Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz - 01/19/25 On Purpose: Be Great

Episode Date: January 18, 2025

Homily from the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Why be great? A powerful goal in life is to be great. To be able to say, "I am good at this" regardless of comparison, but with an eye towards real excellence. At the same time, even when we have a goal and have a plan, we all need to be motivated by WHY. Mass Readings from January 19, 2025: Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 96:1-3, 7-101 Corinthians 12:4-11 John 2:1-11

Welcome to Sunday homilies with me, Father Mike Schmitz. I hope today's homily inspires and motivates you, and I also hope that it leaves you hungry for the one who gave everything to feed you. If you want to get this in other Sunday Mass resources sent straight to your inbox, sign up at ascensionpress.com slash Sunday, or by texting Sunday to 33777. You can also follow or subscribe on your podcast app for weekly notifications. God bless. The Lord be with you.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John. Chapter 2, verses 1 through 11. There was a wedding at Cana and Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, They have no wine. And Jesus said to her, Woman, how does your concern affect me?

My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servers, do whatever he tells you. Now there are six stone water jars. there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding 20 to 30 gallons. Jesus told them, filled the jars with water. So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, draw some out now and take it to the head waiter. So they took it. And when the head waiter tasted the water that had become wine without knowing where it came from, although the servers who had drawn the water knew, the head waiter called the bridegroom and said to him, everyone serves good wine first.

And then when people have drunk freely an inferior one, but you have kept the good wine until now. Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana and Galilee, and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. The Gospel of the Lord. Right. Wait you to have a seat. So this is the first Sunday of our students on campus, and I love this.

I love like the beginning of the year. I love the start of everything. I love the start of just beginning. Start of the new year, start of a new season. I love the start of a new semester. new projects. In fact, over, over Christmas break, I got to spend some time with my family over Christmas itself. And we were, my siblings and I and my dad were talking about the things we used to do that were fun. We used to do like challenges with each other. We used to do races with

each other. You used to do like marathons and triathlons and all those kind of things. In fact, we were talking about my sister and my dad and I did once did a 300 plus mile cross-cuner ski race up in Alaska. And I was doing the math and I was like, oh my gosh, dad, I am now your age that you were then. Like when he did that race, I'm not that agent. It's just crazy to think. And so we started talking about all the new stuff we wanted to start, right? The new projects, the new, the new challenges, the new things we just wanted to do.

Because I think there's something in us in the beginning, right? You want to do something big. And our students are back here. They're back on campus. And now it's time to start. And one of the questions I want to ask our students is, is this kind of like maybe this basic, maybe it's an annoying question, but it's the question like, what do you hear for? Like you came back, they all came back for the semester.

What do you here for? Like, what do you in Duluth to do? And you can ask the same question about yourself. What are you where you're at? What are you there to do? And for our students, I can say, well, I'm here to get a degree. Or maybe they got to have a sports scholarship. I'm here to play sports.

Maybe it's because these are the hoops I have to jump through in order to get where I want to go. It could be that I'm here to get trained. It could be that I'm here to graduate. and here, because I need to be here to get the job. And even if that's the case, I'm just here so I can get there, I don't think that's totally bad. I mean, the reality, of course, is there are always steps when you're moving.

So if you're going through steps to get somewhere else, I'm only here so I can get there, again, could be better, but definitely could be worse, because you're taking steps. And I love that. I love the notion of, like, again, these two things, like having a goal, right? this is what I want and having a plan. This is how I'm going to do it. Because every one of us is called to live like that. When it comes to starting, it's so good because it reminds us that we're called to live on purpose.

In fact, it reminds us that we're made for a purpose. We're actually who would say this, we're made on purpose. So at the start of the semester, we're starting a new series. And that series is very simple. It's just simply called on purpose. because the best way to live. In fact, the only two ways we could live or we could either live on purpose

or we could live off purpose. And so as we start this semester, as we restart this new year, I have the question. If you're going to live on purpose, what is the goal? Like, what's the goal for this new season? What's the goal for this new semester?

What's the goal for this new year? What is the goal for your life? And I would humbly submit, this should be your goal. This is what I think should be your goal. I think your goal to live on purpose, your goal should be

to be great. This is what I want for you. What I want for you is I want you to be able to say, I want to be great. And of course, we often shy away from that, shy away from that, right? We shy away from any,

I mean, because it's scary to either try after that or even to even say that out loud. I want to be great, it's scary, it's risky. Also, I think sometimes we think, well, it's kind of a little bit cocky, isn't it? It's kind of arrogant. I want to be great. Doesn't seem very Christian, doesn't seem very humble. And I think if we say that, it's because we misunderstand what I mean by being great.

Because I think sometimes we think that being great is something else. I'll clarify, being great is not being better than someone else. I was going to say it right now. In my definition of great, being great is not being better than someone else. Being great is not being known. Being great is not being famous. being great is not being important. I like when people come to me.

I like when they think about me. No, being great is not being powerful. Being great is not being wealthy. Because every one of those, every one of those metrics, those are ultimately comparative. Because it's not just about having power or being known. It's about being more known, right? It's about being more famous.

It's about being more important. It's about being more wealthy. About being more powerful. I would say this. I would say to actually be great, great. The most simple expression is to be able to say in truth, just simply, I'm good at what I do. Like that, that's what I think sums up so clearly, also very, very simply, what it is to be great. Whatever it is, to be able to say, I'm good at what I do. Because that's excellence. And so you realize this,

that this can be done or at least at least this could be pursued no matter your job, no matter your state in life, no matter where you are. I have a cousin who works on one of the western suburbs down in the Twin Cities. And he works for the city down there. And so that means that part of his job is he takes care of the parks and he takes care of the roads and he takes care of the sewers. And he spends a lot of time in the sewers. And he said this before.

He said that, you know, people will sometimes look down on his job. So sometimes people will say, are you kidding? like he spent all this time in the sewers and they just kind of can sometimes be tempted to think to think less of him or less of his job because of what he does and he says yeah but you know he even always makes a joke he says yeah people look down on my job they think my job isn't important until the moment their toilet stop working he said the moment their toilet stopped working I have the most important job in the entire world which is completely true I mean many times literally my cousin is the one person who stands between uh civilization and indoor plumbing and can

chaos and chamber pots. Like, he's the one, and he works in the sewers, and he does it really well. He is good at his job, which means what? It means that when it comes to his job, he is great. Of course, he's not just his job, and you're not just your job. He's also a husband. He's a father. He's a son. He's a brother. He's a cousin. He's a friend. He's a Catholic. And every one of us were called to be great in all those areas. I think it was at least is quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln, who said, whatever you are, be a good one. So you're a plumber.

Whatever you are, be a good one. Your mom, whatever you are, be a good one. You're a student. Whatever you are, be a good one. You know, the first reading today is from Isaiah. And Isaiah, what is he? He's a prophet. What are prophets to do?

That what he is is a prophet. And what he does is a prophet is someone who speaks God's words that people need to hear. And as long as Isaiah does that, he's great. I'll tell you this, Isaiah is good at his job. The second writing today is from First Corinthians. And then at St. Paul is writing about all these gifts, all these opportunities, all these roles.

He says, yeah, some people have been given expression of wisdom, some people have expression of understanding. Some people are given mighty deeds or miracles of faith or discernment of spirits or speaking in tongues, all of those things. and St. Paul highlights the fact that if you're given any of these gifts or roles or opportunities, then you need to start using them. You've been given this role. You need to get going. And here's the reality. The truth of the matter is, here we are.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, every person, every one of us has been given some gift or some role or some opportunity, which that means we've been made on purpose and we've been made for a purpose and that means we need to start. We need to get going. And not only do we need to get going, we need to keep going. Yes, today is January 19th. I don't know if you know about this, but nine days ago, it was the second Friday in January. If you know anything about the second Friday in January, that second Friday in January, nine days ago, is affectionately known as Quitters Day. because on 1st of January, right? On January 1, people all have plans.

They all have dreams. They all have goals. Here's what I'm going to do. Here's how I'm going to get there. And they have these New Year's resolutions. And it turns out that by the second Friday in January, most people actually quit. It's called Quidders Day. In fact, Strava, you know, they measure people's fitness.

They say 80%, 80% of people who have a New Year's resolution stop by the second Friday in January. Baylor University did more studies and they found out that almost 90% of people who have a New Year's resolution on January 1st who have a plan, they have a goal and they start, they get going, they stop going by the end of January. You think about this, these are all people with goals, right? These are all people with plans, right? They know what they want to do. They know how they're going to do it. Like, I want to run a half marathon. That's what I want to do. Here's my training plan. It's how I'm going to do it. And they quit. How come? Well, I think one of the answers is, yeah, you have your what, my goal, you have your how,

here's my plan, but you don't have a why. I don't know, made on purpose. I don't know what that purpose is. I want to do this stuff. I want to do this thing. But I don't know why. So why have opportunities? Why would God give us a role or why would he give us a gift or even the question,

why be great I think it's fascinating Isaiah had a what he's a prophet Isaiah also had a why man his what is to be a prophet to speak God's words people that need to hear God's words

and he needs it's fascinating Isaiah a major prophet he did this he spoke God's word he was a prophet he did that what from somewhere between 40 and 60 years of his life that kings came and went like five he lived under five generations of kings and he faced opposition he faced ridicule, he faced a threat of death, but he kept walking. Ultimately, rabbinic tradition says

that that fifth king, Manasseh, had Isaiah sawed in half. I mean, this is someone who knew his what, and knew how he was going to do it, and he continued to speak, and he continued to walk, and he continued to work in the face of opposition, and he could only do that because he had a why. And his why is this, it's actually in the first reading today. It's the very first phrase in Isaiah 62, where he's basically saying, yeah, I can't be quiet. I can't be silent. Why? He says, for Jerusalem's sake, I will not be quiet. For Zion's sake, I will not be silent. The reason why is for them. So Isaiah had his what, right? He had as what is, I'm supposed to preach God's words to people who need to hear his word. And my why is because I love God and I love people.

This is the only reason God gave me this role is for them. God can give me this role for me. This is the question for all of us. Why does, has God given you the opportunity you have? Or the role you have or the gifts you have. First Corinthians says it really, really clearly. It says to each manifestation of the spirit has been given for some benefit. So I haven't been given the gift of healing or prophecy or whatever the thing is.

Not for myself, but to help the people around me. you've been given your opportunity or your role or your gift not for yourself but to help the people around you why does Jesus in the gospel say why does he change water into wine it's not because he wanted to show off it's because i don't know maybe i wanted to help this couple maybe it's because his mom asked him to and he wanted to help her maybe it's because this was the first of his signs of cana and galilee and so he revealed his glory which means he revealed his father's glory he didn't do this

for himself. He did it because he was asked to do it, especially by his mom. I remember when I was a kid, my mom, I remember she said, just offhandedly, but I remember she just said, you know what, I don't care what you kids do when you grow up. Like I don't care if you make money or don't make money. All I, all that matters to me, she said, all that matters to me is that you help people. Because this is the reality of life. Every one of us is made on purpose and every one of us has been given a role, an opportunity, or a gift. What is that gift for? It's not for ourselves. It's so someone else can be blessed. And that's this great joy. The great joy is to be able to be good at what you do because you've been made on purpose. Mark Twain once said, the two most important

days in our person's life is the day he's born and the day he finds out why. I want you to find out why. You were made to be great. Find out why. So for the next three weeks, that's what we're going to do. We're going to try to find out why. You've been made on purpose. Okay, how do I do that?

How do I find out why? How do I hear God's voice? How do I discern the call of God in my life? And the reality, of course, is the next three weeks, the next three years, the next lifetime, it might be difficult. It might be, you might strive and struggle and fail. But in this,

you find joy because you know that you've been made on purpose and that you're alive right now and right here for a purpose. You're alive right now. You are alive right now in this time. You're alive right here in this place because you've been made on purpose. And even if it's a struggle, and even if you, if it's murky at times and it's lonely at times, you can trust God for that purpose. because he knows. This is the last thing.

There was a man, his name is John Henry Cardinal Newman. He's St. John Henry Newman. And this is the man who, you know, he had a lot of chaos in his life. He was an Anglican priest until he was 40 or so. And then he became a Catholic priest. And even in that conversion to being a Catholic priest and ultimately a cardinal, there was confusion because he wanted to do great things for God. God had given him role in opportunity and gifts.

and sometimes it was really hard to be able to trust God. So he had this prayer that's just a declaration of trust. You have been made on purpose. You've been made to be great. So this is your prayer. This is the prayer that you can pray on a regular basis. And it goes like this. It's a statement of faith.

God has created me to do him some definitive service. He has committed some work to me, which he has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link of the chain, a bond of connection between persons. God has not created me for nothing. I shall do good. I shall do his work.

I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth at my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep his commandments. Therefore, I will trust in him. Whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. if I'm in sickness, my sickness may serve him. And my perplexity, my perplexity may serve him. If I'm in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him. He does nothing in vain.

He knows what he is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. And still, he knows. what he is about.