This isn’t exactly how I wanted to start talking about World Youth Day.

I had hoped to start with some of the basics – like what it is, why it is, where it is, who it’s for, some of the history… but it seems events are conspiring against me.

Instead, I think I need to address the elephant in the room, namely: Aren’t you scared to be going to Europe right now?  That question has a lot of variants, most especially related to the fact that the Diocese is sending over 100 young people to Krakow.

I can understand why folks are scared, or nervous, or apprehensive.  The attack in Munich.  The attack in Nice.  The failed coup d’état in Turkey.  Going back a little further, the Paris attacks.  The Belgium attacks.  And so on.  And while the Polish police and military forces will be on a higher state of alert for WYD, and while the US State Department says there are no credible threats against it, those events are tough to overcome.

But we can’t let fear rule us.  In fact, for a true believer in Christ, there is no longer room for fear.  Consider these words of Saint Paul:

If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?  Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones?  It is God who acquits us.  Who will condemn us?  It is Christ [Jesus] who died, rather, was raised, and is also at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.  What will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?…No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, not future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, no, I’m not afraid.  I’m worried we might miss our connecting flight on Monday, but that’s an entirely different issue…

Tuesday last – June 28 – was the anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood.  2 years down, eternity to go.

I had the 6:30 AM Mass, and I had a rough idea of what I was going to talk about in the homily that day.  I was going to maybe say something about Saint Irenaeus, who’s feast it was, and certainly mention my favorite line from that morning’s Gospel” “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”  Of course, being that it was the early Mass, it wasn’t going to be golden, but it would be something.

In my preparation, however, I had completely overlooked the responsorial psalm.  Frankly, I do that often.  Oftentimes, they’re hard to preach on – or, more often, the Gospel or first reading is just easier to preach on – and I’m not looking to hit home runs with a daily Mass homily, I’m just looking to get on base.

I guess this time I got hit by the pitch.

There was no lector at that Mass – never is, that early – so I’m doing the proclaiming myself, and I get to this verse:

But I, because of your abundant mercy, will enter your house; I will worship at your holy temple in fear of you, O Lord.

Because of God’s abundant mercy.  That’s the how and why I’m a priest.  That’s the how and why any of us are anything.  And that’s perhaps more worth celebrating than anything else.

…was the Word.  And there followed many other words.  And punctuation.  And poor grammar – one is not supposed to start a sentence with “and”, nor should he use sentence fragments.  In the end, there was a blog.

I must admit a certain hesitancy in blogging, especially given that this is neither my first nor second foray into the realm.  Both of the preceding attempts ended not with a bang, but a whimper, as they gradually fizzled out, victims of a poorly-managed schedule and a lack of original ideas.

Nonetheless, by semi-popular demand I am going to give it another effort.  I’m not sure that the internet needs another sporadically-updated blog, and I’m not even sure what kind of content I’ll be posting here, so this could be an interesting endeavor for all of us, now couldn’t it?