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Dear Friends in Christ, and especially my young friends studying here at Marist School,

This morning I want to talk to you a little about your life Ð about your future and the choices you might make as that future unfolds.

And since we should do nothing, without consulting the advice of our Lord, I want to make special use of a story found in the 19th chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, which might help me direct my thoughts, keep them organized, and make my point as briefly as I can, since I know you still have a busy day ahead.

It is a story of a typical day in the life of Jesus Christ. He had risen before dawn, and with his friends, set out in the cool of morning to travel from Galilee down into Judea Ð on foot, and in a hot climate, the best time for walking is always early in the morning. Then, after this tiring journey of some miles, Jesus was immediately met by large crowds of people, most of them in search of healing. Our Lord, the soul of kindness and concern, of course took the time to see everyone, took the time to do whatever He could for those who were seeking His help. But no sooner had He finished this important work, when a group of Pharisees showed up, asking Him tricky questions, trying to make Him look bad in front of the people. Of course, no Pharisee ever outsmarted our Lord, and in short fashion, He answered their questions, and sent them on their way. But then, whatever He said had raised even more questions among the Apostles, and so our Lord had to spend more time talking and teaching, to make sure that the Apostles, the men whom He knew would one day be leading the Church, to make sure they understood what He had said, and what He had meant.

No doubt, by this time, most of the day had passed by, and Jesus probably was thinking about sitting down somewhere, in the quiet, in the shade, perhaps having a little to eat and drink, and perhaps taking a little rest, after the tiring activities that had occupied Him since the early morning.

But not yet Ð one more person approached, and sought His advice. This time, however, it was only one - a young man Ðand his question, although simple, was very direct and very important. Our LordÕs answer to this young man was also very direct and very important Ð not in the sense of short or impatient, but as if He knew that here was a central question Ð a question that required an answer more direct than a story or a parable. And direct answers are what the young man got.

First, the young man complimented the Lord, saying that he knew Jesus was a very good person. And his question was this Ð ÒWhat should I do to gain eternal life?Ó

Jesus first answered that there is only one who is good, and that is God. Second, He told the young man, ÒIf you want to enter into eternal life then keep the commandments: do not steal, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not tell lies, honor you father and your mother, and treat your neighbor with the consideration you yourself feel entitled to.Ó

But the young man felt that he had already done these things, and so he pressed the Lord: ÒWhat further may I do to ensure that I will have eternal life.Ó And our Lord answered: ÒGo, and sell everything you have to the poor Ð and then, come and follow me.Ó

The first thing to understand about this story is the first thing our Lord says: Only one there is who is good, and that is God. Now we know that God is the only perfect being, and goodness must be a part of His perfection. But we also know that we cannot be perfect Ð we are sinful, we are weak, and no matter how hard we try, in some way or the other we will always come up short. No one here, adult, youngster or child, is, or ever will be perfect. So how, then, can we be, or become, good?

To do this, we have to remember something else that is a part of GodÕs perfect being, and that is His love for us. And love is something that we can certainly strive to make perfect in our lives. In fact, because we are Christian, because we are baptized and confirmed, you might say that each one of us has a vocation to love. And when we love, we may not do it perfectly, but we are still taking part in something that is perfect, and that is God Himself. Remember the words of St. John? ÒGod is love, and he who lives in love, lives in God, and God in him.Ó

So the first thing we learn is that each of us has a vocation to love Ð to be charitable Ð to care for one another, and not because of anything we might gain, but because other people deserve our love. If Jesus Christ could love us, for no other reason than to help us, then we should try with all our hearts to love the same way, exactly the same way - even to the point that we might die for someone elseÕs sake. You remember what happened last September the eleventh - and on that day, many men and women Ð hundreds, maybe even thousands, decided to die, helping others to live. Love doesnÕt get any better than that, and although we may never in our lives be brought to that kind of test, we certainly hope and pray that if we were, we would do as our Lord did, lay down our life so that someone else might live.

So this is our first vocation Ð to learn to love as God loves us, and by loving, to become a part of the perfect good that He Himself is.

But then there is the second answer our Lord gave the young man Ð the part about the commandments. Those commandments He spoke of are the second half of the great Ten Commandments, and they are the ones dealing with how we treat one another. And so from this we learn something else about our vocation as Christians Ð that we are bound by the law of God to treat one another fairly and with respect Ð and not just our friends, but the entire society in which we live.

Most of you will probably, and in the not too distant future, fall in love, marry, and with your husband or wife, begin to raise a family - and this is also an important vocation. Not just because it is good for you, not just because it is good for society Ð but because it is keeping the laws of God - and once again, it opens a way for you to enter into the perfection that God is, a way to enter into His goodness, and become capable of doing great good yourself. For some of you it will be through marriage - and for some it will be through the single life, for those who do not marry, often devote themselves to helping families, and to helping society in a special way.

But finally, there comes the third answer our Lord gives to the young man. ÒIf you want to have eternal life, if you want to follow me as closely as you can, then sell everything you have, give it all to the poor, and come, follow me.Ó

The Gospel tells us that the young man heard these words, and went away very sad. For he was a wealthy young man, had many possessions and much influence, and the thought of giving them all away, was not something he could easily accept. We donÕt know what became of him Ð maybe He did as our Lord said Ð or maybe he went back home, perhaps to his wife, to his children or to his mother and father, and spent the rest of his life doing what our Lord had told him to do Ð to keep the commandments, and to love as much as possible, those whom God had entrusted to his care. And that was fine, as it would be for any of you Ð it would be a fulfillment of the primary, the most important vocation that we have as Christians Ð to love God, and to love one another.

But if he had wanted to go further into the ways of perfection, and if you want to go further into the ways of perfection Ð of fashioning your life in such a way as to make it totally a part of GodÕs life, to unite it as closely as possible to the way of life our Lord Himself followed, then there is another kind of vocation that you should consider Ð the vocation that involves giving everything you have away, and then, day by day, and for your whole life, following the Lord in His ministry.

The priesthood and the religious life are the ways to do this. Young women who decide to give their lives to God can become sisters. Sisters belong to religious families, called Orders -Ðthey give their hearts, minds and bodies to Jesus Christ, and then try to help His Church in whatever work they are called to do. Teaching, counseling, advocating, caring for the sick, for the mentally disturbed, for the old - as doctors, lawyers, nurses, and in almost any profession that serves people Ð some women are called in a special way, by these words of Christ, to choose a special way of life - to choose the life of being a Religious, a sister -a bride not of any man, but of the perfect man, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very special calling from God, but God does issue this summons, and there are many fine women who step up, and who answer this special call.

For men, this call can take the form of being a deacon, or even a brother, in a monastery or in a teaching or a missionary order.

But most special, and perhaps in a way that captures as closely as possible the third answer of our Lord, young men can become priests. Priests are under attack right now, as you all know Ð but these attacks are because a few priests have been very bad, have forgotten the holiness of their vocation, the holiness of sharing the life of Jesus Christ, and their badness is causing problems for all the rest. But I can tell you, with no doubt in my heart, that the priesthood was created by Jesus Christ, and it will last until the end of time. If any of you are like the young man ion the Gospel Ð if you feel, now, or in a few years, or later on Ð if you feel that God has called you to something special, to something beyond the usual way of life, and if you feel that you can give up everything you have, everything that most men want Ð family, children, money, power Ð and if you feel that you can devote your life to doing what our Lord did Ð to serving anyone who comes near and who needs help, your and His Ð then perhaps Ð perhaps - the priesthood is for you.

Dear young friends, I know that high school is too soon for you to be reaching for the stars, as if there was no time left, and you had to make a decision about your entire future today or tomorrow. But it is the time, because you are Christian, because you are Catholic, and because you are on the threshold of your futures Ð it is the time to open your minds to the possibility that God might be calling you to the priesthood or the religious life. All I ask, all the Lord asks, is that you stay open to the possibility.

If it is supposed to happen, if it is written in those stars, then God will take care of the rest. For when we open our hearts and minds to God, and to His goodness, then His goodness fills us, He turns our will to His own will, and He brings about the greatest amount of good possible for any of us to do Ð as husbands, wives, dedicated singles, or as priests, brothers or sisters.

Finally this morning, I ask you to remember to pray every day for vocations, for the Church needs very much serious men and women, who are ready to give their lives to the Church's work. You have such a wonderful example here before you every day, in the dedication and devoted labor shown by the Marist Fathers (and Brothers). I ask you to pray for vocations Ð for the Marists, for this Archdiocese, for the whole Church. I ask you to pray, because God will hear your prayers, and answer them.

And whatever the future unfolds, whatever stars we win for our crown, let us all remember, that when we give our lives to God, however He might call us, then our reward will surely be, the answer the young man in the Gospel was seeking, and the final destiny we all seek Ð eternal life, in Heaven, with God, and with all the people we love, the people we want to be with, forever.

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