Reflection in Isolation, Then Gratitude - March 5, 2023

Dear Friends,

I’m happy to share I’m fully recovered after a brief bout with COVID just after Ash Wednesday. This was my first time testing positive for the illness, and apart from a brief fever, the symptoms were indistinguishable from allergies. Though I was feeling back to normal, I followed CDC guidelines by remaining isolated in my room for five days before going back to work with a mask. I am grateful this happened before Holy Week and that Fr. Chuck and Fr. Bruce were able to fulfill my ministerial commitments.

As we meditated on Christ in the desert last weekend, I had an analogous experience of isolation, but luckily with no tempter offering me the kingdoms of the world. The experience of the Hebrew people journeying through the wilderness is a good metaphor for our own moments of disruption and dislocation. The desert lacks the immediacy of signage and landmarks that locate us within our cities. The desert has a way of distorting our sense of time and distance. And yet, the desert is also a rich place of prayer and intimacy when we are removed from the familiar distractions of our day-to-day life. And when we lose our bearings in the desert, it is also common to return to memories of the past when we most felt grounded.

I found myself thinking a lot about the Spring of 2013 when I had made the decision to leave my job and begin my application to the Paulist Fathers. I mailed my application on February 11, 2013, coincidentally the same morning that Pope Benedict XVI abdicated. The six months between applying and starting the novitiate on August 21, 2013 were filled with a whirlwind of emotions. I was more than content with my job and friendships, but I also felt a great sense of peace and freedom to finally pursue a possible call to priesthood. I enjoyed many farewell meals and celebrations with my colleagues and friends during that transitional time.
When I left Houston in 2013, I had never imagined I would be back here in Texas ten years later in such a vibrant parish community. I am so grateful to the many parishioners who offered to bring food during my five days in isolation, and I had more than I needed to get by. 

February was a very special and unforgettable month for my priestly ministry. I bid farewell to several extraordinary people like Louise Palousek of Westminster with last rites. At the same time, I had the joy of celebrating a beautiful wedding where the bride and groom were each formed at Paulist parishes growing up in different states. I heard many meaningful confessions in the mix of all this. Then when I had to take a step back from my busy schedule, I experienced the kindness and care of our community.

Sometimes I wonder if priests don’t talk enough about the joy of our ministries and lives. It is certainly an unconventional path, and so much takes place behind-the-scenes within one-on-one conversations. But we certainly need more priests, and it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more public about the joys of this life. I encourage you all to join me in praying for vocations, and don’t be shy about sharing the joy you find in our community with others. I hope such conversations can be pathways for the next generation of Catholics to seriously consider the possibility of a vocation to priesthood or consecrated life in service to God’s people.

God bless,