My sisters and brothers, what a great joy it is for me be here today to celebrate this Mass with all of you. I thank Father Bob [Sullivan] and Father Jon [Chalmers] for the invitation to be with all of you today in anticipation of Catholic Schools Week. We have now concluded our Christmas celebrations and have returned to Ordinary Time. While it may be ordinary, there are still some extraordinary things that happen to us that can easily be overlooked. These include our growth in mind, body and spirit. The discoveries we make, day by day, help to solidify our direction, give meaning and purpose to us, and enable us to become more effective individuals who have responded generously to God’s call to be all we can be.            

In fact, today’s readings, which we just heard proclaimed a few moments ago, challenge us to live fully in the present, to encourage one another in faith, and to remain open to God’s voice in our lives. Hebrews urges us to “encourage yourselves daily while it is still ‘today,’” and then the Responsorial Psalm [95] echoes, “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” In the Gospel, Jesus heals a leper who approaches Him with bold faith and gratitude. These themes remind us of three key takeaways: encourage, listen, and respond today.

1. Encourage one another daily: We are not meant to walk alone

Loneliness is a very sad state of being. We are meant to be social, to be with one another – whether in the classroom or on the field. We also know that life can be hard and not everything sails along without a few bumps in the road of life. Even our faith journeys can be a bit lonely when our faith journey is not always on the same page as other members of our family or among our dearest of friends. Nevertheless, we can urge one another onward and can build each other up through encouragement, especially in moments of doubt, struggle, or spiritual dryness. So today, think of someone you can encourage, a friend, a classmate, or a teacher. A simple “you’re doing great” or “I’m praying for you” can be a source of new life and energy to make it through the ups and downs of life itself. 

2. Listen to God’s voice: Be open and attentive

Our responsorial psalm, “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts,” is a true vocational moment. God is always speaking to us, in whispers, in events, in visuals, in words that we read or that someone else says. The journey to all that is true begins with an experience. We can piece together these disparate experiences to see that somehow and someway God is communicating to us. At times we close Him out, we turn up the volume of our own noise to not hear God, but He is always trying to reach us - not only our brains, but our hearts, especially when something is true, or beautiful, or just, or something makes us truly free in life. God is always reaching out to us, even though we may tire and refuse to hear. 

You see, God warned the Israelites, as they wandered through the desert for 40 years, and, in their stubbornness, they began to doubt that God was even present, notwithstanding that He sent them manna as bread, quail as meat, and water from the rock, for example. Like them, we get so busy, so distracted or discouraged that we stop listening to God’s whispers and think He’s not there.  

Some suggest that we should quite literally STOP: Slow down, Tune in, Open your heart, Pray. Find ways we can hear the whisper of God’s voice amid the noise of life itself. 

3. Respond with gratitude: God’s gifts are always present

The leper in Mark’s Gospel approached Jesus with faith and left with gratitude. In fact, even with Jesus’ prompting that he should relish this for himself, he couldn’t contain his joy and happiness and proclaimed it to everyone. Still, God’s blessings often come to us daily, but do we recognize them? Gratitude becomes the means by which we soften our hearts and deepen our faith.  

One of the best ways to be a thankful person is to actually do it and do it regularly. Some have started a gratitude journal. Each day, write down one thing or one person you’re grateful for. This simple habit helps us recognize God’s ongoing gifts, and, over time, it will grow as we begin to see even things that we didn’t notice at the beginning. 

So, today’s readings call us to action: encourage one another today, listen to God’s voice today, and respond with gratitude today. Don’t wait until tomorrow to make a difference, to soften your heart, or to thank God. Like the leper in the Gospel, approach God today with faith and a grateful heart. God is passing by, and we don’t want to miss the opportunity.

As I conclude, allow me to conclude by saying something even more hopeful. This school is blessed. Now more than ever, it is poised to become even more mission minded. We have a team of individuals who are giving of themselves to encourage the mission. They are hearing God’s voice to make a difference. They are responding with gratitude with their time, resources, wanting to align their support with the mission of this school to form students in mind, heart, body, and soul after the very heart of Christ. In fact, we want our administrators, our faculty, our staff, our students, the wrap-around support of families, and generous benefactors to be all in on the mission that this school represents. We want, above all, our students, our academics, our sports, our mission here to exceed expectations. We do so by encouraging each other, by hearing God’s voice working among us, and, at the end of the day, by saying, “Thank you” - to come back here to the altar of God and say thank you for giving me this opportunity to become the best I can be.

Our takeaways today are straightforward: Who can I encourage today? How can I tune in to God’s voice? What am I most grateful for right now? During this Mass, the Eucharist of Thanksgiving, we, like the leper, come with faith and leave with gratitude! May God bless you all! 

For more coverage on the groundbreaking, please click here.