 to stand through this 45-minute homily. I think I was nervous laughter. It's like, ah, you are joking, right Bishop? I'm a Bishop. Am I supposed to joke, right? No, no, here today. A particular way I welcome my brother Bishop, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, has multiple responsibilities right now as shepherd. And thank you, my dear friend, for all you do for our Lord and His Church. I didn't provide you a trailer at the beginning of Mass, but actually I've known Archbishop Hebda since 1989. Believe it or not, he was not Archbishop Hebda back then. He was Father Hebda and he was in his fifth year of theology at the North American College and I had just entered my first year of theology. And lo and behold, as divine providence would have it, we were next-door neighbors. And for a sizable fee, we'll share with you any news that we have of the other. No, you can't afford us. But what a blessing to begin my first year of theology right next door to Archbishop Hebda. Also, I thank again Father Sheridan for welcoming my brother Archbishop this day as well as myself. This is home for me. And as I mentioned at the two youth conferences we've had this summer at Franciscan, this university, the programs we have here, are a blessing not simply to the diocese of Steubenville, this 13-county footprint of a half million people. It's greater than that. It's for all of the Americas throughout the world, but here I believe all the Americas are represented. We have South America as well represented. So I made the mistake on my homily last time talking about the United States and then I realized I had 200 cousins from Canada here as well. So I'm grateful for all of you to be here this day. Thank you and Father Sheridan, thank you for the blessing Franciscan University is to my ministry and of course in particular the Universal Church. I had a chance to review the names of our speakers for these past two and a half days and if I may stick with a sports metaphor, what a starting lineup. The Yankees and the Royals and the Cardinals have, well I'm gonna be careful about Cardinals, it does have another meaning. They have nothing on this starting lineup so it's amazing when you attract excellence like this you recognize the integrity of a program. So I'm very grateful to be sort of the caboose of the train here this day. I guess you would say I'm one of those riding on the bench and now it's my turn to come up to the plate. The first 18 years of my priesthood I spent in the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan. That was your Episcopal shout out. Okay I'm very grateful for the service I was able to provide and I was at St. Andrew's Parish and of all things I ran into three former parishioners from St. Andrew's at our clothing center the Samaritan House just last Friday. So it brought back good memories that's where I departed from to become the shepherd here in the diocese of Steubenville. Well so happens my first assignment as a pastor was at Saint Therese of Lisieux Parish and Shelby Township and in 2005 that July I followed the founding pastor. Now yes the parish was relatively young it wasn't around for a hundred years and so was he. It was founded in 1990. I followed Father Tom Sutherland a good holy man. Well when you're coming in your first assignment to perish a 2,500 families and you're following the founding pastor that can be a bit overwhelming, daunting if I may. The bar is set high. The first thing I did was get rid of that bar because ultimately it's Jesus and it doesn't make a difference where you're at in your abilities. It's the holiness to which he calls you and me the pastors in a very particular way to serve him. And so I was able to utilize the gifts that he gave Jeff Monforton as limited as they are. And as we approached the Advent season I realized working with the other priests in the vicaria we needed to have a reconciliation service at Saint Therese as well. And so what I did is I determined it was important for us to have a dinner first before the reconciliation service. The dinner was for the priests. I hope that they were going to show up. I got 15. You feed them and they will come and that applies also to priests. It applies to bishops as well. So we had 15 show up and so one of the priests took me to the side right after dinner before the service and he goes Jeff he goes 15 priests you better make this worth my time. As we were processing into the church proper we recognized there were over 600 penitents. He looked at me he goes you're not paying us enough. But what a terrific blessing. Maybe you can't have too many priests for reconciliation service but you can never have enough penitents. Thank you you're on cue who started the clap there I appreciate that. No the bottom line is there was an anxiety that came over me when I looked inside I saw the 600 plus people. Oh my are we going to be able to do this because it was seven o'clock when the service began and it was a Monday which means that nine o'clock was Monday night football. We have to work within the context of the people correct that's how to evangelize. We were able to finish on time and the individual confessions worked well and the priest truncated his homily a little bit no a lot so that we're able to move forward with this individual confessions. I could have allowed the anxiety to get over me saying this isn't going to work oh my gosh what can we do or as I do often in my ministry Lord this is in your hands I've done the preparation as much as I can to my ability and it works Lord it seems like we have too many people does that not echo today in our minds and hearts in the gospel passage. Last Sunday we heard how Jesus took note of the people coming to him were like sheep without a shepherd. Well today we leap from the gospel according to Mark to the gospel according to John both the gospel of Jesus Christ and Jesus' compassion for these people these thousands translates into the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. We can glean at least two purposes from this result or ends. Jesus divinity manifests itself before the people and Jesus provides explicit instruction to his apostles feed my sheep their work as Jesus shows will transcend this visible world of ours this material world because Jesus authority is greater and the church will continue with that authority in feeding his sheep. Did we not hear with our own ears our first reading the second book of Kings it echoes the implausible task to feed the sheep beyond our material means placed before us and yet through the prophet Elisha it happens. St. Paul in his letter to the faithful in Ephesus actually we're talking about the word of God so the letter to the faithful here in Steubenville in the Finnegan Field House this day explains to you and I through our singular faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and God anything all things are possible regardless the numbers regardless the daunting task in this media world of ours it is not breaking news that you and I live in an increasingly secular and cynical world a prevailing spiritual apathy or atrophy endures among our brothers and sisters even in family members this very fact though should emboldened galvanize our hearts rather than foster despair our ardent desire to share Jesus and his sacred and compassionate heart is fed this weekend at this conference culminated culminating in the solemn celebration of the word and sacrament the sacrament of the Eucharist Jesus body and blood this day you and I recognize the multiplication of the loaves and fishes is more than a metaphor for our Christian service just as the Eucharist is more than a memorial of the Last Supper this day reminds us who is the source of our faith this day places the prophets mantle of Elisha on your shoulders and mine this day you and I allow Jesus very gratitude his thanksgiving the Eucharist to penetrate our minds and hearts this day strengthens our resolve to serve our Lord Jesus joyfully anxiety for what comes next that is not a Christian virtue hope in the Lord Jesus as we hear in scripture today he knows what he's going to do before you and I realize it he will feed his sheep