Nothing can outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord

Fifth Sunday of Lent (C)

In the second reading we listened to this morning, St Paul in his letter to the Philippians reveals the inner conviction that drives his life. He says, “I believe that nothing can happen what will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”. No doubt in saying this he looks back on his life before he knew Christ and then the impact of his experience on the road to Damascus. That moment of revelation when Christ manifested himself to Paul radically re-directed his life. He now saw life from a totally new perspective.

In particular, he says he wants to keep growing closer to Christ. He says, “All I want is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection”. What now matters most for him is that when his life’s journey is over he will, as he says, “take his place in the resurrection of the dead”. Now the driving force to his life is his relationship with Christ. Everything else is to measured against this relationship and what it ultimately offers – the resurrection from the dead and life eternal in union with God.

This is surely our deepest desire and hope that at the end of life we will be able to take our place and share in the glory of the resurrection. We know that our life is but a pilgrimage. Here is no lasting place. We are on a journey towards eternity and we now orient our lives towards our final destiny.

St Paul reminds us today that on this journey we must grow closer and closer to Christ. St Paul reminds us that we must place Christ at the centre of all that we are and all that we do. He is not just one on the margins or in a compartment of our hearts – he is absolutely everything.

Thus, we, like St Paul, don’t look back but, as he says, “strain ahead for what is to come”. Our eyes are fixed on heaven and all we do now is shaped by what awaits us. Again, quoting St Paul, “I am racing for the finish, for the prize to which God calls us upwards in Christ Jesus”.

This inspires each Christian to live with hope and expectation. This is what enables each Christian to bear with the struggles and sufferings that mark every human life. This is what fosters a willingness to sacrifice ourselves, and not succumb to passing satisfactions and seek solely our own comfort and pleasure.  

The Christian is a person who has placed Christ at the heart of their existence. As St Paul said in another place: “For me to live is Christ”.

And it can be no less for each one of us.

This week we launched the website for the Evangelium Project. This project invites all Catholics to join in a spiritual journey over three five-week modules. It is a journey to explore the wonderful ways in which God has touched, shaped and directed our lives. It is a chance to reflect on what God has done is us. We are who we are today because of multiple moments of grace by which God has formed us.

It is also true that most of us so readily forget all that God has done for us – the prayers that were answered, the healing of our spirits, minds and bodies, the moments of inspiration and guidance, the times when we were lifted up from darkness or fear. All these things have happened to us and, at the time, maybe, we recognised the grace and mercy of God. Like Mary we may have offered a simple prayer of thanks: “the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name”. But we all to quickly move on and often forget what God has done.

Like Mary we need to learn to “ponder all these things” in our hearts. This is what the Evangelium project offers first of all.  

St Paul said that we are all “God’s work of art”. God has fashioned our souls and shaped our character. We are all truly products of grace. Yes, we are imperfect and we fail and fall, but like the woman in the Gospel today we are given a new chance, indeed, many, many times. We are not condemned by our failures. We are not trapped in our sin. We are forgiven, set free and raised up.

Each of us are products of the enduring mercy and love of God. Each of us are a testament to God’s saving power.

The Evangelium Project will help each of us to discover afresh what God has done for us. This will enable us to find anew the joy of the Gospel and inspire us to want to share our faith with others.

Today, I invite you to consider joining this spiritual journey with your fellow Catholics from across Tasmania. The details to access the website are found in the bulletin. Visit the website when you return home today. Register your intention to participate.

St Paul declared, “I believe that nothing can happen what will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”. If you can also say this with a conviction grounded in your life’s experience then join me in the journey of Evangelium.

Archbishop Julian Porteous

Sunday, 3 April 2022