FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
My Dear Parishioners,
I was once at a talk where a Missionary of Charity told a lovely story about her order’s founder, Mother Teresa. The sister was sitting in a car with Mother in a parking lot when they saw a young girl leaving an ice cream store. She was enjoying a large scoop of ice cream, perched precariously on a cone, while wearing a beautiful, seemingly new, dress. Her father walked with her, clearly aware of the danger the cone posed to the outfit. He offered to help, but the young girl was set on doing it on her own. Predictably, the ice cream ended up all over the new dress, causing immediate tears and a chocolate mess. With no hesitation, the dad took a napkin and started cleaning his daughter. Mother Theresa, watching the event unfold, took a deep breath and simply said, “And that is how Jesus is with Mother.”
I’ve always cherished that story, which I sincerely hope is true! Mother Teresa was not putting herself down; she simply recognized the continued human tendency to insist that we can do things without the Lord, our consistent failure, and the Lord’s unhesitating willingness to welcome us home. This is the story of our lives! Even though we know that doing it on our own will end poorly, we are confident that we have it figured out. Why is this? There are countless reasons, but one is that we want to appear to others like we have it all figured out, that we are in control. While Mother Theresa understands herself as a child in need of support, we are nervous that if others see us spill, if they see us as unpopular, if they see us not as successful, then maybe we ARE those things. We have connected our dignity with how others see us, so we posture and exalt ourselves. We put others down because if they are less, we are greater.
In the Gospel, we hear that the people are watching Jesus, “observing him carefully” to see how He will behave. They assume He’ll act like us… taking the seat of honor, making sure others look at Him, ensuring that He is the center of attention to make Him feel better about Himself. However, Jesus knows deeply that He is the Son of God. He does not need the attention or admiration of anyone to justify His existence, and His desperate desire is that we will believe the same thing. Our deepest truth is that we are Sons and Daughters of the Father! We can feel freedom sitting at the lowest seat at the table because our seating location doesn’t determine our worth. The more I recognize that I have a Father always willing to welcome me home, the less I need others’ attention to make me believe I am good. This is why Sirach can say “Humble yourself the more, the greater you are.” The more I recognize that my dignity is in the truth that I am created in the image and likeness of God, the greater I truly am. The more I depend on my on successes and popularity, the more I end up a mess!
The strange truth of Christianity is that the more I find my dignity in my heavenly Father, the more free, powerful, and strong I become, and the more I think I am responsible for my own dignity, the sadder I become. May we see ourselves as little children dependent on our father, hopefully saving us from the mess that always results from our own arrogance and belief that I need to do it on my own.
Peace,
Fr. Monteleone
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