May 23, 2022
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily at the Eighth Grade Graduation Mass for St. Austin Catholic School on May 20, 2022, on his last weekend serving as Associate Pastor at St. Austin Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on Galatians 5:22-23; Psalm 67; and John 14:15-17.
Ms. Doris makes the 8th graders write thank-you letters to the priests after we visit her classroom. I always enjoy reading them. She also asked the class to write summary thank-you letters to all the Austin Paulists at the end of last month. Those were especially remarkable to read, as it seemed clear that some of the 8th graders had a lot that they wanted to say and share. Here is the second paragraph from one student’s letter:
St. Austin’s has taught me more about Christianity than any other part of my life. Having priest visits every few months is one of my favorite events that we are lucky enough to have here. Additionally, we grow in our faith outside of religion class by experiencing the community. Everyone is willing to step up to help one another member, creating a sense of loyalty in our church. Now, I value both honesty and trust in my friendships, which saves me from a lot of unnecessary drama.
Well, graduates, you’re not the only one who enjoys the priest visits. Yesterday was my 10-year anniversary as a priest, and one of the absolutely best half-hours of my priesthood was the first time I visited your class. I know not all of you were at St. Austin yet, and I know that those of you who were here might not remember what you were doing at 1:30 pm Central Daylight Time on September 16, 2016, but I do. I came to visit you in Ms. Pierce’s 3rd grade class. We pulled down the map of the United States and we talked about everywhere I’ve lived or traveled. We talked about what I do as a priest and what I did as an optical engineer. I went over to the whiteboard, and we talked about telescopes, planets, and geometry. And you ate it up! Hands were flying up into the air. You absorbed so much of what I said. Even though you were supposed to be going to recess at 2 pm, you didn’t want to leave the classroom. I have never felt more like a rock star than I did that afternoon!
Now, my dear Paulist brothers were quick to point out that you were going outside to play on the old blacktop, and it was nearly 100 degrees that day, but I’ve chosen to ignore that fact. To this day, I say that 3rd grade is my favorite grade to visit…
… although I’m not as sure anymore. The two visits I made to your classroom this past semester were pretty awesome, too. We had discussions on two topics that I usually only have with adults – formation of conscience and negotiating transitions – and you were able to keep up. You paid attention, you took notes, and you asked fantastic, challenging questions. Perhaps it felt extra-special because I have such vivid memories of many of you from that magical day five-and-a-half years before. I’m never going to have children of my own, but I took such pride in how much you’ve matured over the intervening years!
In our gospel tonight, Jesus tells the disciples that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, will remain with them and be in them. It was true for the disciples at the Last Supper, and it’s true for you, even if both the disciples and you didn’t realize believe it at the time. I know that most of you are still kind of nervous about the transition from St. Austin Catholic School to your new high schools. But remember what we talked about last month: when you’re in the middle of a transition, you’re always going to feel some uncertainty – but feeling uncertain doesn’t mean that you’ve done anything wrong. Remember also what we talked about regarding the formation of conscience: God has given you the ability to discern right from wrong, even when you’re feeling uncomfortable.
And if you ever doubt whether a decision you’re making is being guided by the Holy Spirit, remember our first reading from Galatians. If you are making a decision guided by the Spirit of Truth, you should sense at least one of the nine fruits of the Spirit. To review, those fruits are: Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Generosity, Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-Control. If you make a tough decision and afterwards you can’t feel any love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithful, gentleness, or self-control, that’s an indication that you may have allowed your anxiety to stop you from making the right decision.
And if you want to avoid unnecessary drama in ninth grade, take the words of your classmate to heart. She wrote: “We grow in our faith outside of religion class by experiencing the community. Everyone is willing to step up to help one another member, creating a sense of loyalty in our church. Now, I value both honesty and trust in my friendships, which saves me from a lot of unnecessary drama.”
Not all of you are going to the same high school, but you all have at least a few people from your days of St. Austin Catholic School that you want to stay in contact with, people with whom you can be honest and truthful, and who will be honest and truthful with you, too. So, before you leave here tonight, tell those people – be they classmates, teachers, or staff – what they mean to you. (Yes, this was an assignment I gave you last month, but I’ve extended the deadline for completing it.) And then, remember. If you’re having a challenging day next year, those people will be glad to help you reconnect with that Spirit of Truth deep within you, to help you find your way back to all that God has created for you that is right and true and beautiful.