what will you say when you see God's face?

Homily

Solemnity of All the Saints

1 November 2020

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas

AMDG +JMJ +m

What will you say when you see God's face?  

I don't think we have ever had a better pivotal question.  I don't think we ever could.  Maybe that's because it's hard to have a better feast than All Saints.  What a great family reunion this is!  Today we celebrate our friendship and communion with all our members who did whatever it took to become like God.  Whether or not they have been raised to the altars, today they are first in our hearts!

Today I'm celebrating Grandma and Grandpa Ochs. They both passed away in this tough year of 2020.  My grandparents were saints.  They kept the faith.  They finished the race.  They did things the right way.  They loved God. Their lives bore great fruit!  They are my saints for 2020.  Who are yours?

When I decided to become a priest, it was for one reason only.  I wanted to be a saint.  I wanted to be just like John Paul II, whom I met in 1999 and who was canonized in the 10th year of my priesthood, in 2014.

The last 21 years have been tough.  They've been good, but becoming a saint is not easy.  It's not for wimps.  I'm not there yet.  Tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure about this.  Back in 1999, I promised I would do whatever it took to be a saint.  I had no idea what I was saying.  It's easy to say you want to be a hero.  It's much harder to walk the road less traveled.  Joining the chorus of the 144,000 greatest of all time is not for the faint of heart.

If I don't know what I would say when I see God face to face, then I'm not yet a saint.  It means I've settled too often.  It means I haven't walked the path of the beatitudes, the recipe for saints.  Instead I have let myself become addicted to wealth, power, pleasure or honor.

If I don't know what I would say to God when I see His face, I've left the battlefield, tried to do it on my own, and wondered off the path.  I bet that all sounds familiar, right?

Worst of all, I've failed to embrace how the world would be different if I were a saint.  I haven't fully considered what a horrific tragedy it would be if I don't become a saint.  This is not to put myself at the center of the universe.  It's only to be a Catholic.  It's only to receive the great opportunity to grow into the likeness of God. It's only to embrace the invitation from Him to grow perfect in love.  It's only to let God believe in you.

Yet it's not over.  There are chapters to be written, in my story and in yours.  Today is a new day.  It's especially new because of the (p)hog of witnesses surrounding us right now, showing us that there is a way for us, cheering us on, and telling us it's all worth it.

We don't have to wait.  We can see God's face today at this very Mass.  The only thing between you and sainthood is your willing it.  Nothing matters more.  I dare say that embracing your opportunity to become a saint is the most dramatic thing happening in the world this week.  Yes, you heard me right.  I know there is an election with tremendous consequences.  Your vote matters.

Yet it doesn't matter nearly as much as your becoming a saint.  The future of the world isn't decided on a ballot.  It runs right through the chapters of your story.  The battle lines for a love that conquers all things are not in politics. They are written on your heart.

I know what I want to say to God. Thank you.  Thank you for the chance. Thank you for the call.  Thank you for believing in me.  Thank you for never giving up on me.  

What will you say to God when you see His face?