in a private chapel at the summit of the sanctuary. In his back the wall is covered with the lilies flowers, symbol of the French kingdom when on a navy blue and symbol of the royalty of our Lord Jesus. 

Our first Eucharist together…and I’d like to tonight this evening to pull some thoughts together…to give us some perspective and hopefully that perspective will lead us each day to a realization of what we’re asking God for...and what we’re searching for. 
I’d have to question why, what’s it all about. Another way of looking a perspective is time…a hundred years ago…none of us were here. A hundred years from now none of us will be here. 

In all eternity, God has given us this little gift of time. My grandmother lived to 101. She was ninety and we sang Happy Birthday and she said life is short. In all eternity God has given us this little gift of time. Millions and millions of years…this little gift of time. Even if we live to 101 we have this very precious gift and everyday the gift grows smaller…why…what are we supposed to do with this gift how do we use it…how do we not waste it. We need perspective to think about a the age we live and that is why you as young people are so important.

And in some ways I would say you have an even clearer perspective then I did when I was your age and my generation. I don’t know why…maybe because the situation is clearer the crisis is clearer the choices are clearer. 

Alex Von Hilderbrand, a philosopher in the sixties wrote a analysis about culture and he said that something remarkable has happened that has happened never before in recordable history…Christian history. He analyzes our culture and he says that right now what is different is there was a time when people were anti-Christian or anti-God but there was a culture that was basically Judeo-Christian.

And he said that is no longer the case and therefore we are building a civilization on sand…we are building a civilization of the foundation of the understanding of who we are as men and women of dignity and our purpose. Just think about it if we are building a civilization without God which means there’s no God…we have no purpose we have no dignity we have no future. There is no right…there is no wrong. There is no truth.

I have a feeling, working in my priesthood with lots of young people that one of the reasons that young people live in a culture that is so fast and so noisy and so quick is because somehow it’s frightening to look at the world and to look at ourselves. It’s scary to ask those questions…why? 

Either we learn and live our values from the culture or we make a decision to follow Christ. And he speaks about two types of Christians. The majority of Christian Catholics are cultural Catholics…even if they go to church…because their values their morality their decisions are based not so much on Christ but on what ‘s current, what’s popular what everyone is doing what everyone is voting on…in other words they are not looking for truth….they’re being blown by the wind. 

There are a small but vibrant group of Catholics who’ve based their life on the gospel of Christ…the teachings of the Church and they although they’re small are making a difference. He calls them counter cultural Catholics counter cultural Christians. Across denominations

You’re called to be crazy! To forgive to love to pray to have hope to be joyful to be pure. Everybody else says it’s crazy it doesn’t work you’re not going to be popular….nobody cares. In other words you’re called to be saints. You can’t be a Christian today without becoming a saint.

You think you’re Christians today. You can’t slow the tide anymore. You can’t be ordinary anymore. You’ve got to make a decision, all of us ….priests, religious. Because they’re counter culture Christians inside and outside the Church. We need to make choices. It’s scary except the fact that Christ is faithful and Christ is with us and Christ is the source of our strength and that is why we’re at the Eucharist today because Christ is the source of our strength and our faith.

So as we celebrate this Eucharist and put ourselves in perspective with the realities around us….we’re reminded that Christ is pulling us to heroism and courage.