“[Jesus] gave [the apostles] something better than an empty promise. He breathed His life into them. He gave them His presence, His power, His Holy Spirit… He who is in us is bigger than any problem we are going to face.”

Today, on the Feast of St. Bonaventure, 97 volunteers gathered at Mass to pray for everyone journeying to Steubenville Mid-America, Fearless: Week 2! Bishop Rice, of the Diocese of Springfield – Cape Girardeau, celebrated the liturgy.

In the First Reading, the prophet Isaiah calls Hezekiah, a dying man, to “put your house in order.” Bishop Rice reminded the volunteers that these same words can be spoken to us. One day, we too shall die. However, as people of faith, we know that our story doesn’t end there. Even though fear might be present in our final moment, we know that dying becomes our, “last and greatest act of faith,” as we trust in the life of the world to come.

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“Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of poverty, so that you might be our greatest treasure. We thank you for the gift of chastity, so that you might be our greatest love. We thank you for the gift of obedience, so that doing your will would be our greatest joy.”

Before Mass ended, we had the opportunity to pause and reflect on God’s call in our lives. Fr. Joe Freedy reminded us that we all share a universal vocation: holiness. That vocation is about becoming perfect in love. Additionally, each individual has a particular vocation, which is how God specifically asks that person to live perfect love. A person might be called to the priesthood, religious life, consecrated singlehood, or marriage.

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