5th Sunday of Lent (Phil. 3:8-14) “What is Pulling Me?”
During the last few days, we have seen a lot of turmoil in our country. At such times, we are confronted with an existential question. What is of the greatest value in our lives?
A story was once told about one of the prominent industrialists of the gilded age, Andrew Carnegie. Andrew Carnegie was born into a poor family in Scotland in the 19th century. His father died when he was a boy. His mother took her children to the United States where the family settled in Pittsburgh. Carnegie worked his way up the corporate ladder until he owned a steel mill. He became one of the wealthiest men in America. He made a lot of his money off the backs of his workers pushing them to work long hours for low pay. As he moved ahead in life, he became conflicted about this. He remembered how he grew up in poverty.
Andrew Carnegie always traveled in a private railroad car. Carnegie preferred to be alone as he moved around the country. His pleasure came from his cigars and reading newspapers. He wanted absolute silence as he rode in his private car. One night he entered his car to travel all night. The only person in the car with Carnegie was an elderly porter. The man approached Carnegie. He began to speak to him. Carnegie yelled at the man telling him to be quiet. The man retreated but came back again a few minutes later. Carnegie said, “This car better be on fire if you are going to interrupt me.” The servant said, “No it’s not on fire, but you are going to have to get off the car.” “Why?” roared Carnegie. “Because you aren’t tied to anything,” said the man. Carnegie looked out the window. The car was parked on a side track. He was not going anywhere. Carnegie realized at that moment how alone he was. He was living in a gilded cage of his own making. His life had little real meaning.
His objective in life changed. He began to give away all his wealth. He built libraries in communities across the country. He built music halls. He endowed universities. He tirelessly worked for peace among nations. He changed the priorities of his life.
In that way, he had a similar experience as St. Paul. We read from the Letter to the Philippines today. St. Paul reflects on how his life was transformed once he put Jesus Christ at the center of his existence. Paul had given up a privileged place. He had been an educated Pharisee in the Jewish religion. But he gave it all up to preach the Gospel.
Paul talks about his Christian life as if he was running a race. He keeps his eyes on the finish line he says. As he lives, he does not look behind him thinking about what might have been, but he looks ahead on what he hopes to accomplish for Jesus. His pleasure comes from serving Jesus. He moved from self-righteousness to being a man who lived a life of grace which led him to a sense of humility. He stopped valuing earthly status in order to treasure most of all the thought of living eternally with God. Paul didn’t fear suffering once he began to follow Jesus but found joy in sharing Christ’s cross. He had a complete and total conversion.
Paul’s life changed. Others probably looked at him thinking he had lost his mind. Just as many of Andre Carnegie’s contemporaries probably looked at him saying, “He is out of touch with reality. How can he give away all his wealth?” A life of self-abandonment doesn’t make sense to the world.
We come back to our present situation. There is a very real possibility that we, once again, are going to have to go through a reality check. What is most important to us? We have forces at work beyond our control in the present moment. Our souls are going to be tested. How will we run the race that we are in? Will we keep our eyes fixed on the example of Jesus? If we do, perhaps, we will complete the race ending up with the prize that is worth more than anything we might ever imagine.