Gospel Reflection for September 28 2014
Jesus notices that the Pharisees did not notice the amazing talents of John the Baptist. John knew how to inspire and motivate people to much deeper levels of spirituality. People by the thousands came far out into the desert to see him and be baptized in the Jordan River. The Pharisees could have learned some valuable lessons from John, if only they paid attention.
The Pharisees also did not see how very sinful people had turned their lives around for the better because of his example. They were not paying attention! If they were, a lot of misunderstanding about John and even Our Lord would have been avoided.
Paying attention to what is going on around us is a foundation of a good spiritual life. Mature spirituality is rooted in reality, not fantasy. Yet mature spirituality is also rooted in the virtue of hope. We believe that our lives and even the world can become better.
I hope you have or are now cultivating this kind of realistic and hopeful spirituality. It is the basis for the various book projects I have undertaken from the Archbishop during my sabbatical year. I am working now on a book that will include as many “Best Practices” that I can collect for pastors of parishes. I am looking forward to your help.
I would like to “crowd-source” this book, which is simply a modern term for asking for your ideas, opinions, and examples of good pastoring that I can include in this new manual for pastors. You are the “crowd” I would like to hear from. I promise that I will pay attention to you!
I am sure that you have noticed things that you like about the behavior of pastors and those behaviors that you do not. Now is your chance to itemize them here. You can write as much or as little as you like in a general message, or you can simply reply to the following questions.
- What would I like to tell a new pastor who is arriving in my parish?
- Describe a memory of a great experience with a priest or pastor.
- Describe a memory of a bad experience with a priest or pastor.
- Please add any other ideas that you might have.
Pastors cannot read your minds or the thoughts and opinions that you keep inside. If we want to make sure that priests and pastors perform more effectively in the future, we must make our opinions known. Perhaps you can even discuss your ideas with your family or friends first to hone them into more cogent, concise, and compelling comments. Nevertheless, I will take them from you in any manner that you present them. I will pay attention to you!
You can reply with your comments to this article. I look forward to hearing from you!
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Hello, Fr. Dave,
I worked for you at St. Paschal’s for awhile, until Ed took ill. He is have a very spiritual challenge, as I am also, but I called Betty Ply! whew! feel so much better. I do not know how to write this but, are you able to administer to the sick…? I think it would really help Ed right now?
Bless you, this is awesome!!!
JoAnn and Edward Evans
1. What would I like to tell a new pastor who is arriving in my parish?
If a new pastor wants to be accepted joyfully by the parishioners (goes without saying?) he should become familiar with current operations of the parish and try to minimize changes at first. Then, in making changes, state “let’s try something new…” rather than “this is how we shall do things from now on.”
2. Describe a memory of a great experience with a priest or pastor.
Our pastor was highly skilled at befriending other priests all over the world. These other priests would visit our parish and enrich it by their diversity. It made the parish seem more like a family.
3. Describe a memory of a bad experience with a priest or pastor.
As a sacristan for daily Mass, I was setting up for mass. The last event on the previous day was a funeral, and the sacristan at that event left things in an unusual way. For example, the tabernacle key, which is usually kept in the safe was not there. This was a cause for alarm. After searching around for awhile I found the key in the altar servers drawer. Another issue was that one corporal was left on the altar. I decided to leave the corporal there. I did not notice a small stain on the corporal. At the start of Mass the priest crumpled up the corporal and set it at the edge of the altar. Now this was a new priest, and we were still trying to understand his preferences. I figured that he was removing the corporal so that he could place the missal directly on the altar. I am also the altar server at the Mass, and at the offertory the priest told me to get a new corporal. Not understanding the issue, I brought back the corporal that I had removed. He said that it was stained and I should get a new one, which I did. But then he went into a 5 minute tirade on respect for the Precious Blood while I stood waiting with the gifts to give him. I know that a little humiliation does not hurt me, but this was very unpleasant.
4. Please add any other ideas that you might have.
I think it is a good practice for the priest to spend some time in front of the church with parishioners after Mass.
As always, great ideas!
What would I like to tell a new pastor who is arriving in my parish?
I can only imagine how difficult a task this must be for a new pastor. He is really arriving blind to the community that he will need to nurture. Without grace from above, he has a very difficult if not impossible task. As a parishioner and part of the flock, I think it vitally important for me to not “tell a new pastor” anything, but rather to listen. That being said, I know that advice would be better suited for a book on “Best Practices” for parishioners receiving a new pastor…not the focus of your book.
So what I would like to tell a new pastor is take a deep breath, be as spiritually “in-shape” as possible, and stay very close to the sacraments. Do not get distracted by the “noise” of a parish community, which can be akin to a feeding frenzy on a salmon farm. Be attentive, observe and listen…yes, but know your mission and embrace the essence of your task. In Matthews gospel (Mt 10:5-15), Jesus gave clear instructions when He commissioned the Twelve. I would tell the new pastor to post this passage from Matthew on his bathroom mirror so that he could read it each morning and evening when brushing his teeth.
Describe a memory of a great experience with a priest or pastor.
So many fond memories, but by far the greatest experiences were sitting around the patio with you in the back or the rectory after the Men’s Club board meetings. I will never forget these time…great bonding and friendships. We were just men of faith serving God’s people.
Another incredible gift has been Fr. Joe’s reflections after communion. He truly lifts the entire community in these moments, leading us all into the Mystery of what we have all just experienced.
I always enjoyed Fr. Alex’s kind and loving appeals for vocations. He always use to gently call on my son to consider the priesthood…and who knows, we’ll keep praying. But at least the “seed” was planted.
Describe a memory of a bad experience with a priest or pastor.
I have had all kinds…drunk celebrants, priests that just forgot parts of the Mass, priests that obviously were just not up to the great responsibility that they had at that moment. Certain instances regarding confession have also been difficult to understand. Priests are human too. This happens and it is part of our fabric of faith.
Random questions on reflection…
I have always wondered why John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan River. More specifically, was John a priest or rabbi? Was he part of the fabric of Judaism? Did the Pharisees see him as some sort of coop-partner if you will, who brought people into the Jewish faith, who evangelized for the Jewish faith? Did Judaism have a baptismal sacrament and if not, then where did John come up with this practice? On a deeper and perhaps more practical level, is there a John the Baptist among us today, who we do not recognize or pay attention to?
Thanks for all the great ideas. They are very helpful. The times that the Men’s Club Board met on the patio are some of my fondest memories as well. I still have the chair with all the names on it. Interesting question about John the Baptist. The title “Rabbi” at this time was an honored title given to anyone who was learned in the scriptures or Jewish law and could teach them well. It was not an official position like it is now. Jewish people who had become “unclean” by some infraction of the kosher rules could restore spiritual cleanliness by total immersion in a small pool of water. The water had to be “living water” meaning either running water, or water collected from the rain. Almost every Jewish house had these ritual baths either indoors or outdoors. They might have to use it several times a day. When archaeologists find an ancient house with one of these pools, it is a signal that it is a Jewish house. John adapted that custom in the Jordan River, but it was not for kosher infractions but rather moral infractions, a more serious and more personal issue. Immersion there was meant to help you turn away from moral transgression. John was not concerned about kosher infractions. HE used the Jordan River simply because it was “living water” and was large enough to accommodate all the people who came to him.
Hope that helps!
Fr. Dave
Great pastor traits:
Accessibility to ALL parishioners
Effective leadership
Short, meaningful, well prepared sermons that connect real life to gospel themes
Humility
Compassion
Short message but with powerful concepts. Thanks!
What would I like to tell a new pastor who is arriving in my parish?
I would tell him that after many years as our shepherd we have come to love our old pastor and are often mourning his leave. Give his new parishioners time to get to know him. The old pastor was once a newbie himself. I would tell him to observe what happens in his new parish (ministries, social activities, etc.) and ask him not to try to add his own stamp too quickly but try to support the activities already in place. Trying to add his own stamp too quickly or commenting negatively on things already in place can only breed resentment. I would also say to smile as he walks down the aisle and say hello. You have no idea how much this little acknowledgement means to parishioners.
Describe a memory of a great experience with a priest or pastor
I remember Father Dave’s support of our ministries (Respect Life, Shoeboxes, I.C.F. and choir). I will never forget Father Peter, in his vestments, in a drizzle, carrying shoeboxes to the hall. I also smile when I remember Father Thai stopping, as I sat in the aisle, after surgery. I had not been able to go to confession and was feeling very sad. He stopped and said I could confess right then. I cried but was so grateful for his caring. I could fill a page with just this since I have known many wonderful priests.
Describe a bad memory of a bad experience with a priest or pastor
Our choir was shocked to learn that our pastor (Monsignor George) decided to fire our director and had the new director inform him of this decision. It was done by the new man at a dinner given for him by the old director. Since a number of choir members wanted to help the old director, they sang at his new church as well as St. Paschal’s. They were told they could only sing at one church. This led to a mass exodus to the old leader’s church where we stayed until the pastor left. Another bad experience occurred when we went to that pastor to arrange for a wedding for our daughter. The pastor asked the groom- to- be if he really wanted to marry our daughter since she seemed very nervous. We were, of course, very insulted. He also felt he should be monitoring the treasury of the I.C.F. This isn’t done by any pastor that I know of.
Although many parishes are very busy and the pastor may feel overwhelmed, it is a good thing to try to attend some meetings of the various ministries. It will also benefit a new pastor to seek help from his parishioners-they will be delighted to help and he will get to know his flock more quickly. I would also add that Mass scheduled for Christmas Eve might be better at a little earlier hour since most choir members are often older and this creates a difficulty. My last recommendation would be to be approachable. This can have many rewards since it is then easier to ask for help when help is needed.
Hope this helps. Miss you!
Della and Gino
All good ideas!
1. What would I like to tell a new pastor who is arriving in my parish?
Not only introduce yourself to all in the congregation, but be sure that any new associates are introduced to the entire parish. As a Communion Minister, I attend the same mass every week. St. Paschal has had a new Associate Pastor since July 1st. I have yet to see him. He has never greeted the congregation either before or after this mass in three months. There has been no bio in the bulletin, nor mentioned at mass by the pastor.
This week the bulletin listed yet another new Associate Pastor on the cover page. He has not been introduced nor has there been any mention of him at mass or in the body of the bulletin. He did celebrate 5:30 Sat. mass several weeks ago but did not introduce himself as the new Associate.
When coming into the parish a pastor would be more happily received if he found things to compliment about the parish organizations, rather than immediately making changes. He should take months to learn about the working of all groups, watching them in action before making suggestions for changes, and getting feedback before implementing them. Even though he will never please everyone, he could at least “gather a coalition” by listening to those who are involved in making the organizations work well.
2. Describe a memory of a great experience with a priest or pastor.
One of the experiences which always deeply affected me was when Fr. Dave elevated the host before communion and said “Let us look with the eyes of faith”. It says it all!
3. Describe a memory of a bad experience with a priest or pastor.
Our Cardinal encouraged Catholics to encourage immigrants to come to Los Angeles illegally for sanctuary rather than encouraging Catholics to work to change the immigration laws legally. The same Cardinal ignored the law during the investigations of child abuse by priests.
Hello! Thanks for writing! I appreciate your comments. I certainly agree with the idea of waiting before making changes. God bless! Fr. Dave
I agree with everyone’s comments here and would add one more: it is important to show some humanity during the homily and relate your interpretation of the Gospel to everyday living. I don’t need to hear someone tell me that I’m a sinner and I may be heading downstairs. I think most of us have a pretty good idea where we line up, morally speaking. It is not helpful to hit someone over the head with it. I have connected best with priests who tie in remarks about non-priestly things of interest to them, as well, i.e. Father Dave’s jokes about USC vs. UCLA. Makes you more human.
A very recent bad experience with a priest: Right before the final blessing, this priest made pointed remarks about folks who leave church right after Communion, to the tune of giving us a numerical tally from a recent Mass and saying that he didn’t know what this says about St Paschal’s parish. Insulting and presumptuous on anyone’s part and certainly not appropriate at the end of a Mass. Maybe he meant well, but the message was not well received. I’m not saying it is right people leave before Mass is concluded, but that is between them and the Lord. There may be legitimate times when that is necessary, in my book, i.e. having an elderly parent or severely handicapped child to get home to, if someone else is watching them for you; being a doctor called out on a medical emergency, etc. All I know is, it is no one’s place, but Gods’, to judge that.
Thanks for writing. I completely agree with your comments about statements made at Mass. They should always be delivered in a positive manner and in a way that is not presumptuous or condescending. Most importantly, as you indicate, we have no idea why some people may have to leave Mass early, and we should always give them the benefit of the doubt. Well said!
1. Be a faithful representative of the Catholic Church by avoiding interjecting personal political leanings into homilies.
2. Related to #1, please speak the truth. We really do want to hear the truth even at the risk of disagreeing (at least initially) with you.
3. Be accessible to all your parishioners (Fr Dave was excellent about being visible before and after Mass)
4. It’s a small thing but it demonstrates your devotion to your vocation and your respect for your position as shepherd to your parish- wear your collar please. My husband wears Hawaiian shirts not the parish priest!
5. Teach. Please share your theological instruction with us. Share your knowledge on scripture, the Ten Commandments, Traditions of the Church- we want to learn more about how to be close to God.
Thanks for asking…
thanks for writing! I appreciate your comments especially. Thank you! I agree with the idea of wearing the collar, and certainly around the parish grounds. IF anything, it helps people find you in the crowd on Sunday mornings! All great ideas. Thanks for sending them in.