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In
Search of the Spirit
A
monthly letter from the Glenmary Vocation Office
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September
2003
Appearances
Aren’t Everything!
By
Father Steve Pawelk
“You
all look tired and overworked.” That is not an
infrequent observation made by lay folks about the priests
and brothers they know. It is also the reason some young
men do not even consider priesthood or brotherhood.
I
can’t argue that the observation is often a true
one. And it presents a challenge to those of us engaged
in active priestly and missionary ministry. But, as
they say, “Never judge a book by its cover.”
Get beneath the tired and overworked exterior and, more
often than not, you will find a man full of the Spirit
and dedicated to work that both gives life to him and
to the many people he serves.
I
recently completed a retreat with other priests engaged
in Hispanic ministry. Many of us certainly looked tired
and overworked when we arrived. But, after taking time
together to search for the Spirit in our own lives,
we all left renewed and refreshed and ready again to
work.
One
retreatant reported he was even going to add two more
Masses to his weekend schedule—at a distance of
30 miles from his home base.
How,
after a week of centering and prayer, would someone
feel moved by the Spirit to work even harder? That is
a direct result of what is inside the book’s cover.
It is why one chooses priestly and missionary ministry
in the first place.
Balancing
mission needs and a missioner’s need is never easy.
That is the challenge before every missioner every day.
A missioner needs to stay healthy. If not, we burn out
or wear out with sickness. To stay healthy normally
means taking a day off, being regular in prayer, eating
a balanced diet and recreating. To stay healthy normally
means spending time relaxing with friends and family
and having hobbies beyond our ministry.
Yet
the mission need is very pressing. As my fellow retreatant
knew only too well, a parish 30 miles away needed someone
to celebrate the Eucharist.
Those
engaged in ministry among new immigrants, as are most
Glenmarians, know the unrelenting list of mission needs.
People need help with translation for various documents:
at the hospital, to register for school. People need
help finding a job, a home, and other necessities. People
are separated from their families; many live in fear
of immigration and are, at times, overwhelmed with the
foreignness of America. In the midst of pressing material
needs, immigrants also need to find mercy, hope and
God’s love. They need to celebrate the sacraments
of baptism, marriage and anointing of the sick.
And
the missioner serving among immigrants often faces the
additional challenge of dealing with prejudice in the
wider community and even within the Catholic Church.
As
a result, Glenmarians and other ministers may appear
tired and overworked. Yet one needs to look deeper to
focus on the generosity of their service. To serve as
Christ served — is that not the reason one enters
ministry in first place? And did not Christ sacrifice
his entire life for us? Is it really so surprising,
then, that missionaries would sacrifice some leisure
time in his name to benefit another?
In
our search for the Spirit, the priests on retreat with
me agreed to enjoy life and care for personal needs.
We all recognized that to take a day off, to go to the
beach, read a book, or play some sports is important.
(Even Jesus took time out to catch his breath and enjoy
his friends.) Yet there was also a strong commitment
to continue to be generous with our service to the poorest
of the poor. That’s why many of us may continue
to look a bit tired and overworked.
But
remember that a book is more than its cover. Our commitment
to work in the service of the Lord and to share his
new life with others is what truly brings us life as
well.
