By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily while celebrating Mass with students and teachers at Archbishop Edward McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches, Sept. 6, 2022. After the Mass, heblessed the school’s new synthetic turf main field, which will host football, soccer, lacrosse, and flag football home games.
In today’s Gospel reading, we heard about how Jesus called his first disciples together – we know them today as St. Peter, or St. Thomas, or St. James, etc. But when Jesus called them, they were not yet saints. They had a long way to go before we would end up calling them saints. Jesus doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.
But let’s us be clear. No one is an accident; everyone is the result of a thought from God, everyone is necessary. In other words, if you are here taking up space on this planet, it is because God wants you to be here. He created you for a reason, he created you for a purpose.
Your being here at McCarthy High School has something to do with that reason, with that purpose. Many of you are already making plans for your college, some of you already have an idea what you want to do with your life. Or, like your grandparents might ask you: What do you want to be when you grow up? So what are your plans? What do you want to do with your life? What do you want to be when you grow up?
Well, today, I would ask you to consider this question from a different perspective. Instead of asking, what are my plans; what do I want to do; ask instead: What is God’s plan for my life? What does he want me to do with my life?
We find a general outline of God’s plan for us in Jesus’ words to his disciples: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13: 34) God calls each one of us to a future of love. To give your very self as a gift to God and to your brothers and sisters, as Jesus did when he died for us on the cross, is the way to true joy and happiness. This is not an easy way; but it is the way, God’s way.
Dare, then, to love as Christ loves. Loving in this way is like learning to speak a new language well or play a new sport.
Before you can speak a new language well, you have to learn the grammar. Grammar might seem to be all about rules and regulations. And to love like Jesus means learning the rules and regulations about self-control, purity of heart and mind; it is about learning how to deny oneself, to respect others, to serve instead of being served. And as you learn the grammar, you have to practice, practice, practice...
It’s the same way in learning a new sport. We all have celebrated Venus Williams and her sister, Serena. Venus is a GOAT – greatest of all time – in tennis. But that did not mean that she could ignore the rules and regulations of the game. In fact, knowing and keeping the rules make it easier, not harder, to play the game. In the same way, the Commandments, the rules and regulations of Christian living, give us the freedom to embrace a future of love.
Just as a Venus Williams can teach us about the game of tennis, the saints can teach us about how to love as Jesus did. We might not all be called to be sport stars but we are a called “to be holy,” we are called to “fellowship” with Jesus Christ. In other words, we are called to be the best version of ourselves, that version of ourselves that God wants us to be.
In the lives of the saints, we find remarkable journeys of hope: They trusted God, confident that he was their final destination; and each one – in different ways to be sure – but each one offered an outstretched hand of hope to those they met along the way. But as they made their life’s journey, Jesus was their constant companion – and they constantly conversed with him along the way.
Obeying the commandments – with the help of God’s grace gained through constant prayer and a lot of practice – makes love possible and makes life an exciting adventure. Yesterday, for example, was the feast day of Saint Mother Teresa, who worked with the poorest of the poor and who reminds us that what counts in life is not worldly success but faithfulness to who we are as children of God.
God’s plan is for us to love as Jesus did. To work out the details, to learn how God wishes you to shape that future, to overcome one’s own hesitancy or fears, requires the same discipline needed to excel in a language or a sport. It also requires that you spend some time talking and listening to Jesus as he walks with you along your way. Perhaps, God has a project of love for your future as a husband or wife, a father or mother. But, at the same time, be ready to say “yes” if the project is to follow the path of ministerial priesthood or the consecrated life.
Being a Catholic Christian means simply to commit ourselves to walk in the Lord’s footsteps even when our path takes us through twists and turns, through the joys and trials of ordinary life. Find out what your purpose is. Take advantage of the opportunities to discover not just what you want to do with your life but what God wants you to do with your lives.
High School is a great adventure. Don’t miss out on this great adventure of being not just a student at a great school but also of being a disciple of the one who is the reason this school exists for you: Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit will strengthen and guide you along the way.
