Do you like church, Mother?” asked 5-year-old Jimmy, as they left church on Sunday.
“Of course, I do. I love my church. Don’t you?”
“I like the singing and I like the friendly people and I do like the priest, but sometimes I don’t know what he says,” replied the boy.
“Do you mean that you don’t understand the sermon?” asked the surprised mother. “I think he talks quite plainly.”
“Oh, I know the children’s stories he tells all right, but many of the words I don’t know. So I start thinking about other things,” said the boy.
“Tell you what,” said the mother. “Next Sunday you write down each word that you don’t understand, as best you can write it, and I’ll try to explain them. We will make a game of it. I will give you a quarter for each word that is new, but you can only collect once for that word because by the next Sunday you should know what it means.”
Jimmy was right. Strange words that go unexplained drive the listener to thinking about other things, especially the young who come to church.
It is up to the priest, the clergy person or the teacher to bring understanding, knowledge, truth and inspiration to those who have come to worship, to learn and to listen.
Today, June 1st I celebrate my 50 years as a priest at Holy Family Parish Community in Inverness, Illinois. People often ask me why did I want to become a priest. One reason was that I wanted to help people and becoming a priest would allow me to do that. A God Provide
Another big reason I wanted to be a priest was that for 25 years of growing up, I was bored most of the time by the message that I heard in church. I vowed and I prayed that if and when I ever got ordained, I would say a lot of things, but I would not be boring.
I may be a bit long-winded at times, but only a few people have nodded off and fallen asleep on me! For this I give praise and glory to God!!!
