Archbishop Robert Carlson’s homily at Mass on Sunday called each of us to be the face of Christ as we prepare to return home.

Examples of People Who Were the Face of Christ

As Jesus tells the scribe in the Gospel passage today, if you love God and your neighbor as yourself, you will live. In the parable of the Good Samaritan that immediately follows that encounter, we find a beautiful example of a person so in love with almighty God that it flowed out into care and concern for another. He acted – even though there was nothing in it for him.

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Wisdom is to despise the perishable things of this world and to aspire to what is eternal. – St. Francis de Sales

Bishop Edward Rice, bishop of the Diocese of Springfield – Cape Girardeau, reflected on this quote from St. Francis de Sales at Mass this morning. He challenged the 4,200+ teens to truly be wise by seeking the eternal things and not becoming caught up in the things of this world.

While he acknowledged that things of this earth are good and necessary, Bishop Rice said that our identities can become wrapped up in the latest trends and what other people think. It is then that the things of the earth become an obstacle to the ultimate purpose of our lives: Heaven. The things of this world are to help us reach eternity.

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As well over four thousand teens were making their way to Springfield, MO for this year’s Steubenville conference, over 130 volunteers gathered to pray for them and the success of the weekend.  It is important that everything we do is rooted in prayer.

It can be easy to get lost in the craziness of this weekend when the music gets loud and sidewalks get crowded, but it is then that it becomes critical to remember the source of it all: Jesus Christ.

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Jesus’s Heart Is Moved With Pity For Us

Archbishop Carlson (along with 41 priests) presided at our closing Mass, and it was a powerful celebration of the abundant life that the Lord wants for all of us.

In today’s Gospel, when Jesus “…saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” We certainly are a vast crowd. His heart was moved with pity for us – especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation. And the Lord definitely taught us many things this weekend.

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We were blessed to have Bishop Rice presiding at Mass this morning. His homily focused on the importance of the Mass in all of our lives, as well as the importance of rediscovering that importance if we feel that we have lost it.

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