DIVINE IDENTITY

Today’s messages inspired by the homily of Father John Paul Mary, MFVA.

I AM The bread of life

I AM The light of the world

I AM The door

I AM The good shepherd

I AM The resurrection and the life

I AM The way the truth and the life

I AM the true vine.

In the gospel of John, Jesus Christ revealed his divine identity through 7 proclamations.  

He follows his Father’s scriptural precedent, as God had proclaimed himself to Moses at the burning bush as I AM.

He identified himself, referencing the Old Testament and transitioning into the new covenant, as God’s only begotten son. I am.

Identifying onesself through one’s purpose, or through one’s relation to others, is commonplace in our society. An introduction we might hear at a gathering would likely begin with the statement

I am... followed by

...a teacher, an engineer, a doctor, Joe‘s mother, Sarah‘s father, etc.

Sometimes we meet in connection with a project, or a greater purpose, and introduce ourselves and its connection.

I am the project manager, the equipment foreman, the lender, the property owner, etc.

My question today, though, is if we had to identify our own divine identity… If we had to sum up our being and our connection with humanity and divinity, our claim to eternity, how would we finish that descriptive phrase “I am...”? Would it be followed by

...proud to have raised three children who have become an engineer, a librarian?

Once again, we are defining ourselves relationally.

Or might we complete the phrase this way:

I am involved in the field of genetics, cancer research, or nuclear medicine?

Again, although we have defined ourselves as having been connected with a purpose, none of these statements identifies who we are in our inner selves.

Perhaps we might even identify ourselves in this way:

I am on a journey to self-discovery, attempting to overcome an addiction, sad that I have lost my loved one, taking care of a sick friend, training for a triathlon.

Each of these phrases would identify us in terms of our current purpose, but would they identify our lifetime of contribution?

The answer to this question is your own. A lifetime of purpose cannot be encapsulated in one sentence. Even Jesus needed seven statements to reveal his divine identity.

How would you define yours?