The famous author Vladimir Nabokov described human existence as: “A brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.” He describes a broad theme in modern literature where there is no dawn, no hope, no future, and no meaning. What can we say, though, about a life where there is no framework for meaning, no big picture (or “meta-narrative”), and “the jigsaw pieces” are seemingly unrelated to one another?
Meanwhile, Jesus frequently used the phrase “I have come…” in the Gospels. “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners” (Luke 5, 32); “I came to bring fire to the earth” (Luke 12, 49-53); “I have come in my Father’s name” (John 5, 43); “It is for this reason that I have come to this hour” (John 12, 27); “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12, 47); “I came from the Father and have come into the world” (John 16, 28); “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18, 37). Do we see a pattern emerging here? Jesus knew where He came from, and (of supreme importance) why.
To lack any sense of the meaning of one’s life is to lack passion. Jesus knew the meaning of His existence and this was why He could bring fire and passion to it. We have been Baptized into His life, death, and Resurrection. This is all the more important to appreciate when we understand that the Greek word for “Baptism” means “a plunging” or “immersion.” The Lord was on fire to plunge into His life’s work. Are we willing to follow His lead?
