I had this conversation with my dad when I was kid. As a 5th grade altar boy, I remember talking to my dad about how scared I was of Fr. Driscoll. Fr. Driscoll was our pastor at Christ the King in south Minneapolis.
At the end of the conversation, Dad reminded me “Bob, even though Fr. Driscoll can be scary you’ve got to remember he’s a priest. And priests, are to be respected. Think of it this way, I’m just a sales guy, but Fr. Driscoll is a priest, a man of God. And being a priest is the highest call there is.”
I had almost the same conversation with my dad the day I got ordained. I couldn’t exactly remember what we were talking about but at the end of the conversation he said something like, “Bob, don’t get me wrong. I love what I do. But I’m just a sales guy. But as a priest you have chosen the highest call there is.”
Then there was the conversation with a dad at a parish I was serving. He had a son with special needs. Caring for his son was keeping him going twenty-four seven. Every day it was the same routine. The work was not glamorous. I asked him how he was doing. “Father, I’m just a dad muddling his way through life barely keeping up with my special needs son. But you’re a priest and that’s the highest calling there is”. And my response to him, “With the way you’re devoting your life to your son, you should be up for canonization!”
The priest has the highest calling” what about that? Is that how we’re supposed to see the priest, as a notch higher than everybody else? Don’t get me wrong. I love being a priest. And it’s an honor and a privilege for me to do what I do, and I pray that I can do that humbly. So, what I say is not in any way intended to diminish the role of the priest. Yet, we need to remember that by baptism we’re all called to serve Christ. So, it’s not about who’s more important. It’s about the value each of us has in what we’re each called to do.”
We heard how when Jesus saw the crowds his heart was moved with compassion. So, he was moved to say, “The harvest is great and the laborers are few”. But who are the laborers and what are they called to do? We are the laborers -the laborers are the ordained and non-ordained alike. We all have “skin in the game”. And that includes my dad the sales guy, the dad whose son has special needs, and everyone here today. And the work of the harvest? It’s the invitation to join Christ in the work he’s doing in the world today. That’s the Kingdom work that is ours to do.
For our assignment for this week, strengthened by the Eucharistic food we share at this Mass, as you leave Mass today remember this, Christ is there waiting to put you to work. So, no matter what you’ve got going on this week, put on your work gloves, roll up your sleeves and get at it. And know that no matter how ordinary you think your work is, it’s a “noble work.” It’s a “noble work” because it’s not just your work, it’s Christ’s work.
So, know that in whatever you’re working on, you’re not alone. There’s someone there doing it with you. Call on him when you need him. He’s just a prayer away.
Thought for the day…
Any time we think the problem is out there, that very thought is the problem because we empower what is out there to have its way with us.