Your most important journey

The story is told about a teacher who said: “Maria, go to the map and find North America.” Maria obliged and pointed to North America. The teacher said: “Correct! Now, class who discovered North America?” And the whole class said: “Maria!”

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In today’s Gospel (Matthew 16: 13-20), Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of man is?” After hearing their answers, He went on to ask: “But who do you say that I am?” Today, the Lord asks each one of us: “Who am I to you? Do we have a personal relationship with each other? Am I important to you?”

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Beyond what people say and what our religious affiliations and traditions say, beyond our debates and religious practices as Christians, what matters most is our personal knowledge and commitment to the person and mission of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

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All too often, many of us are so focused on our financial, career, and fame journey. How about our personal journey to God’s heart? How about our mission for Him? How about our personal relationship and our commitment to Him? When we finally come face to face with Him, may we be able to humbly say to Him: “Lord, mission accomplished.”

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One of the first things that we learned in our catechism regarding our purpose in life is to know God, to love Him, and to serve Him. Go back and make sure that you are on this road. Recalculate your route, and stay on this journey, your most important journey.

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Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople has gone home to the Father at the age of 61. Mission well accomplished! She was one person who made a choice to spend the rest of her life, the best of her life. She chose to serve the Filipino people, foregoing personal comfort and wealth because of her promise (“pangako”) to continue the legacy of her father Blas Ople, and because of her mission (“misyon”) to serve her Loving Father by being a public servant of the Filipino migrant workers.

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We have good public servants who are not politicians, and we have many politicians who are not public servants at all! What’s the point? The point is that we must live for something or someone greater than ourselves. Ople reminds us by her life and death that life is not just about making money or making a name. It is about making a difference.

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A priest cousin, Fr. Roberto Mejia of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, was a very simple priest who lived a life that made a difference. He was focused on serving his flock until the very end, spending most of his life hearing confessions, ministering to the sick, giving spiritual talks and advice, and lots of time praying. He had no car and used public transport, he never traveled abroad, and he didn’t have a cellphone. Thank you, Insan, for reminding us of what is important in this life, and what really matters in the end.

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Ask yourself today: How is my journey to God’s heart? Am closer to God now? Am I a better person now? Remember, our journey in life is not so much about going far and fast. It is about journeying to the heart—to God’s heart, to other people’s hearts, and to our very own heart.

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Inviting you to our first Friday 10 a.m. online Mass via YouTube and Facebook (jerryorbos) and to our first Saturday 9 a.m. Mass at the Sanctuary of the Divine Word (back of the Christ the King Mission Seminary, E. Rodriguez, Quezon City).

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A moment with the Lord.

Lord, remind us that our most important journey in life is our journey to the heart—to your heart, other people’s hearts, and to our very own heart. Amen.

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