"The Joy of Discipleship"
Fr. George Wertin
Sunday, April 20th, 2003

I might title my homily: “Daffodils, tulips…and Hope!

• It’s been a long winter with economic downturns, threats of terror, a most terrible war, and even threats to our being an inclusive and welcoming community of faith.
• But Easter is here. And Easter is a festive of hope - not a festival of optimism, but a festival of hope. There’s a difference. Optimism says, “I can do it.” It breathes forth self-sufficiency.
• Hope says we must be open to God’s Spirit. No matter how bad it gets we can be a beacon of hope in a world of domination and oppression. We must see that new life is born through dying. We have to let go. If we want peace, we have to be a peaceable people. We can be a people of hope.
• We are not utopians or idealists who think we can escape suffering and evil. We know that Easter does not exist without Good Friday - either for Jesus or for us. We do not give up the vision that is generated by our hope in Christ Jesus.
• To me the best signs of hope are people. And all I have to do is look around our community to see signs of hope:
  • Joe Selvaggio founded Project for Pride in Living helping poor people to self-sufficiency through employment and housing. Now in retirement he has just been appointed a Fellow at the Humphrey Institute which will help him in his efforts to promote philanthropy among the wealthy. Joe is, for me, a sign of hope.
  • Marie and John Braun were not discouraged in the face of impending war. They took the “Say no to war” signs designed by Mary Lou Ott and sold thousands of them in the metro area and beyond. Watching them sell the signs in the parking lot on Sunday mornings was, for me, a sign of hope.
  • Ric Rosow picked up the torch from Julie and Michael Madden and me and went to Israel and Palestine and now goes all over giving educational presentations and promoting better understanding and a solution to this persistent and painful conflict. For me, Ric Rosow is a sign of hope.
  • Marlys Weber organized the four buses that went to Washington from here for the anti-war rally. And Steve Boyle organized the march from the Cathedral to the State Capitol with over 10,000 participants in October. They are both signs of hope for me.
  • Donna McGarry was a remarkable women, a wife and mother of three who raised her 3 children and went back to school, got her MBA and taught at St. Thomas for 12 years before the cancer took her life a month ago. She was so intentional and determined in the way she lived - and the way she faced cancer and death. Her funeral was a celebration of her and her conviction to make a difference in the world. Donna McGarry is, for me, a sign of hope
  • Finally, let me tell you about Judy Griep. She too met cancer. But she learned not to fight it, but to live with it and embrace it. She has done so with a remarkable spirit. Let me tell you a little story: a couple weeks ago I put a little quote in the bulletin to finish out my column. It was a sort of cynical comment from E. B. White from the New Yorker years ago. It read: “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” Well, Judy rewrote this quote to read thus: “I arise in the morning pleased with my prospects. I choose to frame my day with joy and thus approach the world with a sense of connection. This makes it simple to plan the day.” What a refreshing, resurrection perspective. She went on to write, “I’d like to believe it is possible for joy and challenge to coexist. I’d like to suggest that we can improve the world by living our lives joyfully. I believe that joy can be a choice, though naturally more elusive during times of adversity.” That’s a resurrection perspective!

1. Continue to see the face of Christ in the faces of those around you.
2. Hope and believe - even be joyful - even when circumstances make it seem difficult or impossible.
3. Remember that you will only find happiness for yourself when you are bringing happiness to others.