Word to the Wise
Monday, September 28, 2009 - St. Lawrence Ruiz, OPL and Dominican Martyrs of Japan
[Zechariah 8:1-8 and Luke 9:46-50]For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.
As I write this I am at a Benedictine retreat center in the Nebraska countryside where I will be preaching a retreat for the priests of the Grand Island, Nebraska, diocese. I am certain that they and most of my "congregation" will find the words of the Gospel of Luke familiar this morning. The version of them from the Gospel of Mark appeared as the gospel in yesterday's Sunday liturgy! A double reminder can be a healthy thing. The double reminder has to do with the argument among the disciples about who is the greatest. We should not be too quick to attribute this as a prominent problem for clergy (although it can be). My experience as a pastor both in campus ministry and regular parish work has convinced me that "status" is simply a human problem. The "symbols" of that status can run from garments to closet space! The deeper problem is power. Status implies power. The power may be direct as in one's ability to command. Or it may be indirect or vicarious, as in being closely acquainted with someone in power. Pay attention the next time you see a news cast of the President signing an important piece of legislation and note who is standing where in the group around him. St. Lawrence Ruiz, OPL, a Filipino Dominican layperson, and other Dominican Laity as well as Dominican friars, sought to bring the gospel message without any status in Japan and made the ultimate sacrifice of martyrdom there in the 17th century. That is the kind of power that Jesus offered the disciples - ultimate sacrifice FOR others, and not OVER others. It's something all of us need to be reminded of, and not just the good priests of the Grand Island diocese! AMEN
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