Article 9 - Second Series - February 13th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

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One Thing, Jesus Christ.
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Article 9 - Second Series - February 13th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

I’ve heard the phrases “meet people where they are” and “just walk with people” thousands of times. I’m glad that I’ve consistently heard these phrases because I believe that they are grounded in the Gospel. 

I won’t for a second deny how important it is to walk with people in pastoral work or whatever work it may be. I will admit though, I often get confused with individuals who think that “meet people where they are” and “just walk with people” are the ultimate goal. 

Christianity demands that we walk somewhere. We have a destination. 

Jesus throughout the Gospels meets people where they are and He walks with them. There is no doubt about this, it jumps off of every page. Yet, He is always walking somewhere with people. He never encounters someone with no further destination in mind. Jesus always meets people where they are in order to bring them somewhere else. 

For example, Jesus meets the woman at the well exactly where she is, yet there is a destination in mind. As they converse, she refers to Jesus as a Jew, then sir, then prophet, then Messiah. Jesus met the woman at the well exactly where she had been but he left her at a completely different place. She may have never taken a step during the conversation but she journeyed from seeing just an ordinary man to encountering the Lord. That’s the point - Jesus is the destination, He is where humanity and divinity embrace. 

Jesus walks with people but it’s always walking somewhere. Consider the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus also says to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Jesus says to the repentant thief, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jesus demands conversion, transformation, and eyes focused on a destination. 

Again, I’m all for “meet people where they are” and “just walk with people” but it cannot stop there. Christianity demands so much more. It demands a destination, a goal. It demands the mentality of Paul, “Run so as to win the race” (1 Corinthians 9:24). 

It demands that together we seek first the Kingdom of God. We are walking with someone somewhere…toward Heaven. And, to put it clearly, that might mean that we need people in our lives to turn us around because we might be heading in the wrong direction. 

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Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.