Modern people crave for happiness. Books, TV commercials, movies all talk about how to get happiness through security, romance, success, and money. Happiness seems to say that ‘you can do whatever you want at whenever you need.’ This is a happiness-driven society enforcing the mantra that happiness is all you need and all you want.
Happiness is, however, not something you seek and find but something you are to be given when you find the purpose of your life and fulfill it with passion and love. “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.” Jesus knew what was the purpose of His life and gave Himself up to fulfill it. Jesus’ unwavering trust in the Father came from his clear understanding of the purpose of His life.
“What on earth am I here for?” We need to ask the question and ponder it day after day to incarnate it in our daily life. Everyone needs to fulfill the purpose of one’s life and happiness follows along the way. Teachers must make every effort to teach well, politicians to govern well, and priests to serve well. How about you Sisters of St. Paul? What is your purpose life? What life purpose is worthy to give up your everything?
I can tell one thing on behalf of you. When I looked at several hundred faces of you on July 22 during the Thanksgiving Mass of the 125th anniversary of the Sister’s coming to Korea, I was moved by sincerity, brightness, and vividity of your faces. The faces speak to me and invite me to a relation, as Philosopher Emmanuel Levinas says, because the faces are a living presence; they are expression and they speak. I just glimpsed the inner strength of your faith in Jesus through your faces, which proclaims, “Walk again the Pascha with the Lord.” This is your purpose of life: journey with Christ, embody Him wherever you go, and be Christ to all. It is the way of being a worthy minister of Christ whose life purpose is constantly raising us up to be more than we can be.