Hope in the Lord — ‘Saints next door’

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz

Archbishop Kurtz delivered this commencement address on Sunday, May 13 to the graduating class of the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West. His theme for the talk was Pope Francis’ new apostolic exhortation, “Rejoice and Be Glad.”

On this Solemnity of the Ascension when Jesus ascends to the right hand of the Father in glory, He promises not to leave us orphans. Today, we also join our nation in honoring one who surely the Holy Spirit inspires and sustains in her noble and prominent vocation — our mother. Happy Mother’s Day!

Recently Pope Francis gave the Church the gift of a third Apostolic Exhortation, “Rejoice and be glad” — “Gaudete et exultate.” Gaudete means rejoice. Joy is elusive. Joy is not a gift given to those who search the earth looking for it – for them it is always around the next corner. No, joy is the gift that shows up in your heart when, after serving others well, you realize that living for another seems to bring joy like a strong wave brings a peaceful wake. It envelops you and the ones you serve.    

In his call for all of us to the path of holiness, Pope Francis speaks invitingly of the “saint next door” — whose humble witness we are tempted to take for granted. Then he includes a quote from St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, the former philosopher Edith Stein who was martyred at the hands of the Nazis. She speaks of the decisive turning points in history and of the humble prophets who have brought them about. She then gets very personal. She says in the life of every hero there is the one who causes that decisive turning point to humble service. She adds that you will likely find out about those souls to which you owe the decisive turning points in your personal life on the day when all that is hidden will be revealed.

So allow me to speak to you of the heroic — the great things that God wants from you and of the one who inspires you from the shadows. Of course, Jesus gives us the definition of greatness that turns the world upside down and spinning on its axis: the great one is the one who serves another humbly.

Let me tell you two interwoven true stories. The first began in 1941 when my brother George was born with Down syndrome. He was the fourth child of George and Stella Kurtz — who never looked to live a heroic life. Coming along five years later, I watched as did the entire community in the small coal town in northeast Pennsylvania as my parents became known for their care of George. They would be embarrassed to be called saints
next door or heroes, but they were both.

When George was 18 years old, a geneticist in France by the name of Dr. Jérôme Lejeune made a great discovery — the genetic cause of Down syndrome. He also did not start out wanting to become a hero or a “saint next door.” He came to love the children and young adults with Down syndrome whom he served as a doctor and who were his research patients. 

What he came to realize was that opposition to children with Down syndrome was very strong. Before his discovery, it was thought that people born with this syndrome had a disease, were a punishment to the parents, and should be kept in the shadows of society. Many saw only the burden and not the gift of these special children.

Dr. Lejeune forcefully spoke for children born with Down syndrome. He persevered in his defense of human life despite great opposition from the professional community. He lost government contracts in France, and some say the chance of a Nobel Prize. He did so because, as he would repeat, “One phrase, one only, dictates our conduct, the expression of Jesus himself: ‘Whatever you do to one of the least of my brothers, you do it to me.’ ” (Mt. 25:40)

Now here is the point! What Dr. Lejeune did for children born with Down syndrome and what my parents did for my brother, you graduates will do in service for another and, in this act of humble service to another, you will find greatness. Don’t be anxious. Don’t fret. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid.” Aspire to greatness by serving humbly — by putting on Christ Jesus Who leads you.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux had an interesting twist when in a 12th century homily he describes the tunic of Jesus. Unlike a new set of clothes that you hand off to the tailor to obtain a perfect fit, the tunic of Jesus stays the same. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever — but our minds and hearts are fitted and shaped over the years. You have been formed and readied for the task the Father has prepared for you from all eternity as a priest, deacon or lay minister.

There is a second point as you go forth to serve as a priest, deacon or lay minister. Remember that your path to greatness is not a journey you take alone.

In your lives, there is that person who has been a decisive turning point for you. Say thank you that Jesus, the One who has ascended to the right hand of the Father, has not left you an orphan. He has given to you a “saint next door.”

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