Father Dreamy

Making our faith a priority

John 6:8-15

One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”  Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”  Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.  So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.  Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.  When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.”  So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments  from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”  Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

            Have you heard this phrase before, “Father what-a-waste”?  I first heard it in the seminary when people applied it to priests who were especially talented.  These men were intelligent and smart, handsome like movie stars, compassionate and loving, strong and courageous, faith-filled and devout, and did I mention handsome?  Sometimes people refer to such priests as “Father Dreamy” because he’s like a dream come true.  As for me, I was never called “Father Dreamy.”  While studying canon law in Washington D.C., I decided to grow my beard to see what I would look like, kind of like that “No-shave November” idea.  Well, my beard grew very thick and straight out like a porcupine.  My friends called me “Hezbollah.”  Sorry, I don’t mean any offense to the radical Islamist group in Lebanon.

            But the idea of behind “Father What-a-waste” or “Father Dreamy” is that this man could have done so much more with his life instead of becoming a simple priest.  He could have become a movie-star and driven down Rodeo Drive in a convertible; or a Wall Street business tycoon who could donate tons of money to the Church; or maybe become the president of the U.S and bring peace and prosperity to the whole world.  Wouldn’t that be better than being a poor priest just saying Mass and hearing confessions all day?  What a waste!  Has that thought ever crossed your mind when you see an especially gifted priest?

            Well, don’t worry, you are not the first person to ever think that; so did the people in today’s gospel reading.  In arguably one of the most pivotal points in John’s gospel, chapter six, Jesus feeds over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish.  But for my money, that’s not the really amazing part; it’s what happens next.  How do the people react to that miracle?  Well, they wanted to carry Jesus off and make him king.  In other words, they had found the perfect priest, “Father Dreamy,” and surely his talents were being wasted just preaching and healing and blessing babies.  Jesus could do so much more if we made him King!  And how did Jesus react to their reaction?  John writes, “He withdrew again to the mountain alone.”  It’s almost as if Jesus is saying, “I would rather be ‘Father What-a-waste’ rather than “the king of the world” as Leonardo DiCaprio said in the movie “Titanic.””  That is, I don’t want to just feed you with the bread of men, but especially with the bread of angels.  I don’t want to just heal your physical wounds but primarily your moral and spiritual ones.  I don’t want you to live forever on earth but I came so you might live eternally in heaven.  You see, Jesus spent his life as an itinerant preacher and died poor and pennyless and perfect on the Cross.  Jesus was the greatest “Father What-a-waste” that ever lived; Father Dreamy who chose the Cross instead of the Castle.

            As you know, I am now the Administrator of Trinity Junior High.  We don’t have a lot of money, so I’m mowing the grass these days, and I enjoy it.  People often think I’m the gardener, which I guess is at least a little better than people thinking I’m Hezbollah!  But while I mow, I’ve got lots of time to reflect on why more parents don’t send their children to Trinity, or other Catholic schools.  Of course, for some people it’s a financial burden and that’s understandable.  But that is not the case for everyone.  I suspect that some parents may think it’s a waste to send their children to Catholic schools in order to help them learn the Catholic faith.  Surely, they can spend that tuition money on so many other things, other things that could do so much more good for their children and for the world.  Doesn’t every mother and father want their child to be a movie star or a business tycoon or the president of the United States?  And they wonder, “Will that happen if my child goes to a Catholic school?  Maybe all that’s going to happen is my child will become a “Father What-a-waste.””  And so, you see, enrollment declines in Catholic schools for the very same reason that the people in the gospel wanted Jesus to be a king instead of the Suffering Servant that Isaiah prophesied.  We want Father Dreamy to choose the Castle instead of the Cross.

            Ask yourself today: if you had been in that crowd and seen the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, would you have wanted to make Jesus a king so he could do so much “more good”?  Or would you have followed Jesus to the Cross and watched him die as a “Father What-a-waste”?  You know what the right answer is, but is that how you live every day?

            St. Francis of Assisi once said that if you were walking down a street and came up on angel from heaven and a priest at the same time, you should stop and greet the priest first, and then the angel second.  Why? Because only the priest can give you the sacraments that will give you eternal life.  And by the way, that would be true even if that priest looks like “Father Hezbollah”!

            Praised be Jesus Christ!