One stormy night at sea,
the ship’s captain saw what looked like
the lights of another ship heading right toward him.

He immediately had his signalman blink in Morse code
to the oncoming ship, “Change your course 10 degrees south.”

The reply came back in Morse code,
“Change your course 10 degrees north.”

The captain responded, “I am a captain.
Change your course south.”

To his reply was, “I’m a seaman first class.
Change your course north.”

The captain, angry, signaled back and said,
“I said, change your course south.
I’m standing on a battleship.”

Which came in the reply of Morse code:
“I said, change your course north.
I’m standing in a lighthouse.”

[Laughter]

I really liked that joke.

Sometimes we are so caught up in our own darkness
or wanting things our own way,
we don’t see what is around us or the light around us.
We only see what we want to see.

We dismiss Jesus’ teaching as being too unrealistic
or way too simplistic to deal with the complexities
of our problems in life today.

But it’s in such simple values—
like love for one another,
forgiveness, compassion, mercy, and justice—
that we will discover the light of God
to guide us through the darkness.

To have life, to have it to the full,
demands that we are journeying by the way of Christ.

Jesus is our Light.

Jesus is our Life.

I was ordained to the Priesthood almost 47 years ago,
on May 9, 1979, to be exact.

I thank God every day for His gift of Priesthood
and the gift of each and every one of you.

There have been, over these 47 years,
much tremendous joy,
but also, at times, very hard times.

I’ve learned many things over the last 47 years,
and much more I still need to learn.

But I’d like to share five things
that have captured these last 47 years in Priesthood.

Number one: sickness and serious surgery
require a complete letting go, especially of one’s work,
and surrendering in total trust and faith in God.

This is easy to say in good times and times of health,
and truly tested when surgery awaits us.

Secondly: treat everyone with dignity, respect,
a forgiving heart, compassion, love, and mercy,
and see life through their eyes—
see life through someone else’s eyes.

And by the way, the word “compassion,”
from the Greek, means “to suffer with.”
If you are a compassionate person,
you have the ability to suffer with an individual, to walk with them.

Thirdly: always keep a good sense of humor.
It takes 14 muscles to smile and 72 muscles to frown—
and that’s a fact.

Number four: commitment is hard work.
Rooted in the Lord,
things have a way of working out.

And lastly: an unforgiving heart—
grudges and bitterness can own us,
causing unhappiness and weighing us down.

I’ve said this before: as we grow older,
is life making me better or bitter?
As I’m growing older, is life making me better or bitter?

And the choice is ours.

I’ve learned that a well-made choice
is no guarantee against hard times.

It’s perhaps only in such times
we hear the invitation to enter into the emptiness
which God alone can fill.

As we go forward in faith and in prayer, remember this:
I shall pass this world but once.
Any good that I can do,
any kindness that I can show to any human being,
let me do it now.
Let me not defer it, for I shall not pass this way again.