Queens versus Bishops

Seeing how obeying others brings greater joy

12/17/2023

Jn 1:6-8, 19-28 A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” asIsaiah the prophet said.”

This December I celebrate ten years as pastor of Immaculate Conception. By the way, I never last that long in a parish, so this is no small miracle! I want to tell you how I became pastor of IC because it is rather humorous. I had just returned from three months with the Carmelites in Dallas, discerning a call to become a Carmelite friar. The bishop invited me to have lunch with him at an Indian restaurant in Little Rock.

Toward the end of the meal, he said, “John I was thinking of sending you to Fort Smith to be the pastor of Immaculate Conception. What do you think of that?” I answered, “Well, I don’t know much about IC or Fort Smith but if that’s where you need me, I will go.” After the meal as we walked to our cars, he handed me an envelope. I got into my car and opened it, hoping for money inside, but there wasn’t any.

Instead, it was my letter of appointment as pastor of I.C.! Then I opened my email as I let my car warm up. There was already an email from the bishop to the entire diocese announcing I would be the new pastor of I.C.! It was sent by the bishop’s secretary as soon as he got into the car and called her. In other words, the bishop really did not need my advice about my appointment, and sometimes that is best.

Recently I was reading in the Catholic news about the new auxiliary bishop in Boston, Cristiano Barbosa. The article said: “He recalled driving to a pastoral council [meeting] around 6 p.m." Fr. Barbosa said: “I received this call in English with a French accent. Cardinal Pierre said, ‘Please stop the car.’ I said, ‘I’m on Bluetooth,’ and he said, ‘No, stop the car’.” Then he told him he would be bishop. Barbosa also joked that his 10 year-old nephew exclaimed: 'Hey, now you are finally a piece on the chess board!'” A bishop.

But even the mighty bishops on a chess board do not move themselves. They are moved by the players. They are told where to go. In other words, we priests and bishops are sent by others to serve the people of God. And we find a wonderful joy in doing the will of another rather than our own. I have found a tremendous amount of joy in the last 10 years, and I know some of you have too.

Today is called Gaudete Sunday, which is Latin and means, “Rejoice, ya’ll!” I remember Archbishop Sartain once joked that the plural of “ya’ll” is “all of ya’ll”. And our Scriptures are examples of the joy that comes from being sent and serve others, moved like chess pieces on the board. In the first reading Isaiah says, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, etc.” You may remember Jesus quotes that passage from Is 61 as he inaugurates his public ministry in Luke 4:18.

In the second reading from 1 Thess 5, St. Paul urges the early Greek Christians to “rejoice always.” Why rejoice? He adds a little later, “The one who calls you is faithful.” That is, joy comes from hearing and answering God's call, and then being sent to serve others, like Bishop Barbosa did on his Bluetooth device, and like I did at that Indian restaurant.

And finally in the gospel, St. John the Baptist, the last and greatest prophet, heeds his call. We read in Jn 1: “A man named John was sent from God." Again, John was filled with irrepressible joy even though he was clothed in camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey as we heard last Sunday. How could anyone find joy in those circumstances? John’s joy came from fulfilling God’s plans rather than from the creature comforts we sometimes think are so essential for our happiness. God’s plans for us are perfect and bring joy, and he doesn’t need our advice for our appointments.

My friends, let me invite you to try to see how your real and lasting joy comes from doing God’s will rather than your own. For example, I tell young people thinking about becoming a priest or nun: the worst question you can ask yourself is, “Do I want to be a priest?” Rather ask yourself, “Does God want me to become a priest?” Can you hear the difference? That is the difference between true and lasting joy in God’s will and temporary and fading happiness in our plans.

Someone sent me an email last week that had this funny line: “When a kid says, “Daddy, I want mommy,” that’s a kid version of “I’d like to speak to your supervisor.” The ladies in the church office love to share their favorite homily by Msgr. John O’Donnell. The former pastor of I.C. said: “What ever happened to Claudia, Pilate’s wife? Why does God give us wives? If he doesn’t give them to us for us to listen to…Their insights…Their inspirations…Pilate didn’t listen that day” when she told him not to crucify Jesus. Incidentally, anyone who thinks women need to be priests in order to have power in the church hasn’t visited the church office lately. After all, the queen is more powerful than a bishop, and I am not talking about a chess board.

Folks, the world tells us to insist on always getting our way. We say, “My way or the highway!” But the Christian highway is paved with doing what God wants rather than traveling down our own road. And only one of these two roads eventually leads to true and lasting joy. That is the deepest meaning of Christmas, a Baby born to do his Father’s will rather than his own. And so the Church says today: “Rejoice, all of ya’ll!

Praised be Jesus Christ!