This morning as we gathered for Mass, Fr. Chris Martin shared with us times in his life where he did not feel like he belonged. Many of his stories took place outside of the country. Being 6’4 he often stands out, but one story in particular was when he traveled to Calcutta, India to teach with the Missionaries of Charity. Fr. Martin likened the Sisters to the Marine Corp. of the Catholic Church. Every morning, the Sisters would go to the trash dump down the street and pick up the children that had been thrown away and would bring them back to their house to care for them. He was amazed by their amount of charity and love and he did not feel as if he belonged.
Sometimes in our lives we may find ourselves trying to do things according to our will, and not God’s. Our prayer might sound like “Jesus, why don’t you follow me? Jesus, not your will but my will be done.” We say those things because we want to be holy, but also popular, wealthy, and everything else at the same time.
Fr. Martin also shared with us the message from St. Francis of Assisi – only in Jesus Christ will you find happiness and fulfillment. We look at saints like St. Francis and wonder how he had such zeal. Just like the saints, we can obtain that same zeal from something that is right in front us every day – the Eucharist. Around the world, for 2,000 years and for all of time, we have a sacrament that shows us where we belong. In the Eucharist, we find our identity. And when you celebrate the Eucharist, God the Father starts to see and love in you what He sees and loves in His Son.
Fr. Martin left us with this message: “God delights in you. This is where you belong. No matter where I am, no matter where you are, it is through the Eucharist that we unite ourselves to each other and to the love of God.”
Listen along to the audio above to hear everything Fr. Martin shared his homily.
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