DOVER — Approximately 500 eighth-graders from every corner of the Diocese of Wilmington gathered in Dover on March 10, and the main lesson from the retreat sprang from some uncooked spaghetti, a marshmallow and Scotch tape.
After Mass with Bishop Koenig and lunch on the 80-degree morning, the students headed to the gymnasium at Holy Cross School. Spread out all over the floor, in lieu of round tables, were tablecloths with those supplies sitting on top. The students, who were with their counterparts from different schools, had 12 minutes to see who could build the tallest freestanding spaghetti tower with the marshmallow on top.
Father Rich Jasper, the pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Elkton, Md., turned that project into the basis for his closing reflection.
“Congratulations on what you built today,” Father Jasper said. “Because whether your tower stood or not, you all built something powerful. What you built today in this gym was the gift of working together, the power of coming together as one.”
Father Jasper told the story of his brother Brian, who was paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident following his high school graduation. Brian’s friends convinced him to go with them to Philadelphia, his first trip out in his wheelchair. Unfortunately, one of the tires on the wheelchair was punctured, and Brian was left alone while his friends went to seek help.
Two runners came upon Brian, and within minutes, a group of people were there to assist.
“They all came out to my brother, and together, they lifted him up and carried him to the shop where they could fix his tire. Six people lifted my brother up. All six people were completely different, and yet they lifted him up and carried him to where he’s called to be,” Father Jasper said.
The students at Holy Cross got together and also worked with strangers to accomplish a goal, he continued.
“Why today is so important is that Jesus Christ, who loves you, is asking, as you continue your journey, as you finish eighth grade, as you go into high school, as you live your life as a Christian disciple, we are all called to be teammates with and for Christ,” he said.
Jesus calls us to serve him with the gifts we have, Father Jasper said. During the tower-building exercise, some students jumped right in, while others were quiet, but all contributed something.
Father Jasper, a former elementary school teacher, challenged the eighth-graders to step up as leaders at their schools despite the fact that they are likely looking forward to their next chapter. The younger students look up to the eighth grade. He asked the students to be the builders of their school community that reminds people how important Jesus is, how important love is, “how important it is to build the kingdom where you are by the way you live your life.”
He finished his talk with the story of a high school freshman in California who was ready to leave school. On his way across a field at the school one day, he was knocked down and bullied by a group of football players. One young man stopped to help and told the freshman that not everyone is like that. He told the younger student to find him if he ever found himself in need of anything at the school.
The freshman stayed in school, and four years later he was addressing a large crowd at graduation, where he was the valedictorian. He said he was there only because a football player had stopped to help him.
The football player, Father Jasper said, built something because he wasn’t afraid to step out from the crowd. He encouraged the students to be courageous enough to be that person. Never be afraid, he continued, to use your gifts.
“Jesus Christ loves you, and he needs you to help make this world a better place,” he said.
The day began with some social justice. Each school, as they departed their buses, dropped off their food that they had collected for the Holy Cross parish outreach. They then attended Mass with Bishop Koenig, who was joined by Father Jasper and Father James Lentini, the pastor of Holy Cross.
During his homily, Bishop Koenig told the students that the retreat was a reminder that we belong to a much larger family. The Gospel, from Matthew, was about forgiveness, and that was also a theme of the homily.
In the Gospel, Peter asks the Lord how many times he should forgive his brother or sister who sins against him. Peter asks is seven times is sufficient. Jesus responds, “As many as 77 times.” The lesson is one of compassion and forgiveness.
“In other words, you never stop forgiving,” the bishop said. “That’s how Jesus calls us to live our lives.”
Bishop Koenig asked the students if they’d ever seen candles that do not go out no matter how hard one blows on them.
“Jesus is the light of the world. He’s like that candle that won’t go out.”
