“The whole journey of life is a journey of preparation. Sometimes the Lord has to do it quickly, as he did with the good thief: he only had a few minutes to prepare him and he did it. But the normal run of things goes this way, no?: in preparing our heart, eyes, hearing to arrive in this homeland. Because that is our homeland.” (Pope Francis at the Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae on 26 April 2013)
The fact that my parents will be celebrating 50 years of marriage early next month was the nudge our family needed to plan a trip to Manila to visit them this December. Since we live in Toronto, Canada, the visit necessitates a plane ride, halfway around the world, the prospect of which makes the whole scenario even more exciting. This also means preparing for a big trip and all the things, which come with it, including our time in transit at the airport.
There is something about airports, which tends to make me feel melancholy. It is a place of many overjoyed “hellos”, as well as tear-stained “good-byes”. With time as its currency, an airport inevitably brings about thoughts of where one has come from and where one is going. The present time, at an airport, is always in transit.
Travellers in Transit
For the most part, being at an airport is just a temporary thing. One is always just passing through, en route to another place, whether for work or pleasure. No matter how architecturally amazing or stunning an airport, it is still just a place of transit, movement and temporal being. It is not a traveller’s final destination.
We, too, are travellers of life, journeying along different paths and routes of existence, towards a final destination. Whatever – or Whoever – people believe to be their final destination, we know that life on earth is not permanent or forever. This truth can be disconcerting for those who believe life on earth is all there is to their existence. Death, then, comes as a full stop and a final end. For the faithful who call on God as their Father, death is the final boarding call and the last leg of an earthly journey:
Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven.”(Preface I for the Dead)
Signs Along the Way
However long or short one’s life on earth is, our final destination – our goal! – is wherever God our Father is, and it is Jesus Himself Who has indicated this:
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going (John 14:3-4).
He, Who created us, intended for us to be with Him for all eternity. We are not meant to wander aimlessly, lost in a distracting maze of duty-free shops in the airport of life. We must look to signs and indications of where to go. For those who were tending their sheep at night over two thousand years ago, it was an angel’s proclamation, which led them to a manger to witness the birth of the Messiah:
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger (Luke 2:10-12).
When our Lord says, “You know the way to the place where I am going”, He is not referring to any other way, which is unfamiliar or complicated.
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him ((John 14:5-7).
The way, the truth and the life: a complete “package”, which comes in the most lovable Person of Jesus. A better destination guide will never be found.
Restless Hearts and Minds
St. Augustine of Hippo wrote in his “Confessions”:
Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.
At God’s side is where we were and are meant to be. He is our final destination and our ultimate goal in life. This restlessness of the heart is what keeps us on our toes, searching for that which will lead us closer to God. For the three Wise Men, their restlessness and perseverance was rewarded with the “overwhelming joy” and gift of finding Christ Himself:
When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road (Matthew 2:9-12).
We are in the midst of our earthly pilgrimage, our eyes set on our Father God in heaven. It is our desire to be with Him, which keeps our hearts aflutter and slightly less than satisfied. So we keep at it, doing what we ought to do in the middle of the world, wherever and however we find ourselves, until it is time to be with God. Until then, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.
A Journey of Preparation
In these past few days, preparations for Christmas this year have been interspersed with those for the 13,200-kilometre trip our family is making to Manila. The reality of travelling as a large family has made me both very grateful for the blessing of this opportunity, and just a little bit flabbergasted by various aspects of this trip. Suitcases have taken up valuable real estate in our small home. The list of things to do does not seem to have shortened; rather, it seems to have grown day by day. It is very nearly enough to overwhelm – and yet, it has also put me in a wonderful position to gain a better perspective on my own life’s journey.
There are always distractions, delays and unexpected developments in anyone’s life. There is never a plan, which comes to fruition without a hitch. We can try to be as prepared as we possibly can, but what actually happens can surprise, dismay or disappoint us. Nobody’s life journey is perfect, but it is as it needs to be in order to bring us closer to our Father God – if we choose to focus on our final destination and do not waver in the face of difficulties and distractions while in transit.
The journey we are on prepares us in the best way possible and is uniquely ours. We are not forced, but are lovingly invited by He, Who was born to die for our sins to be with Him at the end of our earthly pilgrimage.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
