A Jesuit and a Benedictine: Daily Mass Homily--Monday, February 10th, 2014 (Feast of St. Scholastica)

           You’ll permit me to start this homily with a Jesuit.  And if not, please forgive me for doing so.

            I’m referring to Pope Francis.  I can think of no better example of a person who lives out the Benedictine maxim, ora et labora—prayer and work.  I like to think this Jesuit is deeply inspired by the maxim of the first Benedictine.  He models the necessity of having both prayer and charitable works in response to the Good News of Jesus Christ.  And I love how he is giving us permission to focus on the basics of our faith and referring all we do to our Lord.  In his encyclical The Joy of the Gospel (which I encourage you all to read), Pope Francis reminds us that our love of Jesus must overflow with joy to everyone we meet.  And that means talking about our Lord with others.

What most inspires me about St. Scholastica, our patroness and mother, is that she frequently talked about Jesus.  In fact, the famous storm which prevented her brother Benedict from leaving came because she wanted to converse about God’s goodness.  (Perhaps we should ask her to pray for warmer weather!)  She delighted in sharing the graces God had given her.

I am happy we are focusing efforts on strengthening our Catholic identity on campus.  Yet deeper than any courses, endeavors or plans, the most critical piece to transforming this college is that we share how God has touched our individual lives.  And indeed He has.  Many of our sisters have been moved by God to enter religious life, and many have worked and prayed for decades.  The fact that any of us are here at Mass indicates grace working in our lives.

Given the recent encouragement by our Holy Father, I would ask: do you share these graces with others?  In the midst of your studies, does Jesus’ name pop up in conversation?  In administrative duties, is time allowed to focus on God’s grace?  In your religious calling (which is centered on God), how often do you speak how God has transformed your life? 

The greatest gift we can give this campus is to speak about Jesus with joy.  This is what Pope Francis does in his life.  This is what St. Scholastica did in hers.  As we seek to bring many more to Christ we ask—St. Scholastica, pray for us.