Boys and girls of the 7th and 8th grade of St. Clare School: those of you about to graduate and those of you about to assume the mantle of leadership in this school and faith community:
I’d like to talk to you today about what we gather around for each and every important event of your St. Clare School career, and that which you 8th graders are in some way departing from in these days – and that is, this very altar. This altar bears witness every time we gather in this Church to the presence of Jesus in our lives – how his self-sacrifice is the sign and symbol around which we order everything we do as Catholic Christians … I’d like to speak about how this altar should inspire you to be light in a darkened world for years to come by word and presence – your word and presence. It is around this altar and in this place that you have come to hear proclaimed the Word of God. And it is from this very altar that you’ve experienced the real presence of God – the altar from which you’ve received Jesus – the Son of God – in the Eucharist. If you are to be a light for the dark world – you 8th graders who move on to the next phase of your life and you 7th graders who now take up a leadership role among us – it will be by your word and your presence that you will successfully accomplish this task. So the challenge I place before you today is two-fold: in order to be light for the future, you must SPEAK OF JESUS and you must BE JESUS’ PRESENCE: I’ll call it Verbal Witness and Life Witness!
Verbal Witness is truly the Witness of our words. We can't ever forget that we are called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of The World. Our faith is not our own, it has been given to us to share with others. Just like love, the more you give away, the more you have. Today’s Feast of the Visitation gives us a sterling example of how when a person experiences the presence of God in their lives, they are compelled to speak of it – to spread the message. No greater version of this ‘good news’ was ever uttered than that uttered by the Blessed Virgin Mary in her Song of Thanksgiving – the Magnificat – proclaimed once again in today’s gospel. Because of her relationship with God, because of God’s initiative in her life, because of the power of the Spirit at work in her and the presence of Jesus in her very womb, she was impelled – compelled, even – to go proclaim the Good News to her elderly cousin Elizabeth, whom the angel Gabriel had spoken of at the Annunciation.
How does a young person like you speak of Jesus and His GOOD NEWS in the kind of world in which you live your everyday lives as students and teenagers? Well, I’ve found that most young people don't like to talk about their faith because they're afraid they are going to be made fun of by the person with whom they're talking.
St. Paul says in his Letter to the Romans (10:9-15):
“if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” … and he goes on to say that you can’t speak the word of the Lord to anyone, “unless you are sent.” And so in these days of graduation and promotion to next levels, we the community of Saint Clare Parish and School SEND YOU, we COMMISSION YOU to bring the GOOD NEWS of Jesus to the world, and as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Not only do WE send you; more importantly, JESUS CHRIST sends you as MESSENGER and AMBASSADOR of the GOSPEL – to give witness VERBALLY, to MAKE DISCIPLES of those whom you will come across by being PROUD of your identity as Catholic Christians, proud of your faith, proud of your parish, proud of your school, and therefore always willing to speak about the good experience you’ve had here: that’s what it means for you – as a graduating 8th grader or as a stepping-up 7th grader to bear witness with words that Jesus is the most important person in your life. And it is in this way – verbally – that you will “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
That’s Verbal Witness. Now what about Life Witness?
Well, Mary did not only go to Elizabeth at the Visitation to tell her own Good News, she also went to be of service to her aging cousin – to help her in her pregnancy - Elizabeth, who herself would bring forth the great herald of the Good News that was to come – John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin. So this, on the part of Mary, was a “Life Witness.” She didn’t just “talk the talk.” She also “walked the walk”!
“Walking the Walk” is probably an even more powerful way of witnessing to your faith. We're called to be living and breathing spreaders of the gospel. We’ve learned that at this altar because it is from here that Jesus has poured out his very life to us and shared his body and blood with us! It was the great friend of St. Clare, St. Francis of Assisi, who once said, "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." You get it, right? More often than not, actions speak louder than words! I believe that: the way we live our lives – giving, forgiving, sacrificing, being humble, sharing, being patient and not demanding – this in itself is the most important statement about and the best way in which we bear witness to our relationship with Jesus.
And then prayer is a witness, too: it says to others that God's power and love are so important to me that I choose to spend some time in conversation - both listening and talking to God - every day!
The witness of our lives, the witness of our service, the witness of our charity, the witness of our speech, the witness of our prayer – it all says that we believe that life is about more than just ME. There are others who need to be touched by the love of God. When I live this way, I am saying to the world that I understand that Christ calls me to be like him, and like him it is my job to seek justice and mercy for the broken of the world: the heart-broken, the life-broken, and the spirit- broken people all around us – just as Mary did and just as Jesus did.
And so boys and girls, your daily living throughout all the exciting times that lie ahead can be – if you allow it to be - a witness to what you believe and in whom you believe. And remember, the one thing that others notice most of all is when our Verbal Witness and our Life Witness don’t line up. They notice when we SAY one thing and DO something else. If we’re going to give worthy Verbal Witness to our faith, then we must also live our faith. And living the Faith takes Commitment, Character and Purpose - it's not something you do by accident. It's a choice. It's something you do on purpose and for a purpose.
Let the purpose of your Life, then, be as a Witness for Christ!