Integration 3 Moreau - Peggy Hnatusko Moreau First Year Experience March 4, 2022 A Life Well-Lived is a Life in Christ We gather today to remember the life of Father Ayden James Ellis. Ayden’s life can be categorized into three virtues: faith, service, and leadership. First, and most importantly, Ayden lived a life of faith. Ayden was raised in a Catholic household, with his loving parents Kevin and Sherryl and his older brother Ryan and younger sister Audrey. The life and virtues of Jesus Christ were instilled in Ayden at a young age, giving him a clear vision of his life. As said by his childhood best friend Teddy Grassmann, Ayden “desired above all to be a good Catholic because it is his reasoning behind most all things he does and believes” (“Discernment Conversation Activity” by University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Five). Ayden’s faith guided his life, which is why he became a priest. Ayden understood how short life is compared to eternity, which is why he wanted to save as many souls as possible before it was judgment time. In the words of Sister Aletheia, “My life is going to end, and I have a limited amount of time” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). Life is very limited, and it is the most important thing to guide others to heaven before death. God only knows how many souls were saved by Ayden’s ministry, but we can be sure that his efforts were not in vain. Like us all, Ayden fought through difficult times in his life. However, because of his immense faith and self-discipline, Ayden never lost sight of his true goals. As Dr. Jihoon Kim said, “Now, I have experienced, you know, many incidents where God will answer my prayers and give me strength https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html when I was going through a really difficult time” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swar - Moreau FYE Week Six). Let this be an example to all of us: no matter how difficult a problem may seem at the time, God will always help us get through it. Ayden’s commitment to faith throughout his life showed that he always had eternity in mind, which is a good example for all of us. Ayden also showed a devotion to service through his life. Ayden followed the example of Jesus by being a servant for others. Ayden served the most needy among us by ministering to the poor in low-income cities. He also led mission trips to South American countries to directly help those affected by crises. Father Theodore Hesburgh said, "Whatever you value, be committed to it and let nothing distract you from this goal. The uncommitted life, like Plato’s unexamined life, is not worth living" (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). Ayden followed this motto religiously throughout his life. He knew what the truly important issues were, and he did all that he could to serve others in need. Because life is so limited, he spent all of his time, without breaks, in service to others. In his own words, Ayden said that the greatest problem of the time was “the rise of secularism plaguing the young generations'' (“7 Clues To Help You Get Started With the Career Development Process” by Muerelo Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). Ayden recognized that faith is the most important thing in life, which is why his greatest service to others was his ministry. In whatever crises occur on Earth, every single soul will be faced with the same judgment at death, which is why his work ministering to others all over the world was so important. During his life, he emphasized how important it is to pray for all of the souls in purgatory, even those souls who lived outstanding lives on Earth. Everyone needs prayers, which is why we should all keep Ayden in our prayers after today. https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://nd.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0NyUlYVK9JdsUrs Lastly, Ayden was committed to leadership during his life. Ayden’s service to others will continue to last even after his death through the churches and seminaries he founded. Ayden recognized the fundamental human dignity in every person, and did all that he could to save each and every person. As Pope Francis himself said, “Let us help each other, all together, to remember that the other is not a statistic or a number” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by TED - Moreau FYE Week Seven). While there are billions of people on Earth, each one of us was created by God and should return to God after death, which is why Ayden’s leadership in forming the next generation of priests and lay ministers is extremely important. Let us all be like Ayden and “lead by example,” as Saint Ignatius said. We ought to devote every moment of our lives leading others to heaven because there is nothing more important. Ayden exhibited immense self-discipline during his life. He abstained from all distractions and earthly pleasures, so he could focus on guiding others. In Pico Iyer’s article about the importance of taking breaks, especially from technology, Kevin Kelly says, “I continue to keep the cornucopia of technology at arm’s length so that I can more easily remember who I am” (“Why We Need to Slow Down Our Lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). Ayden lived this virtue diligently. Technology is very important for work and getting around in modern society, but do not let it distract you from what God has created. As Ayden said, once you eliminate the distractions from your life and truly find silence, you will hear what God is calling you to do. Ayden’s life is a good example of how we should all live. We should devote our lives entirely to Christ. We should help others on their journey to heaven, and lead others to live the same life of service. A life well-lived is one that gets yourself into heaven and as many other https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ people as possible to join you there. As Ayden now experiences eternity, let us follow in his example and pray for his soul.