Set The World On Fire

When you think of a speech given by a priest on a college campus on a Friday night, you probably imagine an old man preaching about the horrors of human pleasures and the need to avoid hedonism. The Rev. Brett Brannen, however, may have changed those perceptions.

On Sept. 26, Brannen spoke at UST. His speech was entitled “To Set the World on Fire,” and along with the discussion of vocation,  included well timed jokes and many lessons. 

The main subject of the night was discernment of vocations. Brannen described as finding God’s will in your life whether that be through marriage, religious life or the lay ministry. 

To open his speech, Brannen told a beautiful story about an elementary school he worked at as a young priest. He reminisced about the penance he gave the young children. He told the children to go to the chapel and tell Jesus, present in the Eucharist, that they loved Him. 

Through this story, Brannen conveyed his first, of many, slogans of the night: “Bring people to Jesus and get out of the way.”  This simple statement, held a message behind it.  

According to Brannen, at the end of the day, the only thing that can bring a person to God is their will to love him.

Though out his talk, Brannen told little anecdotes about his time in the seminary, which he entered, left and reentered twice before he finally answered God’s calling. Brannen told the audience he was elated when he answered God’s calling, because only God can give true happiness. 

In a similar sense, according to Brannen, he has the perfect spouse. He shared the mindset, that as a priest, he considers himself being married to the church. 

He followed this belief with a lesson for married people: when talking to your spouse, never say, “You are everything I am looking for,” or “I have found the perfect person.” 

With these phrases, you are setting your marriage up for failure, according to  Brannen. God is what you need. 

This view is reflected with his second statement. 

"Only Jesus can fill the God shaped hole in your heart,” Brannen said.

The whole night was crafted to feel like a beautiful learning environment.

Everyone there was able to take a little knowledge from Brannen and let it lift their spirits. 

Overall, Brannen focused on propelling the love of Christ through his speech. He let the audience know that the only way they will receive true happiness is by accepting God’s plan in their life. 

By the end of the night, many were moved to profound self-reflection, specifically when Brannen challenged the audience to accept God’s will right then.