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Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born…and the day you know why.”
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Just a few days ago, I celebrated my 5th anniversary as a priest. It reminded me, again, why the Lord created me, to be his servant and to draw others closer to God.
It’s the same reason why he created Saint Paul, whom we listen to in our first reading.
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Paul’s reached the end of his journey. He’s run the race of life and kept the faith.
Knowing his death is imminent, he gives a final sermon to the Church in Ephesus, exhorting them to remain faithful to the Gospel he preached.
He also warns them against false preachers, whom he knows will arise in their midst, against disunity, and spiritual malaise; things we must still be weary of today.
But Paul’s competed well. He’s done his part. Now he must entrust his flock to his successors.
This gesture of handing on the faith has happened over the last two millennia, some 100 generations, which now includes us.
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The two most important days in your life are the day you were born…and the day you know why.
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As Christians, we might add a third day to Twain’s famous line: the day you were born, the day you know why…
…and the day you go home.
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Saint Paul’s done his part to hand on our faith. Now’s he’s heading home, trusting we’ll continue to share the Gospel.
Regardless of who we are, or what roads we take in life, this is part of the “why” we were created, to share our Christian faith.
How, then, might I do that today?