John 21:20-25 What About Them?

John 21:20-25  What About Them?

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Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved and said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

What concerns me?  What creates anxiety or suspicion in my soul?  What drives me to compare my life to others?  Don't I know that the Lord wishes that I follow him, and him alone? 

“Lord, what about him?”  What exactly drove Peter to ask?  Was it curiosity?  Maybe.  Was it doubt?  Probably.  And doubt comes from pride.  No wonder Christ’s curt response, “What concern is it of yours?  Follow me.” 

We have but one mission in life:  to be a Saint; to be holy; to be more like Him.

We see others as we are and so we are constantly comparing ourselves to others.  And we constantly come up short.  And wait, it gets worse when it comes to things that are not like me.  I see an apple as a fruit only because it is to me.  I never see it as the ground sees it: a placenta with a seed.  I see a flower as a gift when it is for me.  But what is a flower if I am a weed?  Is it not something that needs to be choked and displaced to make space for me?  So, how can I see anything for what it truly is if I am constantly comparing it back to me? 

Why do we keep trying to change or manipulate God’s creation?  Why do we keep trying to redefine God’s creation?  Why do we keep on messing up God's creation?  Because we think we know it all.  And we don’t, not at all.

This is our problem.  We believe we can know it all.  And our biggest problems happen when we act as if we know it all.  Yes, I may be able to manipulate people and things, but I will never know people or any thing.  I will never be able to swallow the the depth, the height, the breadth, the width of God's creation without God.  I will never be able to fully know the future or understand the past without the Alpha and Omega.  Now I finally get it!  If I wish to find the true meaning of any thing, then I must start with the Lord who thinks and lives inside and outside of me. 

Follow me.  Peter’s feelings of guilt, uneasiness or unworthiness came about due to his denials.  He never imagined carrying such guilt in his life.  He thought for sure he knew the Lord.  He thought he could define him with his own lips as he confessed, “You are the messiah, the Son of the living God.”  He thought he knew himself when the Lord spoke and said, “You are Rock, and upon this rock I will build my church.”   It all comes to a head with Christ’s threefold question; “Peter, do you love me?  It took Peter three times before he understood and said, “Lord you know everything; you know I love you.”  To love means to carry out your mission in life; to truly love means to unconditionally follow.  It’s not impossible.  Soldiers do it all the time.  They know their mission; they trust in their mission; they may even understand their mission.  But try as hard as they can, they cannot guarantee the results of their mission.  No man can.  God can.  And with God, nothing is impossible, not even His mission for us. 

Since nothing is impossible for the Lord, it is possible for Him to search the just and the wicked.  And search he does; not to destroy but to seek and love, for love does not compare; it fulfills.  The Lord knows me yesterday, today and tomorrow.  He knows me for who I truly am.  He knows me in my oneness and in my totality.  I am not an animal nor am I a human to him.  No man made language is taught or learned in heaven; only the language of love is given and received.  Who am I?   His son.  His daughter.  He knows me and for this simple reason he calls me to follow. 

To follow the Lord means to imitate the Lord, and to imitate the Lord means to follow his example in his thoughts, his words, his actions and even in his reactions.  By His ways we will know the Lord better, know ourselves better and fulfill our mission better. 

John 21:15-19 Where You Want To Go

John 21:15-19  Where You Want To Go

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Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.

Isn’t this the history of our lives; to be led or taken where we do not want to go?  How often have people taken me to the gates of Hell?  How many have opened the gate for me?  How often have friends and neighbor led me to anger, hatred, bitterness, and vengeful thoughts?  How often have people led me to sin?

Even Christ was led; actually, he was dragged by the neck, throughout the streets of Jerusalem, to a place he did not want to go but was proud to go.  The Lord’s passion was a moment of high drama.  All eyes were upon Him.  Would He or would He not bow down before the prince of darkness?  Would He be like all the rest, like all of us?  The answer could only come from His passion.  The whole affair became even more dramatic than anyone could ever imagine, for the Lord did not have to be dragged; He did not a push from behind.  He was, in fact, a willing victim; a victim like no other.

Just like many of His own, even the Romans assumed too much.  They assumed that this Jesus of Nazareth would resist His cross.  They never imagined that he would embrace it.  His captors were convinced He would curse from the Cross.  Never did they expect to be pardoned at the foot of the Cross.  They thought he would refuse to cooperate in death as he did in life.  Little did they know the Lord.  Little did they know His heart.  Yes, the Lord was whipped to move, stripped of dignity (and flesh) and beaten by sinners.  But!  He refused to be mastered by sin. He refused to sin and be owned by the devil.  Yes, He allowed the devil to have his body; his hands and feet, even his life; but he refused to give the devil his love.  And it is love, more than anything else, that drives us closer to someone; someone like the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

The execution of any innocent man reveals much about a man and much about those who judged him, condemned him and executed him.  It must have been a spectacle to watch Jesus bear the Cross.  But what must have been even more spectacular was the glory and shame it bared:  Glory for the one who carried it and shame to those who insisted he carry it.  It literally meant the death of one group of beings and the resurrection of another group of beings.  Love conquers all.  Evil destroys itself.

For this reason the Lord asked Peter three times:  “Do you love me?”  Notice how the Lord did not ask Peter, “Will you obey me?” three times.  Nor did he ask Peter, “Will you bow down before me?”   No.  He asked Peter, “Will you love me?” This is the question because this is all that matters.  And Christ knows from personal experience that this is all that matters.  They will tie your hands and your feet.  They may pull every limb apart.  They may even rip your heart while it still beats.  But if they do not have your love, then they have nothing.  And if they do not have your love, then we can replace all that has been lost.

The Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Love - taught them everything they would need to remember.  “Do not forget love” was the first commandment.   All the great Saints of the Church, from martyrs to confessors to virgins to converts, have shared one common virtue:  they refused to forget about love.  In other words, they refused to hate.  The Lord says, “The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said and done for you.”  We need reminders occasionally.  We need reminders especially when we are being challenged in our love, in our style of love, in our brand of love.

Love is lighter than hate.  Love lifts the soul from the tomb and brings it home.  Like laugher, love brings people to tears.  Like Christ, love reminds us of where we want to go?”

John 17:20-26 Being One In Christ

John 17:20-26  Being One In Christ

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Jesus prayed saying:  “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you…that the world may believe that you sent me.” 

The Lord prayed not only for his Apostles, but for us.  His love for us is undeniable.  His prayers are always answered by the Father.  But, when his prayer comes to us (or when his disciples comes to us), do we accept the word of God?

Division among Christians is a scandal.  The Lord did not pray that his followers worship in different churches.  He prayed specifically that we all be one in Lord, in faith and in baptism.  Sure, we come together on many social issues such as abortion, marriage, Christian persecution and the very real threat of secularism.  But when it comes to being of one heart, one mind, one body…wow, we couldn’t be getting further from the Truth! 

For years we have had the very familiar and very unfortunate infighting among Catholics.  It is a scandal.  It is especially a scandal when nuns and priests openly dissent against their vows, their promises and the moral teachings of the Church.  The Lord trusted them, and they broke their promises.  It is even more of a scandal when dissenting faculty members drive faithful faculty members out. 

It is a scandal when religious remain silent, absolutely silent, on issues of abortion and contraceptives, yet will speak up (and rightly so) on issues such as war, famine, women’s rights and the environment.  One priest recently tried to convince me by telling me, “Well, we have enough people to talk about those other issues.”  Hogwash!  Yes, all these issues are important, not just some of them.  All of these issues are important, yet some are more important than others and there are very good reasons for saying so.  Abortion is the number one issue right now because it is striking dead millions of innocent human beings a year; more than the environment, the war, or famine combined in our country.  Being silent on this issue is tantamount to being silent on genocide.  Why would anyone do that? 

It is a scandal when a Catholic institution such as Georgetown University thumbs its nose at the Bishops of the Church; those whom the Apostles appointed as their legitimate successors.  That doesn’t mean the Bishops don’t make mistakes.  Of course they do.  But when it comes to faith and morals, the teachings of the Church are one with Christ, and will always be one with Christ.  That is the guarantee of the Holy Spirit upon Peter and His Successors.

A few weeks ago the President of the United States came out in favor of gay marriage.  He used and quoted Sacred Scripture to back his claim; and yet, he apparently could not find in Scripture the obvious references defending traditional marriage or the abominations that twist marriage.  How scandalous.  It is one thing to be a sinner; it is quite another to teach others to sin.  God forbid we take the President’s word of approval as more accepting and loving than the Savior’s word or Scripture’s word or the Apostles word that says, “He joined them male and female”.  God forbid we take this year’s testimonies as more righteous and meaningful than the testimonies given to us since the dawn of man.

I pray that the President will one day find in Scripture the even more obvious reference to the sanctity of life.

May your Spirit, O Lord, we pray, imbue us powerfully with spiritual gifts, that he may give us a mind pleasing to you and graciously conform us to your will.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. 

John 17:11-19 Keep Them One

John 17:11-19  Keep Them One

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Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:  “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one…I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.”

Oneness as totality.  I just came back from breakfast with a good solid Catholic whom I have known for years.  During our conversation, he repeated to me a conversation he had with a work associate and how he finds it hard to talk to him about God.  Apparently, his co-worker does not have God in his life; that is, “God is not even on his radar”.  And although this co-worker is financially successful, he apparently is not successful in relationships.  He has been in one bad relationship after another.  This individual made the following comment, “I see the world in one way:  war.  We are constantly at war with one another; constantly battling each other to get above the other.  We don’t work together.  We don’t care about each other, etc.” 

As my friend was describing his conversation, I interrupted him and said, “Yes, this is all true, if your friend sees the world with only one eye or a black eye.” 

Who could possibly live alone in this world? We need each other! We were made for one another.  Why?  Because we need a little bit of everyone in our lives.  We need a little bit of soldier in our life; a little bit of a comedian in our life; a little bit of Man vs. Wild in our life.  Others help me to be what I can be; in my oneness and in its totality.  What I don't need is sin.  But even there, I can deal with it the way that Christ dealt with it and be a greater man. 

The Lord of All invites us to see others through His eyes; through His experiences.  He invites us to see life through him.  He gave us others to put it into practice.  The Lord knew how to be humble, tough, compassionate, loving and merciful.  He also knew how to be downright mighty, powerful and witty.  He was perfectly one and total.  “One”, for there was no sin in Him.  “Total”, because He was truly God and truly man.  

We don’t see UV or Infrared radiation, but they’ve always been there.  We don’t see microwaves or radio waves, but their presence today is definitely noticed and utilized. Let's be honest, without God in our life, we are missing a very big chunk of our “totalness”; the “all that is seen and unseen” piece.  Without God I will reduce my life to my state of being.  It is no surprise whatsoever that I will see the world as “one gigantic struggle” if I am going through struggles myself.  I will see the world as “one lost planet”, if I am struggling with loss, despair and sadness.  But the world is not lost and neither am I.  It’s not unnoticed and neither am I, even if I and my planet do not occupy the center of the solar system. 

Christ went through struggle and loss and yet, he was able to say, and say it convincingly, “Be at peace.  I have conquered the world.”  I find it amazing that the Lord would pray to his Father with the following words:  “The world hated them [the Apostles], because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.”

See the irony?  Of course the Father and the Son belong to this world; but not a fallen world.  And we don’t belong to it either.  Our enemies do, and for this reason we are considered a threat, a danger to them.  Do you not know that the world fears us?  Christians have been known to smile at their death sentence; to sing right before their execution.  And this scares them.  Christians have been known to never give in or give up.  Eternity is on our side.  We live and work the totality of time:  timelessness.  We live and work in the oneness of Christ.  If we work [together] with the Lord, we will suffer [together] with the Lord, but we shall also rise [together] with the glory of the Lord.  All at once.  All for One. 

Keep them one as we are one.  This means far more than we could ever define or even imagine.  This “oneness” between the Father and the Son goes beyond comprehension.  But, let’s not forget, we were created in the image and likeness of our God, and so, there is something solid to hold on to.  Let’s see if we can figure it out together.

When we were young, we grew up with Darwin’s paradigm of the world:  “survival-of-the-fittest”.  But there is a new paradigm that is emerging in the scientific community:  “support-for-one-another.”  Instead of seeing the world as simply fight and flight, others are seeing it in its totality:  synergism.  The obvious is beginning to emerge.  Isn’t it obvious that we need each other?  Isn’t it obvious that there is a synergism among creatures?  We really do need each other in order to survive and flourish. 

God doesn't need us, but He does want us.  The Father loved the world so much that he sent his only Son into the world, not to condemn the world but to save the world.  The Father loves His Son.  The Father sends the Son.  The Son loves a sinful world. The Son loves his own in the world.  The Apostles make disciples.  The disciples love the Church.  The Church loves its own and reaches out in love to the unchurched. 

We cry, we shed blood, we sweat, and for what?  Not just for ourselves, but for each other!  Yes, enemy and friend.  And by doing so, we give a powerful witness of meaning to one another.  At Miletus, Paul gave his final words to the presbyters [priests] knowing full well that he would never see them again.  They embraced him and wept bitterly.  Why?  Because He loved them in life and in death.  Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you tend the Church of God that he acquired with his own Blood.  Remember that for three years, night and day, I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears…I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing…I just want you to love God and others. 

Yes, the Lord shed his blood for the Church!  And invites us to shed our blood for Him and for others!  We live for Him and for others.  We die for Him and for others.  We can be one in His Oneness.  We can be made whole.   

John 17:1-11 Father, Glorify Us

John 17:1-11  Father, Glorify Us

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Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come.  Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you.” 

There comes a time in your life when you have to fight the good fight.  You don’t ask to fight any fight.  But sometimes you are forced to fight for your life.  The moment has arrived.  The hour has come.  Everything inside of us is telling us, “Enough is enough”.  It is time to give glory to God. 

On Sunday, someone came up to me and told me that they didn’t like my blog.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was about to say, “Then why do you read it?”  Then I thought to myself, “Are they telling me this so that I stop writing or that I change my ideas and opinions?  Oh my goodness!  How wrong could they be?” 

I don’t write what I write because I want to be popular.  Heavens!  I would be more popular if I wrote the opposite of what I write.  I write what I write because it is right.  I take pride in what I read, how I think and what I write.  I take pride in defending my faith like so many take pride in attacking it.  

All over the world, you can be thrown in jail if you give testimony that is only half-truths or partial truths.  When one testifies, they swear to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”  There is a very good reason for it.  Half truths are not the truth at all.

Why do people tell only half-truths?  Because they can get away with it! 

The headline in this morning’s Dallas Morning News (DaMN) states:  Health Insurance.  Birth Control Lawsuits Expand.

Why don’t they tell the American people the truth?  If they wanted to share the truth with their readers, then the headline should have read Lawsuits Against Federal Mandate Expand. Why do they prefer to tell half-truths?  I am sure that most people who read this morning’s news did not even realize the flaw.  Although the DaMN can get away from the truth in its headline, it obviously cannot get away with it in its article.  “Roman Catholic dioceses…sued the Obama administration Monday…over a federal mandate…”

What is the issue? A federal mandate that violates the free exercise of religion.  Contraceptives are not the issue!  Contraceptives are the trigger.  The mandate is the bullet.  HHS is the gun.  Kathleen Sibelius is the hit man.  The Administration is the owner.

Fact:  For the first time in the history of America, the federal government is attempting to curtail the free exercise of religion in America.  Fact:  For the first time in the history of America, the government is attempting to define what “Catholic” is and what it is not.  To them, Catholic means a house of worship but Catholic schools, hospitals, and other important works of charity do not.  Fact: For the first time in the history of America, the government is not allowing the Catholic Church to practice what it preaches!

The hour has come.  The hour has come to dispel and destroy the half-truths of the supporters of this unconstitutional mandate.  This newspaper insists on carrying forth arguments in favor of the mandate for reasons that have nothing to do with the lawsuits.  They inform us, that “an advisory panel from the Institute of Medicine, which advises the federal government, recommended including birth control on the list of covered services, partly because it promotes maternal and child health by allowing women to space their pregnancies.” 

Did you notice the word, “partly”?  It says it all.  Let’s make something very clear.  You don’t make something right by doing something wrong.  People in this country can take contraceptives for whatever reason they want:  good and bad.  To ignore this simple fact is a disgrace.  To ignore this simple truth is a lie.  To ignore the fact that the Catholic Church must pay for any reason whatsoever is simply being biased.

With tremendous joy, I read last night that forty-three Catholic institutions filed federal lawsuits against the federal government.  I know the number will continue to rise.  With pleasure I heard that the law firm Jones Day will be handling the lawsuits pro bono nationally. Not a single penny will have to be taken away from the work our charities do. 

I was surprised to hear that the University of Notre Dame was one of the institutions that filed a suit.  I was not surprised that Georgetown University didn't.  Its President recently defended Kathleen Sibelius by stating that her office is providing insurance for over 35 million uninsured Americans.  Wow!  Are we supposed to be impressed by that?  Would you be impressed if I told you that Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin provided a job for nearly every citizen their country?  Would you be amazed that they cut down unemployment and inflation to nearly zero?  Would you be impressed if I only told you the good news and withheld the bad? 

Georgetown and BC (Boston College or “Barely Catholic” as some students call it) are shortsighted.   “What is it worth to gain the whole world and lose your soul?” 

Do you really think that free contraceptive coverage could not be given to all without offending the Catholic Church and other churches?  Do you really think that this is the only way to solve this issue?  This unprecedented attack on religious liberty is an affront to our intelligence and liberties.   

Glorify your son.   What a scary request.  But I know this is what I should be asking the Father as well:  “Father, glorify me.”  And we know what the answer will be:  “You got it son!”  “You got it my daughter!” 

We know why the request is scary.  We know that before you can bask in glory you have to be baked in mud; before you can receive a standing ovation, you have to be kicked to the ground.  That is the proper order in a fallen and twisted world.  The good get kicked, the bad get a kick at the good being kicked. 

Father, glorify your Church!  Let’s start preparing ourselves for glory.

Jn 16:29-33 Christ’s Story

Jn 16:29-33  Christ’s Story

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The disciples said to Jesus, “We believe that you came from God.”  Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?  Behold, the hour is coming when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone.  I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.  In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”   

The emergency line rang early in the morning on Wednesday.  I could barely understand what was being said to me.  It was the voice of a woman, but in between cries and sighs, she was telling me that her father was passing away.  She wanted him to receive the anointing of the sick.  I got out of my bed and rushed to get there.  What I saw was absolutely beautiful.

His bedroom was crowded with people; most of them young.  They were all waiting for me.  They had gathered inside his room, around his bed.  I counted six young people, three older women, and an older gentleman.  Each of them were holding or touching something:  a hand, an arm, the forehead, his side, his leg.  They were all crying.  He had come to this country with very little and, by the looks of his home, he was leaving behind very little.  But then I remembered the cars that were parked outside the home:  a BMW, a Mercedes and a Lexus. 

I asked them who they were. “I’m his wife”, said one.  “I’m his mother.”  “I’m his sister.”  Then the six young people around his bed said they were his children.  They were all a mess.  Like the phone call this morning, they could barely talk.  They were busy wiping their eyes, blowing their nose, looking away.  I told them, “You really love your father.”  They all nodded in agreement.  They told me that he had worked like an animal all his life and when he was finally able to retire, cancer struck.  They said that they grew up with very little, but had it all.  While other kids had a pool in the back of their home, he would take the hose and water them down.  When they went to school, they didn’t have the fancy stuff that most had but they always had pens, paper and dictionary in hand.  The other kids, who had it all, would always borrow a pen or a piece of paper from them.  It was funny.  They dressed well but didn’t have any school supplies.  We thought they were the poor kids.  Only later did they realize what they had and what most others did not have:  a family; a father that loved them and would die for them.

And die he did.  He gave his life for them. 

He had raised his children well.  They were proud of their dad.  Without him they would never have been the very successful people they are today.  They understand that; they always did.  And they had promised him that they would repeat it in their lives as well.  He loved them to death.  He gave them the best.  He got them through life as far as he could with his knuckles and knees.  He taught them what really mattered:  God, family and love.  He never asked for anything in return except that they give their best to God and that they love one another.

This story is repeated often, but not often enough.  Our story can be the story of His story which is The Only Story; the story that goes like this:  Beaten and rejected, He conquered the world through love. 

The Lord told his disciples, “In the world you will have trouble.”  Yes.  How true it is!  We all know this is true.  No proof is required for I will feel the weight of the world upon my shoulders; I will feel the incredible burden of responsibility upon my very knees; I know I am surrounded by troubles.  My victories are bittersweet.  Tears are shed far too often.  My fears and doubts must be confronted; sometimes one at a time, sometimes all at once.  I must erase pain of recent memories.  I must drive Loneliness out of my life.  But if I can persevere in love, then I shall conquer it all.  Love conquers all things because God is love and God conquers all things, even death itself. 

I can do this.  I can do this too because I was made to love and I can drive love through all things. 

Take courage.  I have told you this so that you might have peace in Him. 

Mk 16: 15-20 Ascending by Descending

Mk 16: 15-20  Ascending by Descending

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So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.  But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Congratulations to the Class of 2012!  Now get out of here and go do something worthy of your life; worthy of the calling you have received.

The Lord did not ascend into heaven to abandon us.  No!  He ascended into heaven to lead us.  Today, on Ascension Sunday, the Lord showed His disciples where faith, hope and love lead:  to Our Father; to Heaven.  So, if we are to rise up to Heaven, we must begin by falling in love on earth, for falling in love is “The Way” of the Lord.  There is no other way to experience heaven, but to fall in love. 

How can I live a worthy life?  That is, a life that would include the rich and poor, the young and old, the healthy and ill, the winners and the losers; a life that would be independent of the economy, political parties, my education, my inheritance, my age. What must I do?  St. Paul reminds us to “live a life worthy of the calling you received…imitate the Lord in humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another lovingly.” (Eph 4:1)  That is a worthy life?  That’s it?  Yes.  Imitate the Lord.

Again, he states:  “May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,…the riches of glory in his inheritance…the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe…in the exercise of God’s great might which worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him above all power and dominion.  He put all things beneath his feet.”  (Eph 1:17-23)

He put all things beneath his feet….What things did he put behind him, under him, beneath him?  Answer:  The bad.  Betrayal.  Rejection.  Humiliation.  Mockery.  Human praise.  Human success. 

What are these things?  Simply said, they are stepping stones; stepping stones that lead to greatness; to HEAVEN. 

Death before disgrace.  Death before dishonor.  Selflessness before selfishness.  Love before thyself. Humility.  Fidelity.  Grace.  Dignity.  Honor.  Love. 

College life is not an easy life; not because it is College, but because it is a part of life, and there are some moments in life where sin abounds unchecked, unlocked and unabashedly. 

Midlife is not an easy life; not because there is a thing called a "mid-life crisis", but because there is a thing such as false idols or the wrong idols.  We can be heading in one direction for years before we realize we are heading in the wrong direction.

Be on your guard!  Watch your back.  Don’t be naïve.  The Lord told His own disciples, “I am sending you like lambs among wolves.”  This is the good news:  we know what to expect. Know perfectly well that persecution and hatred is for certain; misunderstandings are foreseen, and carrying a cross is guaranteed.

But College life does not have to be Hell.  Here are five tips for all.

1.        Rise to Heaven by putting God first.  God above all things.  We are called to love our neighbor, but God first.  We are called to love our neighbor, but not agree with them on everything.  Before the Blessed Virgin Mary said “yes” to man, she said “yes” to God.  And the story ended happily ever after.  Remember who you are:  God’s gift to the world.  Do not be afraid to be generous with your time and talents.  Serve the Lord.  Serve others.  Serve yourself.  In the months to come there will always appear something apparently better than Mass, confession or adoration.  You know better.  Stick with your faith.  Stick to the truth.  Pack both of these when you go off to College.

2.       Rise to Heaven by living the Truth.  Tell the Truth.  Live the Truth.  Love the Truth.  Share the Truth.  And what is the truth?  It’s not something.  It is someone.  “I am The Way, The Truth and The Life.” Speak about the Lord.  Live with the Lord.  Love the Lord.  Share the Lord.  To be faithful to God means to be faithful to His Bride, the Church, who will help you stay faithful to your heart and faithful to your conscience.  Kathleen Sibelius recently said at Georgetown, “Be your own moral compass.”  What would Hitler say about that?  What would sex offenders say about that?  How could anyone say such an arbitrary thing?  So much of our life depends on the way we were brought up.  So much depends on the people we came into contact with.  We all need an outsider; a standard; someone that isn't like us.  We all need a Carpenter.  Otherwise, we wouldn’t know which walls must come down and which walls must to stay up.  Live the Truth by being another Christ.

3.       Rise to heaven by standing tall.  How can I stand tall when I have fallen so far?  We are all sinners, but not all of us ask for reconciliation.  Here is your chance to stand tall.  There is nothing that stands taller than a humble heart.  You may be amazed at how far gone or low the human person can go and still breathe!  But you will be even more amazed at how far a little grace can go.  Rise to what is right, good, holy and beautiful.  Together, they form a stairway to Heaven. 
4.       Rise to Heaven by carrying your cross.  College students love to partyyy.  Sometimes I wonder if I partied more than I studied.  I shouldn’t ask.  I know the answer.  College students tend to think that waking up every morning and getting to class on time is an accomplishment.  It isn’t.  Young people think that being responsible means allowing others to be irresponsible.  For example, the whole “designated driver” concept is a horrible concept because it helps one to be “responsible” while encouraging others to be totally irresponsible!  What would happen if the safety net was gone (as it so often happens when we grow up)?  We should know that dependence and reliance do not strengthen character, except for the person that everyone is depending and relying upon?  Carry your cross.  It is as formative as it is normative. It is commonplace to suffer before receiving glory.  It's perfectly normal to shed a few tears while getting a degree.   It’s okay to perspire while taking a final; that’s all part of the glory.  It’s perfectly normal to carry a cross to show your love.  That's what makes love so special.  Carry your Cross for the Lord just as the Lord carried it for you.   

5.       Trust in God and He will lift you up!  Trust in God.  Trust in His type Love (true love) and brand of Truth (only truth).  Trust in your Mission; His life in you.  There are no coincidences.  There are no accidents.  Trust in His power in you.  With Him, all things are possible.