Homily for November 1, 2018

Today is All Saints Day, tomorrow is All Souls Day, and during the month of November the Church asks us to pray for those who have gone before us in faith.

You are well aware that the Eagles won Superbowl, the Washington Capitals won Stanley Cup, and Red Soxs just won the World Series.  Their status as Champions lasts one year.  In Revelations (7:2-4, 9-14) we read that we are  “marked with a seal”, and indeed we are at our Baptism.  We were marked us forever as a follower of Christ!

In the 1^st Letter of St. John we read that we are Children of God, including each one of us, no matter how old or young we are today.  In the Gospel of Mark Jesus gives His disciples and He gives us the Beatitudes – the principals for us to live by; like a GPS to get us to Heaven our ultimate goal.

Each one of us is called to be Holy, the Second Vatican Council referred to this as the “Universal Call to Holiness” in Lumen Gentium.  But how can we do this – by having Jesus as the center of our lives in our mind, in our heart, and in our hands.

In the Play WICKED the song, For Good has a powerful and beautiful message with these words, “But because I know you I have been changed for good.”  We are changed for the good because in our Baptism we were sealed to the heart of Jesus, and we are called to share His message with each person we meet.

One day when Michelangelo was working in his studio (with his hammer and chisel) a friend walked into his work area, and admired his work.  He said, “Michelangelo what a great gift to be able to carve a statue from that big chunk of marble”. 

Michelangelo said, “No, the statue is already in the marble all I do is draw it out.”  The same is true for each person we meet they have good in them, good that God put in them, we have to find that good, and draw it out. 

My hope and pray for each of you is that the people who meet you are changed for the good. That is how a disciple of Jesus Christ lives.

May God Be Praised!