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Oklahoma Catholic
Student Conference Praised be the Lord Jesus, Who in His great love and mercy, calls us to be His people! My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: (especially you, the college students of Generation Y) How wonderful it is today to come together to give thanks and praise to the Lord. What a marvelous opportunity for us to be able to seek to find to choose. What is it that we are seeking? Each of us, from our own personal experience, knows what we are basically looking for. We know that we seek we want we desire we long for peace for happiness for fulfillment. Moreover, through study, inquiry and research, we are assured that this is the perennial search of mankind expressed by all generations of people in their histories, their cultures and societies. This longing, this search is perhaps best expressed in the personal confessions of Saint Augustine. He cried out: Oh Lord, our hearts are restless until they find rest in You. Saint Augustine found the Lord. He found the One Who is the Way the Truth and the Life. He not only searched, He found and He chose. He shouted Amen and I believe. Todays Gospel gives us another account of someone who also searched but unfortunately didnt find. Jesus tells us about the rich man who dined sumptuously every night. The rich mans luxurious life-style and self-centeredness is contrasted by Lazarus, the poor man suffering at his gate. Lazarus the poor, suffering beggar dies and is carried off to paradise (the bosom of Abraham), Father of the Nation. The rich man also dies and he descends into hell. There he suffers and is tormented. Then he raises his eyes and sees a long way off Abraham and alongside him is Lazarus. The rich man cries out quite differently than Saint Augustine. His cry is one of suffering of torment of despair. Father Abraham have pity on me help me send Lazarus to dip the tip of his fingers and to cool my tongue. Abraham reminds the rich man that he had been given ample opportunity during his lifetime to seek to find and to choose. He looked in the wrong places. He made selfish choices. His condition now was final and permanent because that was his choice when on earth. The tormented, suffering man then fears for his five brothers so he begs: Send Lazarus to warn them. Abraham says they have Moses and the Prophets. But he says: If someone from the dead goes to warn them, they will repent. But Abraham prophetically responds: If they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead. How right Abraham was! Some 2,000 years ago, Someone did rise from the dead. It was Jesus! He lived, He suffered, He died for us. Then He rose from the dead. Now, 2,000 years after He rose from the dead, how many people, including us, sometimes fail to listen to Jesus, to Him Who rose from the dead and offers us life everlasting. Jesus says: Whoever believes in Me, even if he should die, will have life everlasting. If we believe in Jesus and obey His commandments and repent of our sins, we shall truly rejoice and live with Him forever in perfect fulfillment. This is the promise of Jesus. It is His invitation to us, offering us a new and better life. But the promise is fulfilled, brought to completion, for each of us only if we put our trust in Him. This decision to live in hope may very well be the single most distinctive characteristic of a person of faith as opposed to the devotees of secular philosophy and profligate lifestyle. From the secular perspective and pop culture, everything must make sense here and now. Human success and happiness must be found in this life. Hence, desire to seek immediate joy and fulfillment. We want it now more and more. Bigger houses, more money, prideful recognition, along with drugs, alcohol, promiscuous sex, instant gratification are the signs and symbols of a secular, materialistic society. From the faith perspective, it is promise that dominates and true fulfillment is reserved for the end of life on this earth. The only real concern during life should be whether we are choosing the right path, the path that leads to true and everlasting fulfillment. This is not an easy path. It puts aside personal gratification for the good of others. It is the Jesus-path of loving care and service. On this path, life itself is recognized as the fundamental good of the human person. Therefore, every life is sacred and must be accepted, loved and protected. Abortion is always evil. Violence against another is always sinful. Justice and truth, love and mercy are the qualities, the virtues to be lived and practiced even when they are difficult. Even when they are not appreciated. Remember, Jesus did not promise us a rose garden. He called us to take up the Cross and follow Him. Yes, my dear young people, we do live in terrifying times. Violence and abuse, cheating, stealing and disrespect surround us. But there is hope because God is good. He loves you completely. He calls you to repent, to change and to follow Him more closely. Thus you are to seek to find and to choose. Then, like Saint Augustine, your hearts will no longer be restless for you shall find rest in Jesus, the Lord. Most Reverend Eusebius J.
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