Holy Cross Association
Third Sunday in Lent
March 7th , 2010
It’s hard to put the readings for this third Sunday of Lent together. They seem so disjointed and unconnected. Pondering them in the course of a morning, it finally occurred to me that the word “sudden” would be the connecting point.
Moses’ life was changed in a flash when he saw the burning bush. Jesus mentions the sudden death of the Jews in the Temple, and the death of those who were building a tower. The fig tree was spared a sudden death when the tree keeper asked for another year to nurture the tree. Paul, in the Second Reading, also employs the motif of suddenness when he cautions: “Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” Falls are always sudden and unexpected, and can be life-altering.
We see it in the news…people shot and killed, the death of the Georgian luger in the Olympics, car accidents. Every month I get letters from benefactors asking for enrollments or Masses for a family member or friend who died suddenly and unexpectedly, and God knows, in 34 years of ministry I’ve presided at enough funerals where that happened.
And it’s not just dying. A diagnosis of cancer or other fatal disease makes for a sudden and abrupt turnaround in a person’s life. Forced retirement, layoffs, a spouse suddenly walking out…life is filled with moments that can potentially turn things downside up and upside down.
So the point Jesus is trying to make in the Gospel is simply: “Are you prepared?” Are you prepared for life’s curve balls and bean balls that come out of nowhere, without warning? Have you made provisions for you future and theirs, such as Wills, POA’s, health care directives? Is there any unfinished business in your life, any unspoken words, especially with those you love? Are you prepared at this moment to meet God knowing that you’ve sincerely tried to deal with sinful habits and behaviors?
We just cannot assume that there’s no hurry. You and I have absolutely no guarantee that we’ll be alive one minute from now. I’m not trying to freak you…I mean, that’s a reality of our human lives. So let’s use the present moment well to……
Love, laugh, and pray!!Fr. Herb
Reflections from the most recent Cross Links
November 2009
One Priests Joys and Sorrows
In the last issue of Cross Links, I shared a little bit of my vocation story…how I ended up in Holy Cross, how God lead me to specific ministries over the years, what I’ve come to value, etc. While wondering what to write for the second part, I happened to preside at the Eucharist for the residents of St. Paul’s Retirement community on September 3rd, the memorial of St. Gregory the Great. The Opening Prayer for the mem-orial closed with these words: “May the growth of your people in holiness be the eternal joy of our shepherds.”
As soon as I prayed that, I knew what the next reflection would be: the joys and sorrows of the priesthood. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Now please realize that these are my joys and sorrows. I suspect many are shared by my brother priests, but each individual would have his own unique things to add.
That Opening Prayer truly does capture what is my single greatest joy: helping others grow in holiness. For me, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not buildings erected, monies raised or collected, long lines for confession, numbers of people at Mass, number of baptisms and weddings, and so on. I feel benchmarks like those are a poor way to calculate the value of one’s priestly ministry. For some, they might work; but I can’t do it that way.
Holiness for me is not saintliness, or sinlessness, or hours spent in prayer or good works. For one thing, we’ll never be sinless this side of heaven. Prayer and good works are part of any good person’s life. I believe “growth in holiness” means growth in self-acceptance – humbly and gratefully accepting who I am at this moment, realizing that my all-too-human imperfections are the very essence of holiness because they can lead me right into God’s arms. Holiness is knowing that I am God’s dearly beloved and that nothing I do will ever separate me from that love. It’s being able to see how God is at work in my life, and then being quick to respond to that presence with gratitude, awe, wonder…. and yes, sometimes even with honest anger and frustration. I’ve tried to let these values color and flavor my listening, preaching, and writing.
In order to help others in their growth, I have to tend to my own; after all, Jesus did say love your neighbor as yourself. That’s why, in the last newsletter, I mentioned the absolute necessity of taking time for prayer and reflection. I constantly tell seminarians that taking this time is the single most important thing they can do for the people they serve. Good ministry de-mands times of not being available to others so that I can be available to Jesus and the Spirit.
What are some of my other joys?
It’s a huge privilege to lead the folks in prayer, especially at Mass. I love gazing at the assembled community and seeing the catholicity of the Church in all its individual richness and uniqueness. To this day the iconic image of what the Church is all about was seeing a local bank president and his family sitting in a pew behind a woman who was a housekeeper in his bank, sharing the meal, singing together, exchanging the Greeting of Peace. In no other place than Mass would they have ever come together!
Baptism and weddings are lots of fun, especially when it comes to my family. I’m now baptizing the children of the children I baptized, or whose weddings I witnessed – it makes me a spiritual grandpa. I should also mention the RCIA programs I’ve worked with…oh man, what a celebration the Easter Vigil is as we bring to fruition the faith journey of the candidates.
Funerals can be joyful events, as we truly celebrate the goodness of the deceased person’s life – I think for example, of Martha Crimmins, whose family had balloons and flowers all over church. It was just pure Martha! Or they can be the saddest moments possible…such as meeting the funeral director in potter’s field along with the backhoe operator. A cardboard box is the casket for the deceased, and a cement slab with a number is his/her headstone.
I find great joy in the generosity of folks, their willingness to help out with the nitty-gritty stuff so that our Church and parishes might flourish. The parish staffs, the sacristans, the housekeepers and cooks, those who volunteer for work on the committees, the councils, the bazaars, the religious ed and school teachers, the choir members and music directors, the money-counters, the custodians. No one ever gets rich working for the Catholic Church, so I know a deeper motive of ministry impels these folks to work for our good as they do.
Knowing that one has made a difference in others’ lives is yet another great joy. By the same token, knowing that I made a negative difference in someone’s life is a deep sorrow. The latter was rarely deliberate. It was more a case of foot-in-mouth, laziness, self-righteousness, a know-it-all hubris, or selfishness in protecting personal time and space. One makes amends as one can…but still…..
In addition to the hurt I’ve done, there are three other things that cause deep sorrow.
First, intransigence. I get totally frustrated and angry when folks cannot and will not listen to each other. Many have been the town hall or one-on-one meetings where some policy or change was introduced or explained, and there were those who loudly, vehe-mently, and continuously expressed their disagreement and opposition. The Holy Spirit has given everyone a piece of the truth, and unity depends on both sharing and acceptance. Shouting matches are a sign that the grace of the Holy Spirit is NOT being accepted and used. One tries to listen and be accommodating, but eventually there comes a point when all a person can do is follow the advice of Jesus to his apostles: “If a town or village will not hear you, shake the dust off your feet and move on.” In other words, sometimes a pastor or administrator will simply have to say “Enough! It’s going to be this way.”
Closely following on this is what I perceive to be the unwillingness of religious leadership to listen to the wisdom and lived experience of ordinary folks. There all-too-often seems to be an attitude – present among clergy and laity – that the Holy Spirit speaks only to clergy appointed or elected to high office. I know many of my brother priests share a sadness and pessimism about this. One recounted a story told by Richard Rohr of how in 1917 all the hierarchy of Russia gathered together to discuss what color stole should be used at Benediction, when outside the Russian Revolution was raging. There’s a reason that one of the fastest-growing religious groups in the United States is fallen-away Catholics.
I’m not saying leadership is totally responsible for this. No way…it takes two to tango. My desire for leadership to take the folks seriously is leavened with the knowledge that I have an obligation to responsibly listen to those who have the charism of leadership, instead of automatically dismissing them as out-of-touch fuddy-duddies.
A third sorrow comes when I think of people who have been deeply hurt or driven away from the Church by clerical attitudes and behavior. The pedophilia scandal is an obvious example. Someone recently told me that she did not become Catholic because when she and her husband went to have their child baptized, the priest said the child was illegitimate because they had been married civilly.
The local Diocese used to have what was called Mercy Day, a day set aside when all parish priests would be available to talk with anyone who wished to return to the church. At dinner that night, Fr. Mike told us of a gal he had talked with who went to confession years ago and confessed an abortion. The priest said: “If I had a gun right now, I’d shoot you.”
A benefactor recently wrote and said her son and daughter-in-law were coming back to the Church. She expressed the hope that their parish priest would be compassionate. Why in the name of God would she have to express that hope in the first place?!
The above sorrows could easily be summarized by reflecting on the largeness or smallness of one’s world, the wideness or narrowness of one’s vision, whether one sees change and difference as a threat or a promise. A great part of my joy in assisting others in their growth in holiness is watching their world expand, seeing their hearts take on the immensity of Jesus’ heart, seeing their fears turning to a hope-full and faith-full realization that indeed God is faithful. It’s seeing them realize that the Church is not a fortress to be defended, but a home from which we can sally forth into the wideness of God’s mercy and goodness. Really, this is what resurrection is all about!
I yearn for full fruition of those words from the prayer in the opening paragraph of this reflection. Please, Father, Jesus, divine Spirit, please help us be all that we can be. Grant us priests who cherish life in all its fullness. Grant relief to those who are exhausted, who have a hard time seeing the fruits of their ministry. And above all, gracious Spirit, grant us many more men and women willing to serve your people, the Body of Christ.
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