Memoir Mentors

Paying our debt to our memorable mentors

04/25/2017

Mark 16:15-20 

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

          We all have mentors in our lives, people who have shaped our thinking and therefore our behavior and therefore our whole life. They are our go-to guides, whom we look to for light in the darkness. Several years ago I met Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in Little Rock. He was the keynote speaker at the “Red Mass,” which is for all those who work in the legal profession: judges, attorneys, paralegals, etc. He shared his sincere struggles with the Catholic Church, which he had left in his twenties, but returned to later in life. One of Thomas’ mentors was the pastor of the Cathedral in Savannah, where Thomas was an altar server. That pastor was Msgr. Andrew McDonald – recognize that name? – who would later become bishop of Arkansas. Justice Thomas accepted Bishop McDonald’s invitation to speak at the Red Mass because Thomas saw him as one of his childhood mentors.

          I later read Thomas’ memoirs, called My Grandfather’s Son, which described his debt to his maternal grandfather, who raised him. Myers Anderson was tough on Thomas, and sent him to Catholic schools. He sternly warned him: “If you die, I will drag your body to school and leave it there for three days, just in case you’re faking.” Being a mentor does not mean you are a mamby pamby. Our mentors make us who we are.

          Today is the feast of St. Mark, the Evangelist, and he, too, had a memorable mentor, namely, St. Peter. Yes, that St. Peter. You will recall that Mark wrote one of the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – but you’ll also remember that Mark was not one of the twelve apostles. So, how did Mark learn about the life of the Lord? Mark was a follower of St. Peter, indeed, Mark was his Peter’s personal scribe and interpreter, faithfully following the Fisherman on his journeys, all the way to Rome, where Peter met his martyrdom. This fact explains the reason for the readings chosen for today’s Mass for St. Mark. The gospel records Jesus final command to his apostles, who “went forth and preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them.” St. Mark knew well how far the apostles went in preaching because he was by Peter’s side. And in the first reading from the letter of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles writes: “The chosen one at Babylon send your greeting, as does my son, Mark.” Mark was not literally Peter’s son, but that shows how much affection Peter had for Mark, like Myers Anderson had for Clarence Thomas. In other words, the readings invite us to see the power of Peter as the main mentor for Mark. Peter’s preaching shaped Mark’s thinking and therefore his behavior, and therefore his whole life. Our mentors make us who we are.

          Today, try to think of your own mentors, and if possible, take the time to thank them. Maybe it will be a parent, or a grandparent, or a teacher, or a coach, or even a priest! Sometimes we may never meet our mentors, like when they are authors of books, like Shakespeare, or Scott Hahn or Archbishop Fulton Sheen. But they, too, shape our thinking, our behavior, and our lives. I’ll never forget how Fr. George Tribou would invite me to supper at Steak and Ale when I was home from the seminary. I can’t remember our conversations, but I wouldn’t be surprised if had said, “If you die, I’ll drag your body back to the seminary and leave it there for three days, just in case you’re faking.” My mentors were no mamby pambies.

          But also realize that you are mentors to others, and do not underestimate your influence. Charles Barkley once famously said, “I’m not going to be a role model for anyone.” But whether he likes it or not, Sir Charles is a role model that many young people emulate. Yesterday, while mowing the grounds at Trinity, I stopped to play basketball with some 7th graders, like Fr. Jack Harris used to play at recess with us. I love seeing Sr. Becky and Sr. Judith and Bill Buerlger and Martha Osbun helping with the reading program after school.  Do you realize what they are doing? They are shaping those children’s thinking, and therefore their behavior, and therefore their whole lives. Who knows, maybe one day many years from now, one of those students will become a Supreme Court Justice, and thank them in their memoirs.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!