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Talk: CHOSEN for a PURPOSE “You Have Not Chosen Me; I Have Chosen You

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Talk: CHOSEN for a PURPOSE “You Have Not Chosen Me; I Have Chosen You Talk: CHOSEN FOR A PURPOSE “You have not chosen me; I have chosen you. Go and bear fruit that will last.” John 15:16 The Life of St. Francis Born to a wealthy lifestyle, son of a merchant in Assisi, Italy Had the attention of those around him Didn’t care to join the business of his father Desired to be a soldier Dream led him to return from battle, back to Assisi Was not satisfied with his status, honor and wealth Spent time in prayer and solitude, seeking an answer to his call Encounter with a leper, at first was disgusted but decided to move beyond this feeling to being moved by this man and his heart was captured Prayed in front of a crucifix in the church, San Damiano, where Christ spoke to Francis. "Go, Francis, and repair (rebuild) my house, which as you see is falling into ruin.” Francis’ response, “Yes!” said Francis. “This is what I want, this is what I long for with all my heart.” The decision was not an easy one. He was ridiculed by the towns’ people, beaten, locked up and rejected by his father. He ultimately stripped naked to reject his earthly life (sonship) to receive his heavenly life (an adopted son of the Heavenly Father). He went to Rome to petition to the Pope to start an order Many became attracted to St. Francis and joined his order I tell you this story because I know we can learn something from St. Francis for ourselves and for the sake of the young people we will be witnessing to this year. St. Francis was in the world just as you and I are. Encountered struggles, but ultimately he was open to God’s movement in his life. He was willing to be radical in his response to Christ. It was Jesus that spoke to St. Francis. Jesus speaks to each one of us. He chose each one of us to be His hands and feet, to go and bear fruit. It was St. Francis’ love for Christ and love for those who Christ loved in the Gospels, the poor. St. Francis knew the poor needed the love of Christ in their life. Do we have the same spirit as St. Francis for those who need Jesus? St. Francis realized that he had to do his part for the life of the Church. You are here today because the Lord has called you just like St. Francis. Pope Francis during the vigil for WYD in Rio reflected on Campus Fidei (Field of Faith), which was to be the original site of the vigil but due to weather it was cancelled and moved – he emphasized that the people of God are the true Campus Fidei. Pope Francis gave the youth three images that could help understand what it means to be a disciple and a missionary. First, a field is a place for sowing seeds. Second, a field is a training ground. Third, a field is a construction site. First: A field is a place for sowing seeds. We all know the parable where Jesus speaks of a sower who went out to sow seeds in the field; some fell on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and could not grow; other seed fell on good soil and brought forth much fruit (Mt 13:1-9). Jesus explains the meaning of the parable: the seed is the word of God sown in our hearts. (Explanation: Mt 13:18-23) What is the condition of our heart? If we are to be the field of faith as Pope Francis points out then we must have soil that is receptive – open to the word of God. Let Jesus bear fruit in your heart. But if the surface of our heart is the path, rocky ground, or thorns, then we must face this reality with Jesus. What kind of ground do we want to be? (Read excerpt from Pope Francis on first analogy) Second: A field is a training ground. Pope Francis reminds us that we must train. It is not a negotiable. To be a disciple, a missionary, we must train. I recently started working out and started coaching cross country for SVdP. I was reflecting on how much time I have put in whether it be working out at the gym or running with the team. I had to be honest with myself, I don’t train as hard or put in the time to be the disciple I am called to be. If you have ever played a sport or was part of a team that required training, much is expected all for the sake of reaching the goal, obtaining the title, championship. St. Paul reminds us that if we are Christians then we are persevering for an imperishable crown not one that rusts or is forgotten. We must train a lot says Pope Francis. For our commitment, the many hours of training to be a disciple, Jesus offers… (Read excerpt from Pope Francis on second analogy) And third: A field is a construction site. When we have good soil that receives the seed to bear fruit, when we train as authentic Christians, then we are ready to build up the Church. We are ready to do what St. Francis did. St. Peter tells us in Scripture: Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1Pet2:4-5) Do you want to be a living stone? Are you ready to build up the Church of Christ? (Read excerpt from Pope Francis on third analogy) When I was 16 years old, I had the opportunity to go to World Youth Day 1993 in Denver, CO. I didn’t know much about the event but when I arrived I was overwhelmed by the number of Catholics in one place. There is a photo of Pope John Paul II now Saint, arriving to the vigil at Cherry Creek Reservoir in a helicopter. He is holding his rosary praying for all the young people. This photo reminded me of a time when I was invited to fly in a helicopter over Denver specifically to pray for all the families, all the youth below as we flew. At the time I was a youth minister and I remember flying over Cherry Creek Reservoir and reimagining the sea of people who were their because they were Catholic. I share this story because at St. Matthew, we have a sea of families, of youth who will gather at the parish this year and we must begin our mission with praying for all the families and youth. It is crazy to think that St. John Paul II was praying a rosary for me that day he was in the helicopter because I was part of the sea of people that day. He challenges all us to live a life that is abundant. Christ came so that we might live and be filled with JOY, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE and share it with others! We don’t know the impact we will have on any of the teens but we can sow seed, we can train them in prayer, and we can help them become a living stone, to be a part of the Church so they know they belong. Thank you for saying “YES” to the mission of the Church like St. Francis, like St. John Paul II. We must never sit on the fence but rather we must always be radical like St. Francis. This is why we have had our most recent Popes call for a New Evangelization. But what is the New Evangelization? Repair my house – Rebuild my Church – The New Evangelization The Church has had a mission to evangelize from the beginning. She exists to evangelize. She carried out her mission in two ways primarily, to the unbaptized and through Pastoral Care, to those who are Christian and committed to Christ and dedicated to the Church. These people were primarily influenced by their Catholic faith. Unfortunately, there is a gap in the Church. Many who are “Catholic” are not committed and dedicated to the Church. Do these people have a profound outlook on life by their Catholic faith or by the culture? The culture we live in is challenging because we can easily become distracted and allured by the culture and ultimately are primarily influenced by the culture. A third way to carry out the Church’s mission has been called by the recent popes, and now being lived out by the Church, the New Evangelization. This New Evangelization seeks to reach out to the baptized, to evangelize to those who don’t have that profound outlook based on Christ/Church. This New Evangelization doesn’t nullify the other ways the Church is called to evangelization but this New Evangelization is a priority. Pope Benedict XVI recognized a serious crisis of faith within the Church. It is a crisis of how the faith is known, lived, and witnessed. We are called to KNOW, LIVE, and WITNESS our Catholic faith. All three are necessary to being Catholic. Psalm 127:1 - Unless the LORD build the house, they labor in vain who build. If we examine these three areas in our own Catholic faith, we can identify strengths and come up with some ways we can grow in specific areas, set personal goals to grow spiritually to live out the New Evangelization so that we don’t build in vain.
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