Fr. Matt's Letter

Dear Parish Family,
 
I don’t know about you, but there’s something about this weekend’s Gospel that kind of bugs me. Who in their right mind wouldn’t be upset about getting equal pay with someone who labored almost an entire day less than you? Yet, that is the whole point. The absurdity of conclusion of the parable is supposed to be the twist in the story. We aren’t dealing with an ordinary landowner, and we aren’t encountering ordinary laborers. This story is about the kingdom of heaven, and the economy of this kingdom works differently. Here’s the question that bridges the parable with our reality as Christians: what if God wishes to give of Himself to a convert in his last hour in similar measure to the one who has been laboring for the Mystical Body of Christ her entire life? Are we jealous because He is generous?
 
Jesus was serious about these words. We know this because He acted on them upon the cross. The first canonized saint was the thief Dismas, who was crucified next to Jesus (historically, the head of Jesus tilts to the right in most crucifixes because Dismas was crucified to Jesus’ right). I find this utterly fascinating, and a bit humbling. I’ve been a cradle Catholic all my life, and to this day, I’ve never been tempted to leave my Catholic faith. Aside from earlier youthful doubts and tribulations about the existence of God, most of what I’ve wrestled with in my faith have been tempered with the beauty of our Catholic tradition and any questions I may have ever had have been more than satisfied by serious studying of our religion. I’ve never experienced the emotional, gut-wrenching choice of “conversion,” aside from moral conversions, which occur over a lifetime. Consequently, I deeply admire those who have done this, and are currently doing this.
 
This week we began our OCIA formation (formerly known as RCIA), and I reemphasize how admirable it is to see people making such big decisions in life. What an adventure it must be to journey to our beautiful Catholic faith! But how immense that decision-making must have been for those who are making it. Please pray for our candidates and catechumens. But other things are also in my heart as I read this Gospel. I am reminded of how I am stepping into the land of a long labor I never started. I wonder how it must feel for many of you who see me and Fr. Tim taking leadership roles with churches that have had their own history of laborers. It doesn’t seem fair for us to assume to make decisions, and yet this is how God has designed the intricate and delicate work of our ecclesial life.
 
This week we learned that Bishop Kevin Birmingham is being transferred immediately to Vicariate 6, to replace Bishop Perry, who’s retirement has been accepted by the Holy Father. This leaves us again with an empty slot, which has been filled in the interim by one Fr. Marek Smolka (who’s actually my classmate). Gosh, this can make one feel almost entirely foreign – with all these changes. It’s important for us now, more than ever, to look solely at Jesus Christ, who is the rock and foundation of our parish. He always has been, and we belong to an even larger universal Church. Let’s not forget that. I’m encouraged, actually, by how cared for the Church is, when seats become vacant, albeit, not without its human frailties and mistakes, many of which I have to ask you in advance to forgive me for. The truth is, I feel a sense of inadequacy. But I’m learning to accept that humiliation. Because I want to be a saint, I cannot be self-sufficient.
 
This brings me to my final point. There’s a temptation to believe that us priests come and go, and that therefore our presence is not as vital in the scheme of the community, which is the lasting presence of the local church. The opposite lack of understanding can be a temptation for priests, which is to think that only the priest is the important thing in a local community. The truth is, we need each other. Without the community, the priest has no mission. Without the priest, there is no Body of Christ, because the priest brings us the Holy Eucharist, and it is this, the source and summit of our lives as Christians, that forms what is called “the Church.” It’s okay to need each other, and I am asking you to grant yourselves permission to trust us, despite our inadequacies and our frequent mistakes. Change is difficult for all of us, but it won’t always be this way. That which is lasting in the community is Christ, not us. We aren’t the foundation stones. Jesus is. Please don’t forget that.
 
Our brethren at the St. Matthew campus have celebrated a Solemnity this last week. Through the intercession of St. Matthew, may we all truly remain in Christ as one Body with many laborers, both the first and the last.
 
Love,
 
    Fr. Matt