A Catholic catechist told this story about the importance of looking for God. She said she teaches confirmation preparation classes to students. And in the confirmation preparation retreat she uses a song to teach about gratitude and mindfulness in our lives. The song is “May I suggest,” and it’s by a group called Red Molly. The opening lyrics to the song are this….
May I suggest to you
May I suggest this is the best part of your life
May I suggest
This time is blessed for you
This time is blessed and shining almost blinding bright
Just turn your head
And you’ll begin to see
The thousand reasons that were just beyond your sight
The reasons why
Why I suggest to you
Why I suggest this is the best
part of your life.
The catechist continues. She said she recently read an online tribute from a another woman whose husband recently passed away from a terminal illness. The woman wrote to her to say she heard that song, and it never occurred to
her that until she heard that song and thought about it, that even in those final weeks with her husband, it still could be the best part of her life. She told her, “Every day can be the best part of your life….but only if you look for it.”
Now the key question: What is it? What are we looking for? What we are looking for (or should be looking for) is that very same thing John the Baptist was looking for—Christ, the source and goal of life. At first glance or second glance, it’s hard to believe that out in the desert John would be living the best part of his life. Here he is, living off desert insects, wearing aweful clothes.
And that’s just the beginning. We learn that John is plotted against by the authorities, led to jail, and then executed as a criminal. Yet, those final days (maybe weeks) were the best part of his life. Why? He had found the Savior he was looking for, and had experienced the love of God for himself. And that was everything.
What about us? We’re probably skeptical. We probably think the best part of our lives all depends on our circumstances. If our health is good, our marriage is good, then that’s the best part of our lives. If our job is secure and our finances good, then it’s the best part of our lives. If our children or
grandchildren are doing well, then it’s the best part of our lives. But then again, if we think this, we have to wonder: how much are we looking for Christ? Do do we experience the love of God? Is Jesus personal to us? And
to top it off, even if our circumstances are so great, we may still not be all that joyful, and might even feel a little let down.
Life is mysterious. St. Augustine once said, “If you think you understand God, it is not God.” He’s right. God does work in mysterious ways. But we are gathered to say that those ways—while not always predictable—are
always loving, always in our best interest. They are worth every bit of our effort to seek and find it. All else is illusion. The love of God is everything. John died a martyr and yet a happy man. It was the best part of his life.
