In Charge of Stuff

Celebrating Trinity’s 8th grade graduation class

05/24/2023

Jn 17:1-11a Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. "I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you."

I will never forget what Archbishop Peter Sartain said when he came to Arkansas as our bishop. He was previously a priest in Memphis when the pope promoted him to be the bishop of Arkansas. He was talking to another priest-friend who had also just become a bishop. They were still in shock at their promotion, and Bishop Sartain said half-jokingly to his friend, “Hey, you know, we’re like in charge of stuff now!” Hey, check it out, we’re in charge!

In other words, they felt the weight of responsibility in being in charge of a whole diocese, not just a parish. And they were a little surprised that the pope trusted them with that much responsibility. They could have really messed things up. But they have both done well as bishops, and heck, one even became an archbishop. So, that is doing pretty good.

Boys and girls, as you graduate from eighth grade, I want you to think about what Archbishop Sartain said, “Hey, you know, we’re like in charge of stuff!” Why? Well, because one day you will be in charge of stuff. What do I mean? For example, It is not hard to picture Peter Hadley, or Sebastian Brockett, or Christian Benavides as a future U.S. president. Why couldn’t Nora Goebel, or Cate Randall, or Marlen Sanchez be CEO of Mercy Hospital? I could easily see Jonah Calderara or Ethan Hurst or Alexander Chavez as a 4-star general of the Army.

And there is nothing to keep Esperanza Cerda-Salas or Analia Guerra-Hernandez, or Jacquelin Chavez from being the future Secretary-General of the United Nations. In other words, some 8th grader going into 9th grade in some school somewhere will be in charge of these great organizations. Why not one of the 78 graduates of Trinity Catholic School Class of 2023? You might be surprised and even a little scared like Archbishop Sartain was, but one day, you, too, will be “in charge of stuff.”

In the gospel today from John 17, Jesus gives  his apostles his final instructions at the Last Supper. And his message is essentially, “You guys all will one day be in charge of stuff,” namely, you will be in charge of my Church. Listen to a little of what our Lord said: “And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you [Father].” That is, Jesus is Lord, Savior, and Master, and he is in charge of everything, especially his Church, but of the whole world, too.

But he leaves to return to heaven and appoints his apostles as leaders of his Church. Just like Archbishop Sartain got a call from the pope to become the bishop in charge of a diocese, so the apostles were appointed by Jesus to be his first bishops, and St. Peter was the first pope. Talk about being in charge of stuff! And Jesus blessed the apostles who continued the work of salvation that Jesus had just started.

Boys and girls, you do not have to wait to become adults to be “in charge of stuff.” Wherever you go to high school – Northside, Southside, Subiaco, OCA, Future School, Greenwood or Union Christian – you will discover that high school teachers love to have Trinity graduates in their classes. And you will find that Trinity graduates repeatedly get elected to leadership roles in high school.

And don’t be shocked when students from other schools – and we have great schools in Fort Smith! – look to you as examples and role-models. In other words, getting put “in charge of stuff” will happen sooner than you think, maybe even next year. But don’t worry, Jesus will be with you and give you the grace you need to succeed, like he blessed his apostles; and they succeeded.

You know, every graduation is a joyful event, especially for the graduating class. You are happy to get out of here! But every graduation is also a nervous event for the current generation of adults, who are shaking their heads, and thinking: “OMG, these kids are one day going to be in charge of stuff?!” But that is exactly what the former generation of adults thought about us when we were kids, and shook their heads in disbelief. And that is what an even earlier generation of adults thought about those adults when they were kids.

And that is what you Trinity graduates will one day think about the generation that follows you. But every generation inevitably produces the leaders who will shoulder the responsibility for themselves, for others, and for the world. And that next generation of leaders is usually graduating from a Catholic school somewhere. Why? Because here we teach you, like Jesus taught his apostles, how to be “in charge of stuff.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!