Word to the Wise
Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - Tuesday in the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Mardi Gras Day)
[Sirach 2:1-11 and Mark 9:30-37]My son, when you come to serve the Lord, stand in justice and fear, prepare yourself for trials. (Sirach) If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all. (Gospel of Mark)
The passage from the Book of Sirach today deserves to be read by all of us over and over again. It is a beautiful and consoling meditation on the necessity to trust in God if we would be true believers and be constant in faith. We must believe that God will be there to help us. In the gospel scripture today, Jesus confronts "the Twelve" with their internal arguing about who was the greatest among them by warning that greatness comes only with complete dedication to service and not with titles or public esteem. When I was director of the Newman Center at the University of Arizona (1977-80), I had the great good fortune of the assignment of Bro. Paul Leahy, O.P., to come and work in maintenance at the huge set of facilities over which I had responsibility. Bro. Paul (God rest him) was one of our unordained brothers which we call "Cooperator Brothers." He spent his life in humble but extremely valuable service in maintenance engineering at several Dominican priories. By the time he came to Arizona, he was getting up in years and was battling severe arthritis. Since his sister was a Dominican and working also in Tucson, it was thought he might benefit from coming to work with us. I was and am eternally grateful. One day when we were discussing some of the continual maintenance problems of our aging buildings, I asked him what had sustained him all these years, especially when the Cooperator Brothers often had to endure some difficult attitudes from the ordained friars. His response was simple and I've never forgotten it: TRUST THE ALMIGHTY. Today's scripture from Sirach gives ancient but eloquent shape to Bro. Paul's simple faith and steadfast service. I can only hope that I and all of us can do the same. AMEN
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