Baccalaureate Mass Homily

I trust you see the obvious connection between you and this evening's gospel. As Jesus commissioned the 72 and sent them to every town and place, your parents and grandparents along with the faculty and staff at Salesianum with these commencement exercises commission you and send you out to numerous colleges in various states as well as to different work places within our own vicinity.

It's time. You are ready. Like the 72, you have the opportunity to be workers in the vineyard. With your own unique, individual gifts, talents, and personalities you are sent to prepare a place for the lord.

You are sent to do three things:

• To greet others with peace
• To proclaim the kingdom of God, and
• To forgive sins

The gift of peace: it was the last thing Jesus gave to his disciples as he was preparing to leave them. You have this same gift to give to all especially those whose spirits may be restless, or who feel disenfranchised or disconnected. This gift of peace is a recognition that what separates or divides or makes us different does not really matter much for we are made in the same image of God and loved infinitely and tenderly. From this commonality we offer peace. We offer that those who come into our lives that their hearts may not be troubled, that they may feel love and acceptance. You must never underestimate that you are sent to offer this peace, to be peacemakers. Isn't there someone with whom you may feel some anxiety, some separation, some discomfort for whom peace can remedy this situation? Peace can heal harsh wounds, unkind words, and painful hurts. The world is crying in pain. You must be men of peace! Tonight you are sent to sow peace!

You are sent to proclaim the kingdom of God. Proclaim boldly by the way you live and love that this world is fleeting that what we have comes from God's hands, must be cherished and used for the betterment of others. Speak out against injustice and evil. Who are you not to voice a concern about what is wrong and how we must not settle for complacency? Discover your prophetic voice. Break open the word of God. You have a phenomenol opportunity to do this at the college campus. No one expects you to stand in the quad or at a dining hall and do this. It is more powerful that you point others to God by the quality of life you lead, by doing what is right, by allowing the grace of God to work within you. In this way you issue forth the kingdom of God. Tonight you are sent to build the kingdom of God!

You must forgive people's sins. The sacrament of reconciliation is so woefully neglected as a graced moment of healing. I believe that the more we frequent this sacrament the more we can truly and freely give peace and perfect that kingdom of God. But, i also believe that we all need to forgive each other constantly and forever. In short, it is what our God has done for the world and for us. It is what we must do for one another. Humility in salesian thought brings us to this awareness that God infinitely loves and forgives us, before we sin, after we sin, and even while we are sinning. We simply cannot limit the limitless love and forgiveness of God. The more we come to this awareness, the more natural it is that we approach each other with gentleness. It's a logical outflow a grateful heart becomes a generous, forgiving heart. Thus, the wise gentleman saint exhorted us to be humble before God, and gentle toward neighbor. Gentle, compassionate, forgiving. Tonight you are sent to forgive sins!

The 72 were instructed to take no purse, no travelling bag, and no sandals. How your parents would love to send you to college in such a simplistic way!

Many of you will soon head off with laptops, iPods, refrigerators, microwaves, tvs, dvd players, XBox/Playstation 2, cd players, stereos, hot pots, and maybe some notebooks.

But your parents would not much mind sending you with some or all of these things, if you accept the challenge to sow peace, to lead a life that proclaims the kingdom of God, and to forgive compassionately.

However, do not forget how you are being sent for this is key.

Like the 72 in this evening's gospel, you are sent as lambs in the midst of wolves. Or, to localize this to words with which we are more familiar, you are being sent into a world that is too often at war, both at home and abroad, that is harsh and cold, that cares too much on getting ahead and making it with little regard how or whom we leave behind. Into this world we send you tonight as gentle men, as Salesian gentle men.

You have the tools. Through the generosity of your parents, and even more so their example, you have been schooled in being a gentle man these last four years. Paul's letter to the Ephesians gives us practical ways to be gentle men:

• Never let evil talk pass your lips
• Say only those things that will really help and build up others
• Replace bitterness, anger and harsh words with kindness, gentleness, compassion and forgiveness
• Be who you are and be this well

You know the rest of the lines and sayings of de sales.

These last four years can be likened to one long

• Spring training or
• Football or soccer camp
• Or a very long dress rehearsal

Now it is time. It's show time. It's game time.

It's time to be gentle men, gentle alums.

• Gently sow peace.
• Gently proclaim the kingdom of God.
• Gently forgive sins.

Drive gently.