Yesterday, Father Jilson’s homily left us with an important question: What do we want our legacy to be?
Father Jilson spoke of a man who prematurely reads his obituary and didn’t like how the world saw him. So he committed himself to make the world a more peaceful place. That man was Mr. Alfred Nobel, whose name is internationally recognized by the award he founded, the Nobel Peace Price.
As I thought about Father Jilson’s question and today’s readings, I was drawn to a reflection by John Cardinal O’Connor titled: Protected, Guarded, and Consecrated in the Truth.
Cardinal O’Connor begins by saying that anyone who has spent time at sea knows the comfort of seeing the light from a lighthouse. Despite all our modern tools of navigation, "if you’re in a storm, or a dark and foggy night," there’s nothing quite like seeing that guiding light.
He goes on to say, “the wonderful thing about a lighthouse is that it is for everybody,” of all nations, cultures, and walks of life, “…and especially if you’re lost, that light is for you.”
My brothers and sisters, we need a guiding light in our lives. Every one of us has gotten lost, been in the storms of life that can mimic the darkness and fogginess at sea or onshore. Cardinal O’Connor reminds us that the Church is more than a lighthouse;--it’s the living breathing, dynamic Body of Christ.” And, “the light of Truth doesn’t come from the Church,--it comes through the Church. It’s Christ who enlightens the Church through the Holy Spirit.”
In his speech to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus, Saint Paul both warns and instructs.
Saint Paul knows that after his departure, savage wolves will come and even threats from within will put the flock at risk. He commends the presbyters to “God and his Word…that can build us up and give us the inheritance among all the consecrated.” God and his Word are the light to which he calls these successors to follow and to lead others.
Likewise, Jesus, in His prayer to the Father, preparing for His return, asks that we be “consecrated in the truth."
It’s this Truth of God that gives us the guiding light to live lives of goodness and holiness.
Like the saints, “Christ is speaking to each of us…calling each of us safely out of the darkness, out of the storm.”
Jesus, through His Church,“…preaches the same truth and sheds the same light to all people, everywhere.”
My brothers and sisters, if we want to leave a legacy that will build up the Body of Christ, then we need to keep following the light of Christ, found in His Church and in His Word, leading us - even amidst the darkest and stormiest of times.
So, whether you are near a lighthouse, or far inland... if you can, share this message with your family, that the light of Christ is shining brightly through His Church. The Lord is leading us along the path that leads to a life worth living and to Heaven.
May God bless you and your families this holy day!
Father David's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page.(You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
Reverend David S. Marcham is the Vice Postulator for the Cause of Venerable Patrick Peyton, and Director of the Father Peyton Guild, whose members pray for Father Peyton’s beatification and spread his message of the importance of Family Prayer. Prior to becoming a seminarian, Father David was a physical therapist and clinical instructor, serving hospital inpatients and outpatients throughout the greater Boston area for eleven years. In 1998 he heard the call to priesthood and was ordained in the Archdiocese of Boston in 2005. Father David grew up in Quincy, MA, and has fond memories of playing soccer, tennis and running track. You’re never without a friend when Father David is around, as he welcomes everyone into his circle with a smile on his face!
