Oct
4
St. Francis, Fr. Joe & Our Parish Priests
October 4, 2007 |
Today the Church commemorates the life of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscans.
In thinking about St. Francis, I’m reminded of a priest . . . Fr. Joe . . . who was one of the most influential priests in my life. Fr. Joe is a Franciscan. He was my campus minister in college and my wife and I tracked him down 12 years later to preside over our marriage celebration.
Fr. Joe is one of the most kind-hearted, giving, full-of-life people I know. His humility and joy permeates everything he does and infects the souls of the lost sheep that he shepherds.
It gets me to thinking . . . do we give enough credit and support to our priests, especially our parish priests?
It doesn’t matter the parish, Catholics always seem to be complaining about their parish priests. Yet, they are called to do a hard and long job in which they have to be on their game pretty much 24/7. They have to be proficient in theology, philosophy, sociology, psychology, finance, administration, organizational behavior, public relations, politics, marketing, fundraising, law, human resources, education (especially if there is a parish school), and operations. They are not only a shepherd to their flocks – entrusted with guiding their sheep to eternal life – but they are also a CEO answering to a thousand bosses – the most important of whom, of course, are God, the Pope and the Archbishop.
They don’t have a wife to comfort them . . . they can’t say “no” to most social invitations . . . and they are given absolutely no slack for any of the human frailties that inflict the rest of us on a daily basis.
With all due respect to Fr. Kyle over at Called by Name, why would anyone want to become a priest?
Well, the answer to that question is simple . . . they want to become priests because they are individually called by God to do so. It’s not an easy job but it’s a job that “The Called” cannot refuse. St. Francis understood that. He was well-off and his father wanted him to go into the family business. Nevertheless, St. Francis heard the call and acted on it. Eight hundred years later, there are orders of priests, nuns, and laity all over the world that look to St. Francis as the inspiration for their own commitment to the calling of God.
Priests aren’t perfect . . . after all they’re human beings. There are bad apples in the bunch . . . there are in every profession. All of our parish priests can do better . . . so can the CEO’s of any company or president of any organization. Some priests are going to disappoint us . . . but how much of our disappointment is the result of our own unrealistic expectations.
Take a moment to look at your parish priests for what they are . . . not what they are not. Recognize he is in a job that none of us lay men signed up for. While we were called to marriage and fatherhood, they were called to the priesthood. Just as we screw up on a daily basis at our vocation, I’m sure they screw up at their vocation. But, just as we try our hardest and have our shining moments, so do they.
We need to cut our priests the same slack we expect others to cut us. Yes, let’s ensure the Church weeds out those who engage in criminal behavior and let’s ensure our parish priests have all of the constructive input they need from us as parishioners in order to do a good job for us and the Church. But, let’s be careful and considerate with the expectations we expect them to fulfill and let’s remember that the only expectations they really have to fulfill are those of God and Christ. And above all, let’s be thankful for what they do for us.
You’ve got to a real man to be a priest . . . a high standard for any of us. Most importantly, they are doing God’s work and following in Christ’s path each and every day. Incredible stuff when you really think about it.
Fr. Joe is a great man who can still light up my soul even though I haven’t been in contact with him in years. He does honor to his order and its founder. Like most other priests, he does honor to God and Christ our Lord. Let’s never forget that. And above all, let’s make sure we pray for them and always thank God for them.
Painting: “St. Francis of Assisi Praying” - Bartolomew Esteban Murillo (1617-82)
