Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
(I
Corinthians 4:1-5; Luke 3:33-39)
Although the
great Irish poet W.B. Yeats was not a Catholic, he perceived the goodness of priests. In one poem, “The Ballad of Father Gilligan,”
he tells of an old country priest who worked diligently, mostly visiting and
burying the dead. One evening, after a
long day, Fr. Gilligan is informed that another parishioner is near death. The priest utters a complaint and immediately
checks himself. Praying for forgiveness,
he falls asleep. Awakened in the middle
of the night, he remembers the dying man and quickly mounts his horse to visit
him. When he arrives, the man’s widow tells
him that her husband died right after the priest had left him. Fr. Gilligan then thanks God for working a
miracle.
What’s the
point of this story? In the reading from
Corinthians St. Paul says that apostles are “stewards of the mysteries of God.” Priests, who assist bishops, the successors
of the apostles, with their pastoral work, must be likewise trustworthy. Although not all have proved themselves so,
there are many like Fr. Gilligan.
Most of us
have an opinion on whether married men or women could be ordained. We might express it but should do so humbly. Church leadership has a store of wisdom gathered
through the centuries to resolve these questions. Beyond praying for priests, we need to
encourage them to be faithful and caring in their ministry. As in the story of Fr. Gilligan, God will
treat them kindly.
