The Old Characters

Passing on responsibilities to the next generation

03/02/2025

Luke 6:39-45 Jesus told his disciples a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye. “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Sometimes when I get together with my brother priests, we ask ourselves: “Where are all the old priests who were the real characters back in the day?” For example, the church staff loves to tell the story of Msgr. John O’Donnell, former pastor of I.C. So often responsibilities and jobs in the Fort Smith Catholic community would fall to the church staff of I.C. Church because we are the oldest and largest parish in town.

Once when Msgr. O’Donnell was vacationing in New Orleans he brought back baseball caps for the whole staff. The caps just had four large letters on it: “NOPD” which stood for New Orleans Police Department.” But Msgr. O’Donnell explained that the staff should tell anyone who tries to give us new jobs that the letters really stand for “Not Our Problem Dear.” Msgr. O’Donnell was quite a character but also a class act.

This year I will turn 56 years old – I know I only look 25 – and I will have been a priest for 29 years. That means I have been a priest for more than half of my life. So maybe the younger priests these days are looking at me and my peers as the old characters of the priesthood, and making fun of our idiosyncrasies. I remember Archbishop Sartain sharing with us priest something insightful when he became bishop of Little Rock.

He looked around and commented to a brother priest, “Hey, you know, we’re the ones in charge of stuff.” And that is especially true when you are a bishop. Sooner or later, we all becomes the ones who look around and remark: “Hey, you know, we’re the ones in charge of stuff” which means we are now the old characters that the younger generation is probably making fun of.

In the gospel today, Jesus offers some advice to those who find themselves “in charge of stuff,” namely, to his apostles. He teaches his future shepherds: “Can a blind person lead a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” And later he adds: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.”

That reminds me of that great line from the move Star Wars. Han Solo sarcastically says to Obi-Wan as they are about to do  what Ob-Won recommended: “You old fool, I knew you were going to say that.” But then Obi-Won replies: “Who’s the more foolish: the fool or the fool who follows him?” In other words, don’t follow a fool, or walk behind a blind person, spiritually-speaking.

One of the spiritual fruits that we priests should bear is new vocations, that is, future priests. A priest in seminary told us that every priest should inspire at least one vocation to take his place after he dies. We are blessed here at I.C. to have Ben Keating in the seminary studying to be a priest, and also Josie Nunez who is at Holy Angels Convent in Jonesboro, AR. When Ben is ordained I can retire!

Maybe Ben and Josie sit around with their friends and call me one of the old characters. But I hope they will judge me not by my character or anything I might have done in the priesthood, but rather by my spiritual fruits, my spiritual offspring, namely, Ben and Josie. They are my only claim to fame. “By their fruits you shall know them.”

My friends, it is not just bishops and priests who sooner or later find themselves in charge of stuff – the old characters who people talk about. But we all will, especially those who are called to be married with children. I will never forget what my brother said when in the delivery room he held his firstborn son.

He told me with tears in his eyes: “Two huge waves of emotion washed over me. First I felt a wave of love for this newborn child. I knew I could die for him. Second, I felt a tsunami of responsibility for this child. Everything he needed depended entirely on me.”

I think the second wave might have bowled him over more than the first one. In other words, new parents do not find themselves “in charge of stuff,” they are “in charge of someone”! And many years later they find themselves in the shoes of the old characters that their kids and grandkids sit around and talk about.

Folks, I know it can be a little depressing when we think about all the I.C. heroes of the past who are now gone. Just in my 11 years here we have lost Msgr. John O’Donnell and Msgr. Richard Oswald, Tom Caldarera, Gene Bruick, Bill and Peggy Wideman (which was a double funeral), David and Mary Ann McMahon, Dc. Bill Curry, Rita Helfrick, Rosemary Reith, Jean Shields, and so many more pillars of our parish.

But here’s the good news: I have also seen new faces and new pillars arriving to take their place and support this parish. That is, each generation passes the torch of faith, responsibility, and hope to the succeeding generation, even while they ask, “Where are all the old characters these days?” But then we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror and realize, “Hey, you know, we’re the ones in charge of stuff around here.” And we pray, “God help the Church.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!