Daily Mass Homily: Thursday, January 24th, 2013 (Given at UMD Newman Center)

           “Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will.”

            Our responsorial psalm—also a prayer of trust found in the prophets—is a common one among college students.  And it is a good one.

            Yet I remember a time when I was so focused on discernment in my life—where does God want me to go?  Should I be married?  A priest?  I was obsessed with figuring out what God wanted me to do.

            Many of you might face the same challenge.  You want nothing more than to do God’s well and are eager to find out what it is.  Yet here you must remember it is all about Jesus—not you.

            Discernment can at times be an overrated word.  To ensure we follow God’s path for our lives tomorrow we must first love Him today.  Discernment can never overshadow God Himself.

            God wants our happiness more than we do.  We must be like the crowds in our Gospel—“Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him…”  We must consistently come to Jesus.  We must love Him and remember it is He “who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne.”  It is all about God and not about us.

            Love God—love Jesus—and you will live out the saying “Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will.”  And God will lead you where He desires.