Daily Retreat 06/15/08
2008 Jun 15 SUN: ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Ex 19: 2-6a/ Ps 99(100): 1-2. 3. 5 (3c)/ Rom 5: 6-11/ Mt 9: 36 – 10: 8
Where do priests come from?
Where do babies come from? It seems parents are never quite prepared for that very natural question, or even if the parents believe they are prepared, the question is inevitably raised in an inopportune time or place - perhaps visitors are present in the house, and the indelicacy of possible scandal, or a imminent appointment means there isn’t sufficient time for a detailed answer. Stories of storks and cabbage patches are ridiculous enough that it’s unlikely that such tales are even halfway believed by even the littlest kids! It’s clear that only a pressured mom or dad, caught off guard with such a serious call to parental responsibility, frantically stalling for time while fumbling to figure out the appropriate answer and the right time for that answer, would have been creative enough to come up with such an fanciful explanation. The true answer is that babies come from God, ideally and generally with the loving, prayerful, and committed assistance and cooperation, “working together” of the parents! (Whatever children might be reading this and are curious for more details, I respectfully refer back to their parents!).
Where do priests come from? It seems parishioners are never quite prepared for that very natural question, or even if the parishioners believe they are prepared, the question is inevitably raised in an inopportune time or place - perhaps visitors are present in the house, and the consternation of priestly scandals, or some crucial upcoming Sunday recreation plans like watching a game, or playing in the lake, or taking care of the grass means that many would begrudge me sufficient time right now for a detailed answer. And while no one dares to suggest that the newly ordained, the “baby priests,” are delivered by storks, there is an equally ridiculous myth that is still flying around (and more than halfway believed!) , and that’s the idea that priests come from other parishes, and other families, but certainly not from our parish, and our family. It’s clear that only a pressured parish, caught off guard with such a serious call to Christian responsibility, frantically stalling for time while fumbling to figure out the appropriate answer and the right time for that answer, would have been creative enough to come up with such an fanciful explanation. The true answer is that priests come from God, ideally and generally with the loving, prayerful, and committed assistance and cooperation, “working together” of the parishioners.
Curious for more details? Well, perhaps, after all, this is the right time and place, especially if we give ear to the Gospel words of our Lord, “the harvest is plenty, but laborers are few; pray, therefore, to the Lord of the harvest, that He send laborers to His harvest.” Indeed, the potential harvest is plenty - dozens in our neighborhoods, hundreds, if not thousands, of people in our own communities, millions in our nation, and billions in our world, are all ripe for the preaching of Jesus, the High Priest. Or, if you pardon a mixing (or at least a transplanting) of the metaphor - these dozens, hundreds, thousands, millions and billions are positively parched, desperately in need of the creed of Christ and His sacramental seed of life, love, hope, faithfulness, truth, and beauty. Yes, as the Lord repeated elsewhere, “Look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest!”
But whence come the workers for this harvest? For no matter how numerous or rich the congregation, they can’t make a priest - but we can pray, and pray, and pray to the Lord of the Harvest, Who, through the Bishop, continues to call by name to priestly service for today’s harvest a new Peter, Andrew, Tom and Matthew, Jim and John, and others, yes, from your parish, from your family! And these, the Lord of the harvest continues to send to His harvest, even when such faithful workers are sullied by the scandal of being joined by a Judas.
Neither I, nor any other priest, could have even set out on the road to ordination without being called first by the Lord of the Harvest. But precious few, if any, of us priests have answered His call without the loving, prayerful, and committed assistance and cooperation, “working together” of our parents and parishes. So, forget about storks and other crazy myths about baby priests coming just from other parishes and other families - the true answer is that laborers come from the Lord of the harvest, priests come from God, ideally and generally with the loving, prayerful, and committed assistance and cooperation, “working together” of parents and parishioners!
Ex 19: 2-6a/ Ps 99(100): 1-2. 3. 5 (3c)/ Rom 5: 6-11/ Mt 9: 36 – 10: 8
Where do priests come from?
Where do babies come from? It seems parents are never quite prepared for that very natural question, or even if the parents believe they are prepared, the question is inevitably raised in an inopportune time or place - perhaps visitors are present in the house, and the indelicacy of possible scandal, or a imminent appointment means there isn’t sufficient time for a detailed answer. Stories of storks and cabbage patches are ridiculous enough that it’s unlikely that such tales are even halfway believed by even the littlest kids! It’s clear that only a pressured mom or dad, caught off guard with such a serious call to parental responsibility, frantically stalling for time while fumbling to figure out the appropriate answer and the right time for that answer, would have been creative enough to come up with such an fanciful explanation. The true answer is that babies come from God, ideally and generally with the loving, prayerful, and committed assistance and cooperation, “working together” of the parents! (Whatever children might be reading this and are curious for more details, I respectfully refer back to their parents!).
Where do priests come from? It seems parishioners are never quite prepared for that very natural question, or even if the parishioners believe they are prepared, the question is inevitably raised in an inopportune time or place - perhaps visitors are present in the house, and the consternation of priestly scandals, or some crucial upcoming Sunday recreation plans like watching a game, or playing in the lake, or taking care of the grass means that many would begrudge me sufficient time right now for a detailed answer. And while no one dares to suggest that the newly ordained, the “baby priests,” are delivered by storks, there is an equally ridiculous myth that is still flying around (and more than halfway believed!) , and that’s the idea that priests come from other parishes, and other families, but certainly not from our parish, and our family. It’s clear that only a pressured parish, caught off guard with such a serious call to Christian responsibility, frantically stalling for time while fumbling to figure out the appropriate answer and the right time for that answer, would have been creative enough to come up with such an fanciful explanation. The true answer is that priests come from God, ideally and generally with the loving, prayerful, and committed assistance and cooperation, “working together” of the parishioners.
Curious for more details? Well, perhaps, after all, this is the right time and place, especially if we give ear to the Gospel words of our Lord, “the harvest is plenty, but laborers are few; pray, therefore, to the Lord of the harvest, that He send laborers to His harvest.” Indeed, the potential harvest is plenty - dozens in our neighborhoods, hundreds, if not thousands, of people in our own communities, millions in our nation, and billions in our world, are all ripe for the preaching of Jesus, the High Priest. Or, if you pardon a mixing (or at least a transplanting) of the metaphor - these dozens, hundreds, thousands, millions and billions are positively parched, desperately in need of the creed of Christ and His sacramental seed of life, love, hope, faithfulness, truth, and beauty. Yes, as the Lord repeated elsewhere, “Look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest!”
But whence come the workers for this harvest? For no matter how numerous or rich the congregation, they can’t make a priest - but we can pray, and pray, and pray to the Lord of the Harvest, Who, through the Bishop, continues to call by name to priestly service for today’s harvest a new Peter, Andrew, Tom and Matthew, Jim and John, and others, yes, from your parish, from your family! And these, the Lord of the harvest continues to send to His harvest, even when such faithful workers are sullied by the scandal of being joined by a Judas.
Neither I, nor any other priest, could have even set out on the road to ordination without being called first by the Lord of the Harvest. But precious few, if any, of us priests have answered His call without the loving, prayerful, and committed assistance and cooperation, “working together” of our parents and parishes. So, forget about storks and other crazy myths about baby priests coming just from other parishes and other families - the true answer is that laborers come from the Lord of the harvest, priests come from God, ideally and generally with the loving, prayerful, and committed assistance and cooperation, “working together” of parents and parishioners!
posted by FrPitstick | 6/07/2008
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