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We’ve come together this morning to celebrate the life of Chip Mason and to commend him to the Lord of life and love.

There really is no way to understand Jesus’s words in today’s Gospel on the high cost of being his follower other than to contemplate how completely God has loved us. God the Father did not just give us some gift he would never miss – he gave us his only begotten Son, his beloved Son in whom he is well-pleased.

As Mary demonstrates, hope does not mean that God provides a detailed roadmap, hope does not mean that we won’t have questions, nor does it that we are spared of suffering, for her heart was pierced. Hope means finding God’s will amid our questions and searching, hope means finding peace, consolation, and joy amid misunderstanding and suffering – of which Mary had more than her share.

In this sacred place, so much at the heart of salvation history, let us pray to find ways, in God’s grace, to extend the light and love of Christ to those who suffer so terribly.

Like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, we have come to this tomb as pilgrims of hope. Even if our discipleship is no secret, we are no strangers to fear and hesitancy because of the resistance and persecution that the Name of Christ still generates after more than 2,000 years.

Whether you are newly arrived here at St. Mary’s Seminary or you are returning seminarian, I hope you look upon the beginning of a new year of formation with enthusiasm. But not the enthusiasm that will fade with your mid-term exams but rather a zest for formation that has staying power.

As it happens, the Scripture readings for today shed light on your ministry as educators of your children, not only in regular academic subjects but above all in the Catholic faith.

It is a pleasure to return to St. Bartholomew’s Parish for Sunday Mass, and on this occasion, to celebrate your patronal feast – happy feast day! I’m also happy to bless your new parish cemetery and columbarium.

Anticipating the year ahead with hearts full of hope, what can we learn from this humble and holy pontiff, a pope who lived, as do we, in tumultuous times for both Church and society?

The visible beauty of this church sets the stage, so to speak, for us to participate in the unseen beauty of God. While we employ the precious materials of this earth in our craft, the glory of God exceeds anything we could ever ask or imagine.