Baccalaureate Mass Homily 2011

Sacred Heart High School, Vineland, NJ
June 6, 2011

(Readings: Sirach 50: 22-24; Philippians 4: 6-9; Luke 8: 4-15)

*********************************************************

A student took his report card home and showed it to his mother.
The mother was very disappointed by all of the very low grades.
“Well, look on the bright side mom” the child said, “you know for sure I don’t cheat.”
*********************************************************

“A sower went out to sow his seed.”
A teacher began to teach her lesson.
A coach started instructing and drilling his team.
Some parents sat down to explain something to their child.
A priest began to preach his homily.

How will the message that they want to impart be received?

We’ve probably all heard the expression: “My words fell on deaf ears.”

We never quite know how what we say or teach will be perceived, or comprehended, or acted upon. There is a certain uncertainty and the possibility of disappointment that even Jesus experienced in the instructional process.

As you, the graduating class of 2011, finish your time here at Sacred Heart High School, I hope that you have learned many valuable lessons, or at least have received the necessary tools to allow you to continue the process of learning. Grades and degrees are, without a doubt, important within the educational system as we know it. You don’t reach this day without the required amount of tests, papers, reports, projects and satisfactory grades.

Yet, I encourage you to ponder often the words of Mark Twain: “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”

Life’s lessons go far beyond the classroom or school building—no matter how prestigious the institution.

*******************************************************************
There are two things in particular that I want you to remember from my words today:

First, there is no way to give a grade, to accurately evaluate, or to award an appropriate degree for the decisions and choices that you will make along the road of life.

To use the words of St. Paul in today’s second reading: “Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen” in the Christ–centered Catholic education that you have experienced here at Sacred Heart.

Will the teachings of the Scriptures guide your lives?

Will you succumb to the values of the society in which we live and ignore Church teachings as so many do?

Will your Catholic faith matter to you, especially when you are called to witness publicly to it?

Will the Eucharist that we celebrate here today be the last for many years or will it become something integral to your spiritual life, providing sustenance during your college years and beyond?

Simply stated, will your actions reflect Jesus Christ by what you think, say and do in the years ahead?

No teacher, no school—no one except God Himself can evaluate you accurately in these areas.

Second, no parent, friend or even future spouse—no matter how intimate the relationship—can truly know you in the manner in which you will be known by God.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son . . .” (John 3:16)

God loves us. The Sacred Heart of Jesus expresses this love to us. God wants us to know Him intimately as He already knows us.

Through God’s grace, we can experience the joy of this intimacy. To live in His grace, we have to avoid sin. And we need to pray as we are reminded in today’s second reading:

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4: 6-7)

Prayer takes perseverance.

Sometimes it may seem that God is distant or that He is not listening. But I assure you that He is always there.

He is always listening to us. Always.

Today’s technology has allowed us to communicate and to connect with family and friends far and wide. “Social networking” allows others rapidly to see both our accomplishments and our exploits. However, no matter how great the technological capabilities, God can only be reached by that quiet time alone in prayer in which He probes our thoughts, influences our actions and strengthens our resolve.

Pray often. Pray well. Pray from the heart. Pray when you feel like it, but more so when you do not.

Pray, pray, pray.

In conclusion, I remind you of the anticipated benefits of allowing today’s message—the message of the Gospel—to enter your minds and to penetrate your hearts:

. . . Some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold. After saying this, (Jesus) called out, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear."

. . . As for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance. (Luke 8: 8, 15)

May God’s Word penetrate your minds and hearts.

Bear good fruit. Go out and make me proud.

God bless you today and always.

Good Friday

“God is dead.” 

No, I am not referring to the thoughts of the 19^th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.  Rather I am looking at the situation that the first Christians faced after the death of Jesus, the Son of God, on the cross.

What did the situation look like?  Jesus was tortured and killed.  Judas, one of the twelve apostles, had betrayed him and then hanged himself.  Peter, another of the twelve and the supposed leader, denied him three times.  All of the other apostles, except for the young John, fled and were nowhere to be found.   Only his Mother and a few other faithful followers remained by Jesus’ side until the end.

The situation must have seemed tragic, even without any hope.  For a follower of Jesus it must have appeared worse than any economic collapse or any prolonged war.  It must have seemed like the end, the bitter end.  

“What do we do now?” was probably the whispered phrase that circulated among those who were still around.

Today as Christians we focus on the cross:  a piece of wood that was an instrument of execution.  People wear it now around the neck as jewelry.  Sometimes it hangs on the walls of our homes.  Occasionally we make this sign when we pray.

What, in fact, does it really mean to us?

The cross for Christians was and is the means of salvation.  It gives us eternal life.  It is a sign of hope.  We may not realize its absolute meaning if it remains just an ornament or a trinket.

We are told by Jesus to pick up our cross and to follow Him each day (cf. Lk. 9:23).  The cross has to be a part of our lives.  Who really wants to face this kind of reality or even its ultimate consequence:  death?

Yet, Christians are tied to the cross of Jesus.       

Are we willing to accept this challenge . . . or is God really dead for us?

True followers of Christ through the centuries held on to the belief that the cross was not the end.  They continued to believe.

As Christians today, do we continue to believe?

Lord Jesus Crucified, Have Mercy on Us.

Holy Thursday

Today has always been one of my favorite days to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

It is important for us as Catholic Christians to realize the three significant aspects of today’s celebration on Holy Thursday.

First, when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, He was giving us all an example of and a mandate to service.  For Jesus, who was God’s Son, to wash the feet of His disciples was an act of humility and an example for us to serve the needs of others.  God who created us humbled Himself to bathe the dirty and sweaty feet of His creatures!  And He told his disciples that we must do the same.  We must serve others.  This is not an option but a requirement of Christianity.  Remember that Jesus told us in the Scriptures that He “did not come to be served but to serve.”  (Mt. 20:28) And now his actions showed us very clearly what His words had told us.

Next, Jesus instituted at the Last Supper the ministerial Priesthood so that he could continue His saving work through the actions and ministry of the priest.  My vocation--this “calling”--is to be a priest as Jesus was a priest for his people.  In every sacrament Christ acts through the instrument of his priest.  When the priest baptizes, it is actually Christ who baptizes.  When the priest forgives sin in confession, it is actually Christ who forgives our sins.  When the priest takes bread and wine at Mass to consecrate, it is actually Christ who works through the priest to give us his Body and Blood.  Christ continues His saving work through our priests and that is why we need to pray that many more men will say “yes” to God if God calls them to be a priest.  Pope John Paul II said it so often quoting the words of Christ:  “Be not afraid!”  Christ is still with us in and through the actions of the priest.  Although priests are imperfect sinners, Christ still uses us as His instruments and works through us to take care of the needs of His people.

Finally, this day Jesus gave us the Eucharist, his very own Body and Blood, to feed us and to strengthen us during our journey of life.  For Catholics, the Eucharist is our greatest gift from Christ because it is the gift of Himself.  While there are many other Christian churches in the US and throughout the world, it is the Catholic Church that has always told us of the importance of the Holy Eucharist because we believe that it is the Real Presence of Christ.  Once the priest consecrates the bread and wine it is not just a symbol or a reminder of Christ--something like a souvenir--but it is actually Christ Himself.  It is His Body and Blood.  We should not take this for granted!  In a little while when we process around the Church with the Holy Eucharist, realize that this is truly Christ remaining among us.

This day we are reminded of the mandate to service, of the institution of the Priesthood and of the gift of the Holy Eucharist.  We need to think and pray about all three of these lessons found in our liturgy today.

May God bless you!