ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Praised be Jesus Christ!
Now and forever!

Dear brother Priests and Deacons,
Dear Seminarians from Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary,
Dear members of the Serra Club,
Most especially, dear altar servers from the parishes of
Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia North Vicariates,
Dear Friends in our Lord, Jesus Christ,

Welcome! Welcome to the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where we gather, in the name of Jesus, to give thanks and praise to Almighty God for his countless blessings. Yes, we gather, in the name of Jesus Christ, to celebrate the gift of our holy Catholic faith, and, in a special way, to express appreciation to the altar servers, who have gathered in this magnificent basilica, for this special time of grace and blessing. As Archbishop, it gives me great joy, to gather with you, dear young people, but more importantly that we gather in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today, is an opportunity for me to reflect, with you, on the vital role you partake in as an altar server in your parish. You have chosen to offer your service, in a way like no other, for you have chosen to assist the priest as he offers up the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the greatest prayer of all. You, through your willingness to serve at holy Mass, help lead your fellow parishioners in giving praise to God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You see, your role of serving is of great importance and can never be taken lightly or for granted. For when you serve at Mass, you are in such close proximity to the central mystery of our holy Catholic faith. Namely, that the ordinary bread and wine offered, do in fact, become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What a great privilege you have been given and I remind you that serving at Holy Mass, is something that will always require your total attention and careful preparation so that fitting praise and worship is given to our Father in Heaven.

Dear altar servers, along with the priests of your parish, I offer deep gratitude for the dedication you offer to serve at Sunday and daily Mass at your parish. Personally, I am grateful, that as I have the blessing to visit your parishes for the Sacrament of Confirmation and other special liturgies, I witness how well you serve. I know that this requires great preparation and time for special practices.

Today, in thanking you for your commitment, I wish also to offer you encouragement to stay always close to Jesus Christ, for I realize we live in challenging times, where there are temptations, distractions, noises and distortions that could harm us. I realize this is especially true for you, dear young people. Placed before you, each day, is the opportunity to increase in holiness, growing closer to Jesus. Sadly, there are temptations placed before you that could jeopardize your relationship with Him. And so, I exhort you to be diligent regarding what your Baptism, and for some of you, your Confirmation, requires of you. Namely, to follow the Law of the Lord, to know and be faithful to his commandments and to rejoice in the blessings promised to those who are faithful.

Our First Reading, from the Old Testament Book of Sirach, speaks of the promise that such diligence will bring: “If you choose, you can keep the commandments, they will save you...” Yes, if “you choose”, dear young people, choosing the way of Jesus will give you freedom, peace and most of all the promise of his presence with you always.

Our Psalm reminds us, so beautifully, “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!” There is great blessing in knowing, following and living the law of the Lord. But this will be a challenge! It will be difficult, because there are many distractions, peer pressure and strange voices that will tempt you not to listen and live the Lord’s commandment of love. Therefore, remain focused on what Jesus wants of you! In difficult times, choose Jesus, choose his way, choose to follow him and you will be called blessed.

In our Second Reading, Saint Paul gives us further encouragement when he writes to the people living in Corinth, he says: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.” This is the promise and assurance that we are given, if we choose to follow the way of the Lord, to follow Jesus and to love and serve him. To love Jesus means to follow his commandments, the greatest of which is love. Again, imagine the great promise that Saint Paul utters, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and it has not even dawned on the imagination of man, the splendid reward God has prepared for you if you choose to live and follow his commandment of love.

It is not easy always to follow Jesus. At times, His commandment of love requires great effort or great restraint on your part. However, when you follow his commandments, you are assured of his presence and blessings always. Your lives are filled with choices, and you are being challenged today, by Jesus, to choose love. Remember the promise in the prayer, at the beginning of this holy Mass, make it your own each day, as you face the challenge of choosing between what is good and evil: “God our Father, you have promised to remain forever with those who do what is just and right.”

Just a short time ago, in a school not far from where we are this afternoon there was a young boy named Cory—about your age. Cory was verbally bullied and brutally beaten by a group of his peers because they felt he was inferior in size. The news of these criminal acts was reported in news stations and papers throughout the country. There was outrage that such a brutal attack could take place among people so young, but what was more alarming was there were some young people who chose to stand by and do nothing to help Cory in his time of need . It could be said, that the neglect to stand up for someone in need of help, someone powerless, is the far greater offense.

Jesus’ commandment of love calls you to live lives that witness to and speak the truth! Therefore, to speak for, defend and love everyone. Because of Jesus’ commandments we can never stand by and watch as someone is taken advantage of or bullied. Dear young people, I know you want to make a difference, I know you want to show the world that Jesus loves you and that you love Jesus. Hence, you must make it a daily habit to live God’s commandments faithfully and never just stand by and watch!

When you serve at Mass, you are showing others that you want to follow the Lord, and by your example, you are helping others to follow the Lord. In the sanctuary serving, in the classroom studying, on the court or field be consistent in your commitment to Jesus Christ. Never be one person for Christ and another person just to fit in because of peer pressure! Listen to Jesus, what He says in the Gospel today. “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’.” In other words, be sincere and faithful to the law of the Lord.

Dear young people, thank you for your service, thank you for coming here today. May you be renewed in the love of Jesus Christ, renewed in following the commandments of the Lord so that you will always know his presence and blessing in your life.

Finally, dear young people, always stay close to Jesus’ Mother, Mary. For she will intercede for you and help you to choose to live in Christ, to act uprightly and follow His commandments. She will give you the courage to combat evil and temptation, to stand for the rights of others who have no voice. Pray to her daily and ask her to help you to make good decisions and to live her Son’s commandment of love now and always. Amen.