On Sept. 7, Archbishop Gomez celebrated Mass to open the new academic year at Mayfield Junior School of the Holy Child Jesus in Pasadena. The following is adapted from his homily.
This morning in Rome, something special happened.
The Holy Father Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass, just like we are. But, in that Mass he declared two young men who lived not that long ago to be “saints.” So, we now have the new saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati.
St. Pier Giorgio Frassati has a wonderful connection to us here in Los Angeles. He worked a miracle for one of our seminarians.
The seminarian prayed to the saint and through the saint’s intercession, he was healed of a serious injury. That seminarian is now a priest, and he is in Rome today to watch St. Frassati become a saint.
St. Frassati was an ordinary young man, he loved the outdoors. He was a mountain climber, cyclist, and swimmer.
And that’s who the saints are, they’re ordinary people. They make mistakes, they don’t always do what they’re supposed to, just like us.
What makes the saints different is that they have a desire, deep in their heart, to be such good friends with Jesus.
A saint is someone who loves Jesus very much and wants to be his good friend; a saint is someone who wants to live like Jesus, think like Jesus, and act like Jesus in everything they do.
That’s a beautiful idea, isn’t it? Wouldn’t we all like to be friends with Jesus?
The good news is that’s what Jesus wants for you. For all of us.
The Bible tells us that even before God created the world, he loved us and he knew our names, and he had a plan for our lives. He wanted all of us to be holy, to be saints. That’s why he sent Jesus into the world, to show us the way.
I always find that amazing. God created everything: the moon, the stars, the sun; all the animals and oceans, the rivers and mountains.
And on top of all that he made me, too. And he made me because he wanted me, because he loved me, and he wanted me to be a part of his creation.
That’s true for all of you. It’s true for your parents, too! Every one of you is here because Jesus loves you and he wanted you to be born.
And he wants you to be saints, he wants you to lead a beautiful life and do beautiful things for him.
We just heard Jesus in the Gospel today, telling us: “Come after me.” He means: Follow me. Walk in my footsteps. Listen to my words. Do what you see me doing, treat other people the way I do.
That’s the whole secret of life. This is how we find happiness, by walking with Jesus, by loving other people like he did.
St. Pier Giorgio Frassati said, “There is nothing more beautiful than love.” And isn’t that true? We feel good when we’re loved, and we feel good when we’re able to show love to somebody.
The greatest thing we can learn is how to love. And when we do, we are well on the way to becoming saints.
When St. Carlo Acutis was your age, he loved playing sports and video games with his friends; he liked soccer, and he liked working with computers.
He was just an ordinary kid, but he had a special place in his heart for Jesus. So, he went to Mass every day to be near Jesus, starting when he was your age.
St. Carlo used to say: “To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.”
And that’s a good life plan for all of us, isn’t it!
So, as we begin this new school year, we can make that our prayer. Let’s ask Jesus to help us to always stay close to him.
And let’s try to pray more this year. Jesus is always waiting for us in our hearts. You can talk to him, like a friend.
Ask him questions, tell him how you’re feeling, whether you’re sad or happy, worried or excited. Sometimes you can just be still and quiet with him; if you listen for his voice, you can hear him speaking in your heart.
That’s how our new saints lived. As good friends with Jesus. And that’s how Jesus wants to live with each one of you. He wants to be your best friend, and he will never leave you!
We entrust all these beautiful intentions to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is Jesus’ mother and the mother of all of us.
May she help us to always stay close to her Son and become the saints we are made to be. Amen.
