TAKING THE FIRST STEP TO DISCOVER CHRIST
Just two weeks ago marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Friends and families asked us, “Do you remember where you were?” and I’m sure that, in turn, we asked those around us as well. I remember being in 3rd grade and being utterly confused seeing the confusion, fear, and anxiety on our teachers’ faces. If we asked every person in the pews this weekend, we would receive hundreds of accounts of where people were, what they remember, what they felt, and what looking back means to them.
In looking at the Gospel today, we can glean a different, yet similar question: Do you remember where you were when you decided to follow your father? We hear the story of these two sons. One disobeys at first, before obeying; the other says he will obey but doesn’t follow through. If we asked the first son, he would say that he lived his early life ignoring his father’s wishes. He goes about his own tasks, in his own time, being his own master. However, one day he realizes that the will of his father is for his good. He realizes that living life for himself has left him feeling empty and aimless. He takes up the plan that his father has for him. If we were to ask the second son, he might say that he never truly decided to follow his father. He goes through life obeying his father with words, but at a certain point in his life, he decides that following through isn’t worth it. Jesus asks us, “Which of the two did his father’s will?” We, like the chief priests, answer correctly that the first.
And so, I ask all of you these questions. Do you remember when you decided to follow your heavenly Father? Do you remember when you decided to follow Christ? Do you remember when you invited the Holy Spirit into your life? These are questions that lead to incredibly important answers. Like the question about September 11th, the answers to these questions will be just as diverse. A singular person can even have different answers. For me, I may ask myself if it was when I was baptized? Was it when I received my first Eucharist? Was it when I joined youth group in middle school? Was it when going to Mass was my choice, not my family’s? Was it the last time I went to Confession? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Every day, every hour, and every minute are opportunities for us to follow after God’s plan for our lives. “But” we might ask, “what is that plan? How can I know it?” These are good questions! Bishop John M. Quinn, the Bishop Emeritus of the Winona-Rochester diocese, once told me, “When the Lord shows us the path He wants us to walk, all He gives us that first or next step.” I remember that being both comforting and frustrating. Why doesn’t the Lord give us the whole picture? Surely, for our own good.
If you are looking for a first, or next step, in following after Christ, I invite you to join us for Discovering Christ beginning on Tuesday, October 6th. Whether you identify with the first or second son, come and take a step towards the Father. Come and discover what Christ has in store for you and invite a friend to discover this as well!
~Grant O’ Neil