deep down, want the same thing.

If we want to make sure that we will always persevere we need to pray each day, to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation frequently and to worthily receive Holy Communion as often as possible. We need to strive every day, no matter how difficult it gets, to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We need to implore the help of our friends in Heaven, the saints, particularly the Blessed Virgin Mary, the refuge of sinners. Most importantly, we must keep our hearts always focused on Christ. No matter what idols try to seduce us – whether they be idols of pleasure, power, success or prestige – we must keep our eyes on Christ Jesus, our destiny, the fulfillment of the deepest longing of our hearts. He will give us eternal life and happiness.