Graduation Mass - Homeschoolers - Feast of Aloysius Gonzaga

To be young again…

I remember being in fourth grade and all of us asked our teacher, “Ms. Gauthier, would you like to change places with us?!”

She smiled and shook her head, “No.” We argued with her, “Sure, you can drive, and don’t have to go to school anymore, but we have all this life to live still, you’re like 25 so basically one foot in the grave, wouldn’t you like to stay death off a little longer?!” She smiled again and responded, “I like where I am.”

Its ok to like where you are while also looking forward to the future!

Listen to what our Beautiful Lord says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body…Your heavenly Father knows you need them… Do not worry about tomorrow… but you go and seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Mt. 6

The first life lesson for you is 1) You are enough for God to love you immensely!

You shouldn’t be living the good ol’ days nor should your head be always preparing for tomorrow. There is something to being where God has you and meeting him there!. What if all you kindergarteners, Ms. Fair and Thatcher were all envious of the 5th grade graduates, Ms. Alvarez, Arredondo, De Locht, Ladines, and Mr. Diego and Mr. Peter? And what if you 5th graders were all anxious about getting through middle school like Mr. Guillen and Mrs. Chloe?! God has something right here for you. What if you high schoolers are so anxious about what jobs you are going to do and who you’re going to marry that you are just so unpleasant to be around because your mind is always on the future? Isn’t that what Satan wants to try and do? Distract us into a rebellion against hope! This is the virtue that God is a Father that keeps His promises, that promise that He loves you more than many birds!!!! What is that like 2 or 3 birds?!?!

2nd life lesson - Youthfulness. “Why is youth wasted on the young?!?!”

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 1:7 “But the Lord answered me, Do not say, “I am too young.” To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak.”

Matthew 7:7 ““Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God!

…I “give you a future of hope” When you look for me, you will find me! Yes!, When you seek me with all your heart I will let you find me and I will change your lot, I will gather you together…!!!! Jer 29:13-14

Jeremiah’s life wasn’t fun, he was thrown into a pit…but He loved God. He has those famous words, “You duped me, Lord, and I let myself be duped!” Sometimes we can feel like that, like God is playing a trick on us. If He is, its because He wants us to grow! Imagine getting on the straight and narrow now?!

I’m going to talk about the saint of the day in a few, but for now, he joined the Jesuits because he said, “I’m like twisted metal, and God is going to twist me straight!”

3rd Life Lesson - God has a plan for your life and for your youthfulness!

Timothy - “stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands, for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather one of power and love and self-control”

Cowardice - The trait of lacking the quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear.

Power - 19 Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all. Lk 6:19. Has something to do with creation, with being like God, but being a transmission of God’s creative causes

Love/Agape - self-sacrificial love, its not about you!

Self-control - I’m not in control of myself. I want to control the world and others, but no, let me get mastery over myself, that my yes is yes and my no is no, that I tell no lies because I have control over my tongue. I don’t desire to sin because I don’t want to sin, I want God and to live a holy life! - St. Aloysius always was careful with his eyes and quick to divert his gaze because he wanted to always think about heavenly things.

He saved us and called us to a holy life!

St. Aloysius

HIs mom was a friend of the Queen of Spain/Empress. His father was a warrior, a general, a knight of sorts. He wanted this for his first born son. But he had great graces, his confessor, St. Robert Bellarmine said that “he never committed a mortal sin!” In 1585, at 17 he entered the Jesuits. He had 7 years before he died. He had a dream, where God told him he would be taken up into heaven. St. Aloysius asked St. Robert, “Is it possible for a soul to skip purgatory and go straight to heaven?!” St. Robert replied, “It is!” That was the goal! So, the plague broke out and St. Aloysius demanded to go serve the people inflicted with the disease. He knew his time was short. The superior granted him permission. In doing little menial tasks, note that his parents were friends with the Emperor and Empress, he would wash the afflicted, make their beds, and he did this because he was raised with servants! Even he needed to grow in humility! He caught the plague and he thought he was going to die. But he got better. So much so that his superiors said, we will send him to Frascati. He said, “No, I won’t be going there, I’ll be going to heaven.” He died soon after that with a fever that resulted from the plague at peace once St. Robert had given him Viaticum.

You are going to have sufferings my young friends. You are going to have trials. You don’t know how to prepare for everything, but God knows and even now is preparing your heart to be brave in the face of doubt and in the face of Satan. But no worries, even your guardian angels are each stronger than the evil one.

So don’t be afraid to put your phones down, to be a real human being, to be real, to be natural! Again heed the words of Christ! “Look at the way the wild flowers grow! They don’t work or spin, But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them! If God so clothes the grass of the field which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?! So do not worry!”

Be not afraid, God has a gift to give to the world through you!

Congratulations, and Godspeed!