The Quest
Isaiah 8:23-9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23
His name was Alonso Quijana . . . a country squire, no longer young. Bony and hollow-faced . . . eyes that burn with the fire of inner vision. Being retired, he has much time for books. He studies them from morn to night, and often through the night as well. And all he reads oppresses him . . . fills him with indignation at man’s murderous ways toward man. He broods . . . and broods . . . and broods – and finally from so much brooding – his brains dry up! He lays down the melancholy burden of sanity and conceives the strangest project ever imagined . . . to become a knight-errant three hundred years after the age of chivalry and sally forth into the world to right all wrongs. No longer will he be plain Alonso Quijana . . . but a dauntless knight known as – Don Quixote the Man of La Mancha!!!
And so, he leaves his home, and invites a peasant named Sancho to become his squire and assist him as he begins his quest to restore goodness, truth, and grace to a fallen world; to follow the star of hope with unfailing determination; to seek a new and more promising world of justice, peace, and love. And as he does, his vision of reality changes: to his eyes, a windmill is a giant ogre with which to do battle, a country inn is a castle, and a barber’s shaving basin is a golden helmet that when worn by one of noble heart renders him invulnerable to all wounds. And, how he sees people, also changes: in a common prostitute he sees beauty, purity, the woman each man holds within his heart.
One night, as he keeps vigil beneath the stars, he articulates the creed, the principles, by which he tries to live:
“Call nothing thy own except thy soul.
Love not what thou art, but only what thou may become.
Do not pursue pleasure, for thou may have the misfortune to overtake it.
Look always forward; in last year’s nest there are no birds this year.
Be just to all men. Be courteous to all women.
Live always in the vision of that one for whom great things are done.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus too embarks on a quest. He calls the first four of the twelve men who will assist him in bringing the good news of salvation and the challenge of personal transformation to the towns and villages in Galilee and Judea. And like Don Quixote, Jesus has a vision of the world that is different from others. To him, the greatest is the one who serves, and characteristics, like poverty of spirit, compassion, humility, moral integrity, forgiveness, peacefulness, and tolerance in the face of persecution, are not signs of weakness, but values that bring true happiness. And he too sees beyond appearances and beyond the social limitations that his society placed on those who were poor, or sick, or sinners, or tax collectors, and saw their worth in the eyes of God and that they too had been called to participate in his father’s kingdom.
And as he travelled throughout Israel, at different times and in different places, he too beautifully articulated his creed, the values that he accepted for himself, the values that he challenged those who wished to follow him to accept as their own:
“Love God with all your whole heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
Love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who mistreat you.
Give to everyone who asks of you.
From the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
The invitation that Jesus extends in today’s gospel to Peter, Andrew, James and John is not just to follow him. The invitation wasn’t just to self - improvement. The invitation wasn’t just to an opportunity for personal growth. The invitation wasn’t just to assure a place in heaven for themselves. As important as all these things are, the invitation which Jesus gave ran far deeper.
It is an invitation to become part of a great quest. It is an invitation to become co - workers with Christ in his continuing ministry to those who are lost, who are infirm, who need hope. It was an invitation to play part in bringing God’s mission to light in the world. It was an invitation to become a part of what God is doing in our world. It is an invitation to become a partner with God in transforming the world. It is an invitation for them to become church.
Often times, we ask of our faith the same question we ask of anything else in our lives: “What’s in it for me?” This question is often the litmus test that we use to judge whether or not something is worthy of our attention and involvement. This question really shouldn’t be a concern when it comes to living out our faith. Following Christ and being a member of the Church is not about us and our personal comfort and convenience and needs. It is about Jesus and his quest. It is about finding our own place it Jesus’ quest, his mission, his ministry. It is about what we can do for Christ. It is about giving God our prayers, our gifts, our presence, and our service. It is about taking our place in the band of his followers and living lives that make a difference in the world. Following Christ is about leaving our old, self-serving lives behind and entering into a life of service to God and availability to the mission of God.
Jesus came into Galilee preaching the good news that the kingdom of God was at hand. He asks us to go out into our world and do exactly the same thing. Jesus calls us to a life of conviction, to a life of urgency, to a life of reaching out with his message of love and forgiveness to all the people we encounter in life. He calls us to reach out to the lonely, to the hungry, to the sick, to the ones in prison, to the disabled, to the forsaken, to the needy, to all of those people who need to hear that someone indeed does loves them and that someone is Jesus Christ.
It is the noblest and holiest of all quests. Not that of the Man of La Mancha, whose dedication to his quest led him to fight windmills. It is that of the Man of Galilee, whose wholehearted dedication to his quest led him to the cross.
Love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who mistreat you.
Give to everyone who asks of you.
From the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
The invitation that Jesus extends in today’s gospel to Peter, Andrew, James and John is not just to follow him. The invitation wasn’t just to self - improvement. The invitation wasn’t just to an opportunity for personal growth. The invitation wasn’t just to assure a place in heaven for themselves. As important as all these things are, the invitation which Jesus gave ran far deeper.
It is an invitation to become part of a great quest. It is an invitation to become co - workers with Christ in his continuing ministry to those who are lost, who are infirm, who need hope. It was an invitation to play part in bringing God’s mission to light in the world. It was an invitation to become a part of what God is doing in our world. It is an invitation to become a partner with God in transforming the world. It is an invitation for them to become church.
Often times, we ask of our faith the same question we ask of anything else in our lives: “What’s in it for me?” This question is often the litmus test that we use to judge whether or not something is worthy of our attention and involvement. This question really shouldn’t be a concern when it comes to living out our faith. Following Christ and being a member of the Church is not about us and our personal comfort and convenience and needs. It is about Jesus and his quest. It is about finding our own place it Jesus’ quest, his mission, his ministry. It is about what we can do for Christ. It is about giving God our prayers, our gifts, our presence, and our service. It is about taking our place in the band of his followers and living lives that make a difference in the world. Following Christ is about leaving our old, self-serving lives behind and entering into a life of service to God and availability to the mission of God.
Jesus came into Galilee preaching the good news that the kingdom of God was at hand. He asks us to go out into our world and do exactly the same thing. Jesus calls us to a life of conviction, to a life of urgency, to a life of reaching out with his message of love and forgiveness to all the people we encounter in life. He calls us to reach out to the lonely, to the hungry, to the sick, to the ones in prison, to the disabled, to the forsaken, to the needy, to all of those people who need to hear that someone indeed does loves them and that someone is Jesus Christ.
It is the noblest and holiest of all quests. Not that of the Man of La Mancha, whose dedication to his quest led him to fight windmills. It is that of the Man of Galilee, whose wholehearted dedication to his quest led him to the cross.
