I'm embarrassed to admit that I was about 25 years old when I discovered that pipe cleaners can be used to clean pipes. I did not make the connection until I saw someone actually cleaning his pipe with one and thought “that's pretty clever” and then the light bulb went off. It's a little humiliating when we think we've unraveled some mystery only to discover that it was really pretty obvious. Today's readings state the obvious. Our experience of God is not intended to be removed from our daily experiences. Instead, God is very near to us, so near as to be almost common place and yet it is so easy to completely miss the obvious.
The young man in the Gospel asks an obvious question. What do I have to do to have eternal life. Such a question is like asking one what is the golden rule. We all know that it is to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. The obvious answer to the young man's question is that we are to love God and love our neighbor. But the young man, despite being rather bright, misses the point. The answer to the question is not merely an intellectual answer. It is not some mathematical formula to be analyzed, studied and picked apart. If one desires to have eternal life, to be fully alive, then we are called to love God and love our neighbor. We are called to action. Jesus does not merely want an intellectual assent in our heads. Jesus wants us to live what we believe. When I was ordained a deacon we were instructed to “Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Practice what you teach”.
To believe something to not only to mentally agree with it but rather to hold that truth as something beloved and close to the heart. In the contemplation on God's love, St. Ignatius reminds us that love is more adequately expressed in deeds rather than words. So upon believing, that we are to love God and to love our neighbor we are called to teach our belief to others not only with our words but in what we do. As St. Francis says “Preach the Gospel. And if necessary, use words”.
If we are to take Jesus' words to heart, we do not need to seek God's love in mysterious super-natural occurrences, or up in the sky, or across the sea in distant lands. Sure God can be found there too, but in the process, let's not miss the obvious. God is very near to us, already in our mouths and in our hearts. God often speaks to us through our desires, our passions, our interests, and curiosities. As Christians, there is no need to appear fearful, sexless, or uninviting. Instead, our lives should be marked by freedom, diversity, passion, adventure, joy, spontaneity, and life-giving energy. While we may not be called to follow each and every passion or passing interest we might have, we must not forget that God can and often does speak to us through our desires and those desires can be trusted because when they come from God they are holy desires.
Who is our neighbor? Our neighbors are the people we see and interact with each day, our families, our friends, our co-workers. Our neighbor is the person we see week after week at the grocery store, the person behind the counter at the gas station, and the countless people whose presence in our lives we might be prone to overlook. As neighbors we are called at times to welcome one another, to serve one another, to support one another. A neighbor may stop by to let you know when they are leaving for vacation and ask you to pick up their newspaper while they are gone. A neighbor may let you know if they notice any suspicious activity while you are gone. Neighbors remind us that we do not go at it alone.
What do we need to have eternal life. We need to love God and to love one another including a healthy love of ourselves. Life comes from the ways that we care for one another. If you want to know who you love think about those whom you worry about, those whom you serve. God is near. Do not overlook the obvious ways that God love's touches your life through those closest to you. In response to that love, we are called to share what we have received. In often simple and obvious ways you will show that you love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself”. You do not need to look far to see that God loves you. God's love is obvious. You are invited to generously respond to that love by sharing it with your neighbors in your words and actions. Do not wait twenty five years to discover that a pipe cleaner cleans pipes. Look around and see the obvious gifts sitting around. We are God's gift to one another. We are neighbors to one another. Now I can see the obvious, you are God's gift.
