If Jesus offered us more peace, joy, or patience, which would we choose?  Which do we need the most?  If we could ask Jesus for one interior grace, what would it be?

Some of us know the following story about King Solomon: One night, after prayer, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask what I should give you” (1 Kg 3:5).  Solomon thanks the Lord for His steadfast love, but, because he’s been made king at such a young age, he asks for “an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil” (3:9).  The Lord replies that, because he didn’t ask for a long life or wealth, He will give him not only wisdom but much more.

God the Father wants to give us every virtue and much more.  Now let’s look at the Second Reading to see what St. Paul wants: “I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him” (Phil 3:8-9).  While under house arrest St. Paul is writing to the Philippian Christians from Rome.  He’s telling them: Knowing Christ is so important to me that my previous life was good, but, in comparison to knowing Him, it’s nothing; for Jesus’ sake, I’ve been beaten three times, have 195 scars on my body because of five lashings, experienced sleepless nights and constant anxiety for my people, but I regard this as rubbish because I want Christ.  I don’t just want more peace, love, and patience; I want Him.

At the end of St. Thomas Aquinas’s life, after being one of the most intelligent people who ever lived, he was praying before the crucifix, and Br. Dominic heard a voice say, ‘You have written well of me, Thomas.  What will be your reward?’  He replied, ‘Nothing but you, O Lord.’

This is our message today.  We need many things and should ask for them, but our deepest desire should be for Christ.  This is why St. Paul writes, ‘in order that I may gain Christ.’

The way St. Paul writes, he doesn’t just know about Jesus, but knows Him.  Let me explain the difference.  Some months ago, a Catholic named Michael Dopp gave a talk in which he spoke about his wife: She’s such-and-such height, has such-and-such a degree, and loves doing such-and-such.  Then he said, ‘She’s the love of my life.  I think about her about 50 times a day.’  In the first part, he told us facts about her; in the second, he spoke of her like a lover.  Most Catholics speak of Jesus as a historical figure: They tell us what He did, what He said.  St. Paul talks about Him like a lover.

If I ask you to speak about your children as a parent, don’t tell me what school they go to; tell me what they mean to you.  I remember this mother once told me in reference to her children, ‘They’re my treasures.’  Once we can speak about Jesus in this way, then we not only know about Him, but know Him.

Today is the last part in our series on the Five Systems of a church and we’re considering Discipleship, which means becoming like Christ—this is one of our strongest systems.

It begins with Alpha, where we have an opportunity to know Christ personally and experience the power of the Holy Spirit.  To become like Christ begins with knowing Him.

After Alpha, there are 35 weeks of Faith Studies, where the goal is not only to know Christ, but become like Him and help others know Him.  It continues with Marian Consecration once a year, Journey Through Scripture, and Called & Gifted, where we learn how the Holy Spirit has designed us to serve.  We also have a small Catholic philosophy course for those who are ready, and then at least 10 people here have started Master’s-level courses in theology.  This is what we call the ‘Discipleship Pathway.’  Very few parishes in North America have a pathway this structured and fruitful, all due to God.

In your pews, you have this graph which shows our 11-year history of discipleship growth.  To help hundreds of people across six ministries requires a lot of leadership, coordination, and volunteer generosity!  To grow this Pathway and help more people, this is why we’re asking if you’d consider increasing your Sunday donation.  Before Easter, whatever you choose, whether it’s increasing your donation, keeping it the same, or decreasing it, please know that your money goes to helping people become like Christ.  Thank you!

Today, St. Paul writes, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:8-10).  To know the power of Christ’s Resurrection doesn’t just mean that St. Paul will be raised after he dies, it means having the power of Christ’s Resurrection in him now!  Christ’s power allows us to love when it’s hard to love, to smile when it’s difficult to smile, to give when exhausted.

Some of us may have read about the death of Fr. Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, of Myanmar, who was killed by 10 men on February 14, 2025.  While brandishing knives, they surrounded him, and when they asked him to kneel, he responded, “I only kneel before God.”  To have the grace to think about God when he’s fearful is the power of Christ’s Resurrection working in his heart.

In 1995, Bl. Mariam Vattalil, while in Indore, India, was stabbed to death because of her work among the poor.  While being stabbed, she kept on shouting out the name of Jesus.   Do we understand what that means?  Jesus was the first person in her mind.  Years ago, when playing roller hockey, I got hit with a ball right in the eye and my eye was full of blood.  I remember rolling around on the ground in pain and, when I finally got to the bench, I started praying.  But I realized how slow I was to think of Jesus.

The love of Bl. Mariam’s family was so powerful that her mother and sister visited the murderer in prison and forgave him.  And he was so moved that he asked forgiveness.  This is all the power of Jesus’ Resurrection in people’s hearts.

We need to be clear: The goal of our parish family is to become saints, that we love Jesus and others so much that we give our lives for them.  Maybe the time will come when one of us is called to lay down our life for Jesus.  St. Paul writes: “Not that I have already… reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  [He’s striving to love perfectly.  He knows that he is considered a treasure by Jesus, and so desires to love Him in return.]…  Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus” (3:12-14).

If Jesus offered you more peace, joy, or patience, ask for whichever will help you most, but first ask for Jesus Himself.  To know and love Him is to become a saint and to have everything.