Editor’s note: This is the homily Bishop Lucia delivered at the Religious Jubilee Celebration Mass on May 14 at Immaculate Conception Church in Fayetteville. Sixteen members of various religious orders were celebrated for milestone years of service.
Dear Sisters and Brothers, Today is a day of Jubilee … a day of thanksgiving to God – with those who have reached special anniversaries of religious profession, and as the Church, we give thanks for the grace of perseverance in their religious vocation. Together, here in this upper room, the whole people of God render our great prayer of thanksgiving and sacrifice of gratitude – the Eucharist – for the prayerful apostolate and mission you continue to carry out in the Church up to this very moment. As Diocesan Bishop, I wish also to express the gratitude of all of us in the Diocese of Syracuse for your embrace of the evangelical counsels lived out in faith, in hope and in love – contributing both holiness and service in the name of Jesus. May God sustain you in his peace and give you strength for the work remaining!
I confess when Sr. Katie [Eiffe, Diocesan Vicar for Religious] first proposed this date to me for our celebration together, there was a question of what to do with St. Matthias. However, as I have prayed with our scripture readings, I have come to see this as a fortuitous moment that sums up the call of all of us in some shape or form as we serve the Church, the people of God – the call to be ‘a witness to the resurrection.’ Over the years, dear Sisters and Brothers, you have done so by teaching in our schools, working in hospitals and homes caring for the sick and dying; advocating for the poor, and serving in our parishes and diocesan offices – seeking to become what God chose you to be – ‘a living gospel for all people to hear!’
For me, to be a witness to the resurrection signifies the call to bring the light of Christ into the world where you and I find ourselves on the road of life, as we did at the Easter Vigil, or as you did in particular at your religious profession – candle in hand! It reminds me of a story I heard of a professor who, at the close of the semester, turned and made the ritual gesture: “Are there any questions?” He was greeted with silence. The course had generated enough questions for a lifetime, but for now, there was only silence.
“No questions?” The professor swept the room with his eyes. Alas from the back row, “Professor, what is the meaning of life?” The usual laughter followed, and people stirred to go. The professor held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at the gentleman who asked the question for a long period of time, asking with his eyes if indeed the question was serious or in jest.
“I will answer your question.” Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into the leather billfold and brought out a very small mirror, about the size of a quarter. And what he said went something like this: “When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.
“I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece; this one. And by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine – in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.
“I kept the little mirror, and as I went through life, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world, into black places in the hearts of men and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of life.”
And then he took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught the bright rays of daylight streaming through the window and slowly reflected them onto all that were in the room.
Sisters and Brothers, this afternoon we rejoice in the light and love of God that is reflected and made alive in the lives of our Jubilarians. Thank you, Sisters and Brothers, for your “yes” to God’s call years ago and your daily “yes” to the Bridegroom of your soul – and to his Church.
One commentary in speaking of today’s feast wrote: “Have you ever been called on to work behind the scenes in ways that easily go unnoticed or even be taken for granted? When that happens, we could be tempted to think that we aren’t gifted or worthy enough to do anything else. But every work God calls us to do is important … our presence is necessary in building God’s kingdom. Like Matthias, may we also recognize what an honor it is to build God’s kingdom in whatever way he is calling.”
Today, I can’t send you all home with a piece of a mirror, but I do believe I can leave you with a life song to sing. When I call to mind its lyrics, it sums up for me the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I will rejoice heartily in the Lord, my being exults in my God.”
I want to walk as a child of the Light.
I want to follow Jesus.
God set the stars to give light to the world.
The star of my life is Jesus.
In him, there is no darkness at all.
The night and the day are both alike.
The lamb is the Light of the city of God.
Shine in my heart Lord Jesus.
Again, Sisters and Brothers, may He who is your light and your spouse, sustain you in his joy and hope forever. Happy Jubilee!
