“If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.”
As Christians, we are in this world, but not of this world. Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel that we do not belong to this world. This is not our home. We are mere transients moving through this world. We have no permanent home here. Our home is in the next world. We are pilgrim people. We are going toward a holy place – the ultimate holy place. It is typically a long slow journey in which the journey itself helps to sanctify us as we move toward our sacred home.
We still have responsibilities in this life. We still have a state in life in this life. We have a vocation to live out in this life. We must do so with a sense of mission. Christians take commitments seriously. Jobs should be done to the best of our abilities. In whatever profession that we are employed, we take that profession to be our craft. And we do that craft well. And we always look to improve in our craft. Much as Saint Joseph would have done as a craftsman himself.
At the same time, we have a sense of joy and hope from our faith. We know that something much better awaits us. When we have finished our pilgrimage and reached our sacred place (or, perhaps more accurately, our sacred state of being), we have a hope for the greatness of that which awaits us. We know that our Savior has conquered death. Because of the Resurrection, there is great joy.
Life will always throw us curveballs. Something unexpected always happens. We adjust to the best of our God-given abilities and move on. Knowing that the things of this life are not what is most important. We deal with them as best we can while keeping our eyes focused on the goal. We are always looking at Christ. This is not something that those who are entirely of this world will ever understand. We might even be hated because of it. But that does not deter us in making this journey.
Those who recognize that this life is a pilgrimage can rejoice in the good things in this life without being crushed by its adversities. Whatever duration that our individual pilgrimage might be, we give thanks for the opportunity to make it. But we especially give thanks for the destination that awaits.