2/8/26 Wasted Potential

1:23 So a little while back, I had a conversation with a man named Daryl Woods Sr. Daryl Woods, he grew up in Detroit. He, when he was 18 years old, 19 years old, he was found guilty of a crime he did not commit and was sentenced for life in jail without possibility of parole. his life started out as a tragedy. I mean, in the womb. In fact, he has three older siblings in the womb. His mother's womb, his father died while he was still in utero. His mom gave birth to him, but she had a tailspin. She spun out of control. She got addicted to drugs, and she started living on the streets, and so Daryl and his siblings went to live with his grandma and grandpa. and they had a lot of, and grandma and grandpa were great, but Daryl, by the time he was 11, 12 years old, he just, he missed his mom.

2:20 And so at 12 years old, he ran away from his grandparents' house, whether he was loved or he was taken care of, because he just wanted to be with his mom. So he went downtown Detroit and he described what downtown Detroit was like when he was a kid. It was not a good place at 12 years old. Still, when he was there, his mom received him as best she could, but there was a man on, he was a kingpin of some sorts. his, Daryl said his name was Superfly something. I can't remember what the last part was, but Superfly someone took a liking to Daryl. And he said, basically, Daryl said, if I went to school, I would come home from school and Superfly would give me 25 or 50 bucks every day just to go to school. He wanted to keep me in school. Even though this guy was a drug dealer, he's like, he wanted to keep me on the straight and narrow. So gave me 25, 50 bucks every day. He said, the problem was I had all this money. And so I started shooting dice on the sidewalk and started gambling with it and Superfly one day saw me gambling his money and said you're cut off you're done. So by 14 Daryl became a drug dealer himself. Later on that same year he was 14 years old he was shot with a shotgun almost died but survived. At 15 he bought his own house with his drug money. At 15 he also got the girl he was sitting pregnant. At 16 his son was born.

3:36 At 17, his daughter was born. And at 18, he brought a cousin of his into this house where he was going to buy drugs for his cousin. They walked in, two guys followed them. And he didn't know the two guys behind him. But as he's doing this drug deal, the two guys behind him attacked the drug dealer and killed him. Daryl ran away, but he got caught. Even though he didn't know the murderer, he was put on trial and he was found guilty of aiding and abetting this murder. and he was sentenced to life in jail without parole.

4:09 He was in jail for 29 years for a crime he didn't commit. Now, of course, Daryl wasn't innocent, but he wasn't guilty of this thing, right? You think 29 years he spent, just think about from 18 years old for the next 29 years he was in prison. Just what a wasted life. Actually, think about this. All the wasted potential he had. I mean, he had a grandma and grandpa. Yes, rough life, but he had grandma and grandpa who loved him and he wasted that. He had Superfly, who was giving him money, wasted that. He had all these opportunities, and he just kept wasting opportunity after opportunity. And you realize, if you look at Daryl's life in so many ways, you think, oh my gosh, that's so much wasted potential. so I've been thinking this last number of weeks about like the tragedy of wasted potential like really what a tragedy it is for us when we're given so much and we just we waste it and I don't mean like you know the kind of I don't mean potential in the sense of like um I could have done this like for example if I would have been born in a city that had men's gymnastics I could be in the Olympics like no that's dumb I mean, that's potential potential.

5:16 This is like real potential where it's like, no, you did have it in you and you just didn't use it. Like you did have the chance, you just didn't take it. Like that sense of you, you did have what you needed, but you just wasted it. I think there's something really remarkable about youth. Like there's something really remarkable about youth because think about the potential of youth. I mean, the youth is literally, youth is nothing but potential in so many ways. In fact, there's a guy named Warren Buffett. You all know who Warren Buffett is. Warren Buffett's a big investment guy. Warren Buffett is worth estimated $150 billion. That's how much his net worth is, essentially. But I would say this. I would wager to guess that not one person here would trade your life for his. Like, no, no, no.

6:07 I'm guessing that not one person here, even though he's worth $150 billion, with a B, 150 billion dollars not one person would say yeah I'd switch places with him and the reason is because Warren Buffett has 150 billion dollars but he's also 95 years old and so no matter what your situation right now like I have debt I'm struggling to pay my bills like not one of us would say I would give up the potential I have of my youth for 150 billion dollars because we realize in your hands right now in your life there is so much potential and I realize that I'm old. I realize a lot of y'all, let's admit it, you're old too.

6:45 You don't have, I don't have the potential of youth anymore. I tell you, if you're old, you have a different kind of potential. Deal with it. but our problem is when we waste that potential even the wasted potential of what it is to be a Christian because we can show up here on a Sunday we can show up and say like no I believe one God Father Holy Spirit the God who created everything I believe all this stuff we can this is so critically important for us because here we are as Christians I believe that there are so many of us who walk around as if someday God might choose us. Like even if we're like, no, I'm a Christian, I follow after Jesus, but I live as if someday I might be good enough for God to give me a chance.

7:32 I think some of us, we still do this. We show up to mass even and we think, okay, someday I might be good enough for God to claim me. The second reading today, here's St. Paul. He's writing to the Corinthians and he tells them, listen, when I came among you, I didn't come among you in power with sublimity of wisdom. He said, all I preached to you was I preached Christ. I preached Christ crucified. What is that? Basically, Jesus crucified is what? It is the sign of God's love for you.

8:01 That when we see Christ on the cross, this is proof that God has already made his choice for you. Then we preach Christ crucified. It's the truth that God became one of us to make it possible for us to have new life. That God became one of us to make it possible for us to be forgiven. He made it possible for us to be adopted by the Father. That Jesus made it possible for us to become a new creation. So here's the thing. All of that has been made possible. What that means is we have the potential to live a new life. That means we have the potential to be forgiven. We have the potential to be new creations. And that's the thing. We have all of this potential that Jesus himself has given to us how much of that is wasted potential? because you know i know i have the grace sometimes i don't know i don't want it sometimes like i know i have access to the father at any moment but well later is the moment i want to have access to the father that we that we have god's word how many times do i do we choose our phone over god's word Thank you.

9:11 that we know that Jesus has made it possible for us to have his mercy, but here's what I think. I think, well, I'm disqualified from God's mercy. And every time I don't use what God has given to me, that's wasted potential. Let's think about that disqualified thing for a second. I don't know if you've ever felt like you were disqualified. I have to ask this question.

9:36 Do we realize that the things we believe disqualify us are absolutely no surprise to God. like that there's some things right that we're like ah but this is really bad that God's not surprised by that like yeah but I fell in a new way like God's not surprised by that you realize that you realize this we realize that God knew your weakness when he chose you that Jesus knew your struggle when he claimed you that Jesus knew your sin when he picked up that cross and he did it so that you and I could be forgiven so you and I could be free so you and I could have this new life and here's the here's the great news this is incredible your being here tonight is a declaration every time you pray that's a declaration every time you've ever been to confession that is a declaration here's what you're declaring every single time this is what your presence here tonight is saying you're saying this Jesus I know what you've done for me and here's your declaration Jesus I'm not going to let what you did for me go to waste on me that's what you're saying by just by being here tonight you make this declaration Jesus I am not going to let what you did for me go to waste on me so Daryl Daryl gets arrested he's in jail and I said Daryl what'd you do in jail he said I prayed He said, I read the Bible.

11:06 I said, you're looking for a loophole? He said, I was looking for a loophole. Absolutely. I wanted to find a way out. Didn't find a way out. But that's where I found him. And he said, even though he was, you know, tried, found guilty, sentenced to prison, he didn't stop praying and he didn't stop studying the Bible. Not this time, not because he needed a loophole, but because he knew he needed God. Like he knew that I'm going to read the Bible, not because this will be my way out, but because this is the only thing I'll have when I'm stuck in there. And Daryl just said, I'm going to need him.

11:45 I'm going to need him where they're leading me. and for 29 years he basically said i won't let jesus i won't let what you did for me go to waste on me and i think there's a there's a there's a place here for all of us tonight to be able to say i don't want to have i don't want to have in my life any more wasted potential again not what could be but actually what you have this is the reality it's not as if god is waiting to give you something he hasn't yet given you realize i don't know if you realize tonight you and i we have everything we need to be saints. Right now, right now, in this moment, we've been given everything we need to be heroic saints. So this is all about what you have. It's all about actually what you are. So in the gospel today, what does Jesus say? He doesn't say, hey, one day you're going to be the light of the world. He doesn't say, hey, one day you're going to be salt of the earth. He looks at his disciples and says, you are the salt of the earth. Right now, you are the light of the world. you do not have to wait for this this is this is the reality that this is your who you are not what you might be you know it's fascinating I've talked about this before but in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles to the scene is this that Jesus has already lived he's died he's risen from the dead he spent 40 days with his apostles teaching them living with them and at the first chapter of Acts he walks up to the city of Bethany and in Bethany you can see all of Jerusalem. Like you can see the upper room where Jesus gave us the Eucharist. You can see Golgotha where he crucified. You can see where he rose from the dead. You see it all. And the apostles at this point, they ask Jesus one question. Because they know who he is. They know he's the Messiah. They know he's the king. So they say, Jesus, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? They said, when are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel? And Jesus says two things.

13:33 The first thing is kind of mysterious and a little sassy. He says, I'm not going to tell. It's not for you to know the times or seasons. The second thing he says is so intimidating. Because he says, it's not for you to know the times or seasons, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And then you will be my witnesses here in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth. So think about this. In response to them asking the question, Jesus, when are you going to bring your hope to the world? He's like, I'm not, you are. Jesus, when are you going to bring grace to the world? You've won this whole thing for us. When are you going to bring it to the whole world? He says, I'm not, you are. You'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and then you will be my witnesses here in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth. Basically, you're going to do it.

14:28 How are you going to do it? Easy. Be salt and be light. Like this is it. How are you, like today, how are you and I going to bring God's grace to the world? Be salt and be light. salt makes life good and light makes truth visible so you know this thing about salt um in ancient world salt had four properties salt was valuable people got paid in salt that's why you call it a salary because salt and salary someone's worth their salt they get paid it's all valuable secondly salt was a preservative if you didn't have for sure refrigeration you cover the meat with salt it's preserved salt was an antiseptic so if you get a wound put salt in there cleans it out but the fourth thing is salt duh adds flavor salt adds salt doesn't add it salt doesn't add flavor my bad salt brings out flavor if you ever taste salt on its own it's kind of like but have you ever tried i mean think of the best thing think of the best thing that's pot best thing possible to eat in the world steak i don't know i don't care who you are without salt it's okay but properly salted like okay now we're talking like this is this is the best food in the world but when it has salt on it what does it do it brings out all the flavors here a little pro tip if you like toast tomorrow morning make some toast put some butter on it then have a little salt on top it just pops it's incredible or even peanut butter just it's why because salt brings out the flavor daryl when he's in jail at one point in 2003 he was exonerated and he told me this. I'm like, wait, 2003, you're only in jail for a couple years. What happened? He said, well, the judge who found him guilty found him not guilty. I'm like, you're free. He's like, well, actually what happened was someone new came to the case, and because of a clerical error, I had to stay in jail, stay in prison. And I was like, oh, bro, were you ticked?

16:32 I'm like, I would have been so mad. He's like, no. I said, what'd you do? He said, I praise the Lord. I was like come on. And he said well what do we say? We say God is good all the time. All the time God is good. You say that right? I was like yeah. He said well is it true or is it not?

16:52 If it's true then I'm going to praise him no matter what. I'm like you are salt my brother. Like you are. This is. Imagine being in prison. Think you're going to get out and now you're and being able to praise the Lord. Salt makes life good, even in prison. and you're the salt of the earth.

17:15 You as Christians, we're meant to make life good and the light of the world. What's the light to do? I think this is fascinating. I don't think anyone lights a candle or tries to light a candle and then stares at the flame. I don't think anyone turns on a light bulb and then stares at the light bulb. We light the candle and we see what it illuminates, right? We turn on the light and then we see what is lit up. light makes truth visible and so when jesus says you're the light of the world he's saying okay you live in a way that people can see the truth have you heard of uh scared straight scared straight was a was a movement in prisons uh back in the day there was like specials on this where basically they'd bring in juvenile delinquents or kids at risk and bring them into the prisons and these like mean tough thugs would like surround them and like yell at them and tell them how horrible life in prison is with the gruel and gruel sandwiches and the dementes like all they make and they basically they call it scared straight so we're going to scare you so badly that you don't want to go to jail. Daryl's in jail and he's like that doesn't work. He said I lived on the streets. I know kids who lived on the streets. He said they're carrying AK-47s. They're carrying AR-15s. Like their life is scary. They're not going to be scared by us yelling at them. They've been scared their entire lives. They've never been loved.

18:42 And so what he did was he said, he asked the mayor, asked the governor of Michigan, can you bring these juveniles here and we can surround them with love? And he started a movement called Cared Straight. And for years, mayors all over Michigan, the governors of Detroit, sheriffs, police officers, where they would send their most at-risk kids to Daryl in prison because they knew when they sent them to Daryl, they wouldn't be scared out of prison. They would be cared into living. What does light do? Light makes truth visible. you know i think it's fascinating jesus says the wasted potential of salt and light salt loses its taste lights hidden i think it's i think it's fascinating that that jesus doesn't say you know the salt became evil or the light became evil it didn't become evil it didn't do bad it just became ineffective Thank you.

19:39 It was indistinguishable from anything else, and so it was wasted. and you are the salt of the earth, and you're the light of the world. It's what Jesus is asking us to do. Be salt and be light.

20:03 We've already said the first half, right? Today, tonight, by being in mass, you've already said, Jesus, I don't want to let what you did for me go to waste on me. Amen. But there's a next step. The next step is this. Jesus, I don't want to let what you did for me end with me. I don't want to to love what you did for me. Stop with me because you are salt. You're light. And so what does salt do? Salt makes life good and light makes truth visible. It can't end here.

20:30 So this is the last thing. I imagine if you're in the here and like, okay, I want that. I don't want to let what Jesus did for me go to waste on me. I also don't want to let what Jesus did for me end with me. I need to find a mission. Like, I need to do this. So when are you going to find that mission. I think a lot of us, we say, I'm going to find that mission when I graduate. I'm going to find that mission when this is over. I'm going to find that mission when kids are out of the house. I'm going to find that mission later. I have to wait for things to be perfect, and then I'm going to find that mission, and then I'm going to be liked, and then I'm going to be salt, and then what Jesus has done for me is not going to end with me. And I think about this. When I asked Daryl about the cared straight thing, I said, when did you start that? He said, uh, about three or four years after I got into prison. I was like, wait, you were like 22, like 23 years old when you started this movement in prison to care for younger adolescents? And he's like, yeah, I mean, I'm in prison, but why wait?

21:29 If Daryl could be salt in prison, if Daryl could be light in prison, wherever you are standing right now, wherever you're sitting right now, wherever you are right now, you can be light too. You can be salt too. You don't have to wait. So tonight, this is the invitation. to be able to say tonight, Jesus, I will not let what you did for me go to waste on me.

22:11 And beginning tonight and for the rest of my life, I will not let what you did for me, Jesus, end with me. From now on, no more wasted potential.