USEFUL WISDOM FOR 2024 #28

 

MORE PHOTOS OF HEART-BREAKING DESTRUCTION

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

A small 32 island south Caribbean country off the coast of Venezuela, South America 

The Catholic Diocese of Kingstown embraces the whole country of SVG.  

After I retired, I volunteered to be a Caribbean missionary in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. While most of the work I did was done on the main island of St. Vincent, we did some work on some of the outer islands of Bequia, Canouan, Mayreau and Union.  A recent volcano destroyed a lot of the work we did on St. Vincent. The recent Hurricane Beryl, did quite a bit of damage throughout the country, but completely destroyed two of the churches and did a tremendous amount of damage to homes and church property on the islands of Union and Mayreau in particular. I posted photos of some of the damage on a recent post, but received these new pictures from the Union island destruction just recently.  

The Pre-Hurricane Beryl St. Joseph Church and Rectory on Union Island 

(see above map)

(Below) The new roof we put on St. Joseph Retreat House, just up the hill from the church, 

just a couple of years ago was totally ripped off along with other damage to its structure.

The Pre-Hurricane Beryl Immaculate Conception Church on Mayreau Island (see above map)

While much of the renovation we did to the church and surrounding property was destroyed, 50 people's lives were saved when they huddled in the one surviving room where the priest lived. 

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

Hurricane Beryl was only the first hurricane of this season! Please pray that they will be spared any more hurricanes this year and in the future! 

ONCE A MISSIONARY, ALWAYS A MISSIONARY

I started off my priesthood as "home missionary" down in southern Kentucky. As they say, "Once a missionary, always a missionary!" Right after retirement, I volunteered in the Caribbean missions of Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 

Knowing of my interest and experience as a volunteer missionary in the Caribbean, Father John Judie (a retired priest of our own Archdiocese of Louisville), who volunteers in a couple of African countries brought Bishop Filbert Mhasi of Tanzania over to my condo for coffee and tea on July 26. 

I was especially interested since a good friend of mine, (Father Steven Brown of the Diocese of San Jose, California), had been a Maryknoll Associate in Tanzania for several years. 

I was also interested in giving him a few copies of my book, Intentional Presbyterates: Claiming Our Common Sense of Purpose As Diocesan Priests, which had been translated into the Swahili language. 

We had a wonderful discussion and found that we shared similar experiences growing up and in our lives serving as priests. Father Judie helped moderate our lively discussion about seminary training, presbyteral unity and missionary needs. 

 Bishop Filbert Felician Mhasi - Diocese of Tunduru-Magasi - Tanzania

Bishop Filbert Mhasi's diocese has an area covering 22,730 square kilometers.

The diocese is in the extreme southern part of Tanzania close to the border with Mozambique.

There are now 24 local priests and 19 parishes.

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My last visitor from Africa (July 2019) was Abbott Romain of the Benedictine Monastery of the Incarnation in the French speaking country of Togo. He was a former student of mine at St. Meinrad Seminary over in Indiana. I helped a few of his monks who also studied there when I was a staff member.

Archbishop Jason Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, when he was the Bishop of Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was the one who first invited me to be a volunteer missionary in his two dioceses, with special emphasis on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, when I first retired.

When he was elevated to Archbishop of Port of Spain in Trinidad, I attended his installation. I even addressed the Antilles Bishops Conference in Trinidad after he was installed at the invitation of the Archbishop of the Bahamas who was President of the Conference at that time.

On July 7, Archbishop Gordon called me and asked if I would come to lunch the next day over in New Harmony, Indiana, where he was making a presentation at a religious convention he was attending. I gladly accepted and made the four hour driving trip. He used to stay at my condo overnight, when he would visit his seminarian from Barbados studying at St. Meinrad Seminary, so I could take him to the airport early the next morning. I also helped him get a few of his books published. We remain friends.

ONCE A MISSIONARY, ALWAYS A MISSIONARY

DON'T BE CAUGHT UNPREPARED TO SHARE!

 

Jesus saw that a large crowd was coming to him. One of his disciples

said, "There is a boy here with five barley loaves and two fish, but what 

good is that for so many?" There was about five thousand people. Jesus took 

the loaves, gave thanks and distributed them and as much fish as the wanted. 

They had more than they could eat, with plenty left over. 

John 6:1-15

What really happened that afternoon a long time ago when five loaves and two fish were shared with more than five thousand people and all went home fed, with plenty left over? Something so wonderful happened that day that the story of it has come down to us in all four gospels. It is one of our most regular readings throughout the year, but what really happened? 

It is highly doubtful that a crowd of Jews that big would have left on a nine-mile hike without making preparation – a few maybe, but certainly not five thousand people! There are two reasons I can think of that would have prevented them from not being prepared. (1) There were no big stores and restaurants lining the roads back then like we have today. (2) Jews were very particular about their food. It had to be kosher. No Jew would think of leaving home for such a long hike without his bottle-shaped basket with its kosher food for eating. 

Probably what happened was that people were hiding what they had brought from such a hungry crowd, lest there not be enough for themselves. It was only when Jesus took the five barley loaves and two smoked fish from the boy, blessed them, broke them and began passing them around that a willingness to share was triggered in the crowd. When this example of sharing spread through the crowd, people pulled out what they had and began to share it. Remember, the word multiplication is not mentioned in this story. As a result of this sharing, everybody had their fill and there was a lot left over. You can believe it was a literal "multiplication" if you like, but I personally favor this explanation for several reasons. 

First, we need to remember that one of the things that Jesus rejected when it was offered to him by the devil, when he was in the desert discerning the direction of his ministry, was magically turning rocks into bread to feed hungry people. Jesus could, not doubt, have done that but he rejected that solution to hunger. Rather, he knew that if people would just change their minds about shortages and share the resources of the world, there would be no need for such “rocks into bread” magic.

Second, if it were just about Jesus’ power to miraculously produce bread and fish from thin air, then we might be amazed at the power that Jesus had, but we could not pull off such an event ourselves. No, this is a miracle alright, but I personally believe that it is a miracle of sharing, not some miraculous "multiplication." I believe that what happened is something that we, working together, can do even today. It's a miracle we, working together, can perform! 

I believe strongly in being generous. I learned it growing up from my mother. She was always giving visitors to our house "something to take home with them!" I guess that's why I am always up to my ears in some kind of service project, whether it is in the island missions of the Caribbean or whether it is down in Meade County in my home parish of St. Theresa. 

I have always liked being generous, but lately I have expanded that a bit. I am trying to prepare myself for being generous. Rather than being caught off guard and being unprepared for situations like those in today's gospel where I can be generous, I plan in advance so that when opportunities present themselves, I'll be ready. Obviously, the people in today's gospel had prepared enough food beyond their own needs, without realizing it! All they needed was the "inspiration" to "share" that came from Jesus!   

In December, I gave away three pick-up loads of surplus stuff from my condo and garage, thereby creating an empty cabinet dedicated to where I can put bargains, not extra things I might need for my own use, but so that I will have a stash of things other people need, ready to give away. I have created a special place to put whatever really good bargain items I can find that I feel others can use! I have decided that I not only want to be generous, but I also want to be prepared and ready to be generous when the time comes! 

I have come up with other ways to be generous as well! (1) A few weeks ago, I got another Kroger coupon for a dozen of free eggs. I don't eat a lot of eggs and I had just bought a whole dozen the week before, but I got I my "free dozen of eggs" and checked out! I waited by the door going out until I found just the right family to give them to - she was an obviously poor woman with three small children! I offered them to her and she was very happy to take them after I explained that I had gotten them with a free coupon! (2) I sometimes get a coupon for a "free package of Oreos." I try not to have sweets in the house because I am seriously addicted to sugar! I always check out with my free Oreos and stand outside the door and wait till I see a woman with a bunch of kids or a grandmother who might have grandkids so I can give them away! I always give things like Oreos to parents or grandparent, never to kids directly. These days I could be mistaken as a predator! During Lent, I often shop with coupons in hand, When I check out, Kroger has this nice feature that tells you how much you saved on each trip. I keep all of the receipts till Easter and add them all up and that is what I send to the parish Rice Bowl Collection.

I am not trying to claim to be saintly in my generosity, nor am I trying to say that you should do what I do, but I am saying that there are creative ways to be generous in sharing, often without you having to suffer! All you have to do is have the desire to be generous, pay attention, plan ahead and be creative beyond just handing dollar bills to those suspiciously holding "homeless" signs at so many intersections! We are all called to share what we have with those "without," but we are also called to be "smart sharers" so we don't keep making "dependents!" Often that requires that we "make plans" to be generous by thinking ahead and being prepared, rather than just hand out cash to relieve our guilt! Some families develop “charity funds,” encourage children to do odd jobs to donate to it and then decide together where to dispense it, teaching their children how to be smart “givers” in the process! Richer families have established “family trusts” from which they make donations to charity.  

I have learned two things for sure! (1) As I have learned from experience, being generous and sharing often does more for the giver than the one to whom something is given!  As Jesus promised, "Give and it will be given to you! A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lamp. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you!"  (2) As I have learned from today's gospel, we don't need magic and we don't need miracles! There is already enough to go around! All we need are enough good people really paying attention to others and being creative and smart in their sharing!  

My good people of St. Leonard Parish, let me end this homily by repeating something I said earlier. “I believe strongly in being generous. I learned it from my mother.” I believe in being generous because I feel so strongly that I have been blessed. I believe in being generous because Jesus said, “To whom much has been given, much is required!”  I believe deeply that being generous does more for the giver than the one to whom something is given! Even though I will see you, going forward, only once a month, I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to lead you in prayer several times a month over the last few years! You have been good to me and you have been good for me! I feel so blessed for what I have been given by people like you, over 54 years of priesthood, that I have had these four words engraved on my new tombstone – Simply Amazed – Forever Grateful!  That, my friends, is why I like to be generous and how I want to be remembered – amazed and grateful for how much, and how often, I have been blessed!