Why did God make you? God made me to know him, love him and serve him in this world, and to be happy with him forever in the next (CCD, Q2). God made all things for himself; as it is in God all created things find their fullness and fulfilment. Since Christ is the full revelation of God to the created world, Paul tells us in the second reading that all things were created through Christ (the Word) and for Christ (God the Son, the Head of the body). With this at the fore, the Liturgy of today reminds us of that basic injunction the we are called to be followers of Christ, imitating his actions and listening to his words.
In order for us to seek God, we are to seek Christ, for God has fully revealed himself in Christ. So, when we find, and are united with Christ, we find and are united with God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ has imprinted his new covenant, in his blood and word, in our hearts. So that all may come to know and fear God. How then can we know, love and serve God in this world? How then can we seek God? Christ tells us in the Gospel passage that we need to be neighnours in order to know, love, serve and seek God in this world.
We need to be neighbours, not only to those who live around us, but to everyone we encounter on this journey of life, that is in need. We seek God by showing mercy. Like the man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, our neighbour is anyone who is in need of mercy. Mercy should fuel the love that we show to all those in need. Mercy is the fuel and wisdom by which we seek God. We live in continuous restlessness. Augustine says that our hearts are restless until they rest in God. To find rest in God, we seek him tirelessly in this life. We face hardships and challenges o this journey of life.
We are robbed and left for dead in the despair and weariness we experience when our efforts seem to be unproductive, and the face and presence of God seem to be father, the more we search. The Liturgy reminds us that when we show mercy to all those we encounter who are in need, identifying and serving Jesus in the least of his brethren, we find refreshment, we renew our vigour, our hope is revitalized, our love strengthened, our faith depended and our hearts revived.
In experiencing the relief and healing that our lives and service bring to others, we have a glimpse of the joy and love that is heaven. So, our hearts are revived to do more. Like the Samaritan, our hearts are revived to be alive and available to Jesus, in the least of the brethren, in the poverty of the poor and the suffering of the oppressed. We pray that God will grant us the grace to never tire of seeking his face.
As we seek his face, the face of Christ, may hi love fill our hearts to be alive to the sufferings of the downtrodden, that we may find rest in this world in the love and mercy we show and bear, and gain eternal rest, revived to the life of heaven. Amen.
• Rev. Fr. Gregory Onaji, Associate Parish Priest, St. Matthew Catholic Church, Amukoko.
