Homily: Thirty-second Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Thirty-second Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Luke 17:7-10) “Modest Servants”

This week I celebrated the 10th anniversary of death of the priest who baptized me, Fr. Robert Prendergast. He ministered in Kewanee most of his priesthood. He was a chaplain in a small hospital there and he was also chaplain of St. Mary Hospital in Galesburg. I also got word that another Kewanee native named James Golby died this weekend. He was a teacher, principal and superintendent of schools in my hometown. He was involved in education for almost fifty years in that community.

As I read the words of the book of Wisdom today, I am once again reminded of the reality of death. Wisdom speaks of the goal of being a person of virtue when we die. I think these two men were that.

They were both well respected in the Kewanee Community. Both fulfilled their responsibilities and were people of integrity. Fr. Prendergast and Jim Golby would have played down their accomplishments. The two of them were very bright individuals and could have used their talents for very worldly purposes, but they both chose helping professions. You are not going to make a lot of money as a hospital chaplain or a teacher and school administrator.

I think of Jim as a husband and father as well. He was married to his wife Ann for decades. The two of them could not have children of their own so they adopted four children. Their children were all very accomplished and have contributed their talents to the communities that they are a part of.

Fr. Prendergast and Jim Golby were men of faith. They did not seek accolades or honors. I picture them like the servant described in the Gospel. In the end they would say that they had done no more than their duty. They would not expect rewards, but I am sure that they received hoary crowns. Their legacy lives on in the people they touched with their service. Would it be that more people would want to invest in others rather than in things.

Reflection:

1.     Is there someone that engaged in a helping profession that I remember fondly? Who?

2.    Why don’t people want to be teachers or ministers today? How might that change?

 Dear Parishioners,

           I have been reading the report on the synod that has just been completed in Rome. The report is about forty pages long. Some have said that nothing much happened at the synod, but if we believe that, it shows a profound misunderstanding of the synod. The Synod on Synodality is not over. The synod process will continue, in theory, for as long as we have a church.

          The synod will have a second session next fall. More people will be included. The synod was about how we make decisions as a church. The hope is that we will move from a top-down form of governance that is centralized in a few clerics’ hands to a bottom-up form of decision-making model.

          The synod report emphasizes repeatedly that all the baptized are equal before the Lord. We have different roles and talents, but we are fundamentally equal. This reflects the thinking of Vatican II.

          May Our Lady Pray for healing in our broken world,

          Fr. Mark