A young boy by the name of Ricky was waiting for his mother to come out of the store when a man approached him and asked, “Son, can you tell me the way to the Post Office?” Ricky replied, “Sure, just go straight down this street for three blocks and turn to your right.” The man thanked the boy and then said, “I’m the new pastor in town. I’d like for you to come to church on Sunday. I’ll show you how to get to heaven.” Ricky replied with a chuckle, “Awww, come on...you don’t’ even know the way to the Post Office.”

Today we begin Catholic Schools week here in Plattsburgh. The purpose of Catholic Schools - the reason we teach faith..is so that our young may live life to the full, as Jesus said, and to find our way to heaven. Faith gives us a structure - a framework, on which to hang the experiences of our lives. Faith gives direction to our lives.

It is always somewhat entertaining to ask young children what they would like to be when they grow up. Some children seem to be quite certain of the direction their lives will take. Others discover their vocation as young adults. And then, of course, some never seem to find their real mission in life. Jeremiah, from our first reading, apparently knew as a very young man that God had a design for him. Jeremiah did not dream this up on his own - we hear, “before you were formed in the womb I dedicated you as a prophet to the nations.” A biblical prophet has been described as one who comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable.

Like Jeremiah, we too have been formed by God, starting with our baptism, to be a prophetic people. Our faith calls each of us to be prophetic. I do not think that many of us are too eager to be prophets - actually we might want to hide from God and the mission we have been given. But God is sending each of us to speak out when we encounter injustice of any kind. It is really part of who we are as Christians.

The second reading today from St. Paul to the Corinthians is probably overly familiar. We have heard it at almost every wedding we have attended. The atmosphere at a wedding usually makes the reading sound like a romantic Hallmark card. But the love Corinthians proclaims is, in fact, a prophetic love. It calls us to love the nice people, but also to love those who repel us. It calls us to love the gentle, but also the violent. It calls us to love the educated and genteel, but also the illiterate and rough people in life, those oppressed but also their oppressors, those who have helped us or our family members, as well as those who have turned their backs on us when we had a need.

The word “love” is overused in our daily language. “I love apple pie...I love that new song...I love my new iPod...” The word that Paul uses for love refers to a particular kind of love. It is not romantic love or the love we have for family or friends. Rather, St. Paul used the word “Agape.” The word means an unconditional love, the way God loves us. Agape means we have another’s best interest at heart; whether they respond or not; whether we like them or not. It is the love we are capable of because we have received the Spirit of Jesus. Like Jesus our love can be prophetic, as it reflects or mirrors the inclusive love God has for all people - whether they respond to God’s love or not.

Today a lot of people are cynical about the existence of real love. They are skeptical about the existence of goodness unsullied by self-interest. One reason is that today we have a better understanding of the complexity of human nature and the mixed motives behind everything we do. St. Paul was well aware of the mixed motives behind what people do. He understood how the actions of many people are done from motives of self-interest. But still he believed in the possibility of genuine agape love - a love that is central for the Christian. The words we heard today from St. Paul - his description of love is clearly an ideal. An ideal is a like a star. Though we can never reach it, it still guides us. The main point Paul is making is the primacy of love in the life of a Christian. We must be willing to try - especially in this world that seems so polarized - so divided...we must try to embrace the prophetic call to love - within our families - within our community and even within our world.

Jesus in the gospel today announced this message of the Father’s love - at first the people were amazed and then these religious people became angered and drove Jesus out. People are still fascinated by the words of love but then when asked to live them, to embrace them there is so often rejection and anger. There is more concern about power and control than about agape love. In our world, in our culture, in our politics, in our economics there is much meanness and it is into this world that Jesus invites us to enter - invites us to be prophets - invites us to love unconditionally. Will we be like the people of Jesus’ time and drive him away or will we be different? This is not an easy question!