 | ||||||
| ||||||
I’m composing this homily from the St. Paul Retreat Center in Georgetown, Guyana, on the northeastern tip of South America. I am here preaching a retreat to the thirty plus priests of the Georgetown Diocese, which covers the entire country, about the size of Great Britain. A former Dutch colony, then a British province, Guyana is an English speaking country of some 750,000 people, 11% of whom are Catholic. This retreat with the priests and bishop of Guyana, is turning out to have a greater impact on me than it may have on them, especially in light of this week’s Gospel. There is probably no more perfect example of discipleship advanced by the Sacred Scriptures today than the priests ministering here. Only five are diocesan priests. (The last local man ordained for Guyana was twenty-five years ago.) Some twenty-five of these men are Jesuits from England and India, and several young priests are from a religious order headquartered in Argentina. All of them demonstrate a remarkable commitment to the people. All of them share the vision of Christ for the people they serve. All of them are disciples who pick up their cross each day as they follow Jesus. What makes them outstanding disciples and remarkable priests is first and foremost their understanding of who they are. They are at ease acknowledging their human weaknesses and shortcomings, while at the same time professing their faith in God’s enduring love. Being comfortable with who we are allows us to be free to fulfill our own potential. Though expectations of others (even from ourselves) may tend to distort our self-image, a major effort to set those aside is necessary if we are to be the kind of disciple, like these men, who would be willing to put our life on the line for the good of others.Another quality of these wonderful ministers of Word and Sacrament is the joy they radiate in the face of the daunting work they must undertake to fulfill their mission. Some of these men, like Fr. Varghese, minister in outlying areas along the Venezuelan or Brazilian border. Often one or two priests care for as many as 4000 people in the most remote areas of the country. As a Jesuit from India or England arrives, he quickly embraces the people and their culture. These priests never minimize the challenges, but they face them with spirits uplifted because they love what they have been called to do.You and I, in the comfort and security we enjoy, might consider the challenges we are asked to face in advancing the Gospel. Would volunteering at the local food bank or a hospital be too much to ask of those who, at least tacitly, have agreed to be willing to “pick up our cross daily?” Perhaps the people around us in our parishes and cities may not be in crisis, but it would not be a stretch to acknowledge that a parish youth ministry or a nearby nursing home might welcome a helping hand once in a while or, better yet, regularly. Being a joy-filled disciple, one animated by the call to serve, means sharing that joy with others, not out of obligation, but as an opportunity to demonstrate gratitude for the blessings of this life.Here in Guyana, the priests and, with them, the religious women and lay leaders work in a prayerful partnership toward a goal of bringing their people, wherever they are, the hope and promise of a better life. Their vision is focused; their purpose is clear; their resolve is firm. They never let the lack of resources deter them. Fr. Paulose, ministering in Kurukabaru, in the Northwestern area of the country, told me that the lack of literacy in that remote area makes even the study of the Jesus story to children as well as adults a challenge. In our experience, parishes with well-funded religious education programs often go begging for catechists and support staff. Our cross is so light in comparison to theirs!We gather around the table of the Lord each week to reaffirm our response to the call to be disciples who are willing to pick up their cross each day. The theme I chose for the priests' retreat in Guyana was “Images of Priesthood.” A week with these dedicated and selfless priests has made me realize that they are, for all of us, “Images of Discipleship.”