Many thanks to Fr. Brown for taking last weekend for me. It is much appreciated.
When I was a baby priest I was at a parish up in Florissant. When one of us was gone, the pastor would get a replace- ment priest. They were often some of the worst homilists ever. People would be coming out of church as if someone had set off a stink bomb inside. I asked my pastor (a wonderful man named Msgr. John Holland), “Boss, why do you get such awful preachers when we are gone?” He replied with a twinkle in his Irish eyes, “It makes the people appreci- ate us more.”
In having Fr. Brown take Masses last week, I am violating the most sacred rule of being a pastor. I have brought in someone who is a WAY BETTER preacher than I could ever be. (But you all knew that already!)
Anyhoo, thanks Fr. Brown!
Leaving on vacation is good for our souls in many ways, but one of the most im- portant is that I begin to realize that I am not irreplaceable. At times in my ca- reer, I thought that I was. I thought that there were no priests who wanted to do what I did (high school work), where I was (way out in the country) and could do it as well. I was delusional. The fact is that we are all replaceable, sometimes replaced by someone even better than we are.
At first, that might seem a bit disturbing and humbling. We like to think of our- selves as essential, as vital, as one-of-a- kind. When we come to the determination that we are not, it is a blow to our egos. But, there is a positive side to this as well. Thinking that we are irreplaceable can be a trap.
It could cause us to get lazy, slack, slop- py and, worst of all, arrogant. Knowing that we can be replaced (and indeed, will eventually be replaced) keeps us sharp, ever growing, ever learning, ever honest. It is humbling, but that humility is a vital part of being an effective work- er and a sensible human being.
Thinking that we are absolutely irreplaceable, can cause us to become haughty and over-confident, and that is a recipe for disaster.
So getting away is not only good for our souls, it is an important check for our egos. Hopefully, I will return (I don’t plan on making it on the Senior PGA tour) with renewed spirits and a humble heart.