Two little first graders going through the cafeteria line
During the lunch hour,
And they’re by the apples, and they take an apple.
There’s a sign that says, “Please take one apple.
God is watching.”

They move along the cafeteria line,
Now by the chocolate chip cookies.
A little boy says to the other, he says,
“Listen, take as many chocolate chip cookies as you want.
God is watching the apples.”

[Laughter]

That would be me.
My entire life until my Uncle Ted died some years ago.
I was very close to Uncle Ted before he died.
He taught me how to play sports
And did a great deal with us four children.
Uncle Ted loved us deeply.

Before entering Mundelein Seminary,

Uncle Ted revealed to me three things
I should carry in my heart the rest of my life.
He shared this with me back when I entered Mundelein Seminary
In the fall of 1975, 50 years ago.

The first thing Uncle Ted said was,
“As you live your life, always be tender.
The importance of showing compassion,
Love, kindness, forgiveness, and care to all we meet.”

Secondly, Uncle Ted said,
“In your life, be committed.”
He told me, “If you make a commitment
And live it out in faith and trust, things work out.
Be committed in and to the Lord.”

Uncle Ted went on to say,
“We all try out a lot of enthusiasms.
We chase a lot of rabbits.
But what we stick with after the infatuation wears off
Is what defines our lives,
Keeping faith with that which claims your love.”

Finally, Uncle Ted said the third thing,
“Be great at all you do.
Never be ordinary if you have the chance to be extraordinary.”

Now Uncle Ted was not talking about
Accumulating material wealth or living to have
That fancy title or position.
Uncle Ted was referring to living life to the fullest,
In God, with God, through our Baptism,
Living life for others.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
The Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist
Marks the beginning of a journey we call
His public ministry that began for Jesus.
He begins His mission to create
A new possibility for all the world,
His mission of love for all of God’s people.

And so I ask: what does it mean to love someone?
What does it mean in life to love someone?

Love involves sacrifice,
And Christ loves us this much, even to death upon the Cross.
The sacrifice of the Cross is a Cross of love.

Jesus calls us to a higher standard.
This higher standard means we need to carry our faith
Beyond our wonderful Liturgy,
Beyond individual acts of kindness
That we do for each other.

Because of our Baptism, we are called to serve,
To share, and to listen to each other.
You know, our lives get so busy,
We sometimes don’t take the time to truly listen.
We’re so busy.

In many ways we shouldn’t be called human beings;
We should be called human becomings,
To become something more in and with God.

For Baptism as commitment challenges us
To move from apathy to involvement.
Baptism as commitment means we learn to listen,
Share, and always take time for others,
Because life is way too short.

I always say this: live each day as though it were your last,
Because one day you’ll be right.
Take one day at a time as a gift from God.
Not everything in life that is faced can be changed,
But nothing can be changed until it is faced.

For the Spirit of God, who will never take us,
With the grace of God, cannot keep us.