Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - C July 1, 2007

1 Kings 19: 16b, 19-21 Galatians 5: 1, 13-18 Luke 9: 51-62

Occasionally, when I celebrate Mass on Friday mornings with the students of the school, I will begin the homily by asking a question and, perhaps, asking for a show of hands. I want to do that today. I wonder how many of you have heard about “clustering”, the effort being made by our diocese to study the realities of population and other circumstances along with the question of how best is the Catholic Church present and active in our area. So, who has heard of clustering?

For us, the five parishes in our cluster - St. Ignatius of Antioch, SS. Philip and James, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Mark and ourselves, St. Mel - began about a week and a half ago with a meeting of five representatives from each parish. There are three major matters of concern. First we must consider the issue of demographics. That studies the populations shifts, the sizes of families and the structure of the household in our area as they now exist. What we were throughout the diocese, we are not now. Parishes, however, were structured according to what the situation was many years ago. Thus, we need to look at where we are now, and where we will be in the future.

The second area of concern has to be economics. We need to look at the cost of maintaining the physical structures that we have, the churches, the schools, and the other facilities associated with the various parishes. We need, also, to look at the various services that are provided by the parishes along with the expectations of parishes are to provide, because the cost of all of these items have changed in a variety of ways. These costs are demanding and so, in the most cost-effective way, they need to be examined in terms of how they can meet present needs in light of a reasonable expectation of support.

The third area of concern is the simple fact of the clergy shortage. This involves, primarily, the question of the number of priests available to serve at parishes. Priests are fewer in number than in the past, and those available to serve are growing older in age. Older priests are not being replaced by newly newly-ordained priests as in the past.

In hearing, time and again, about these factors that are of concern in the matter or clustering, I have found it interesting the most of the focus in the discussion has ben directed at the first two matters. The third, the clergy shortage, has simply been accepted as a fact of life into which the other issues simply have to fit. The question in my mind, however, is why is this shortage a fact, and how might it be approached. I have not heard much of an answer come back. At the same time, I realize that I have not spoken publicly about this situation.

A conversation which I had the other day was, to a certain extent, reinforced by the Word of God which we have heard today. Thoughts in my mind were prompted because the readings from Scripture appear to suggest a reflection on a call to service of the Gospel, a call to service of the community of believers. In this context, the service is that which is provided by ordained clergy. The conversation I had the other day was with an individual who entered the high school seminary around the same time that I did. He reminded me that when he began his studies in the seminary of high school, he entered with about 120 other students. In my own class, in 1960, there were 72 students. He eventually left the seminary and went on to another career. Of the 72 in my class, 6 were ordained, and 3 are still actively serving as priests in the diocese. It was a different era; there was different thinking then, when we entered the seminary.

In speaking of becoming a priest, I cannot give an easy answer, at least in regard to myself. There was no bolt of lightening, there was no mantle placed on me, as in the story of Elisha that we heard. I do know, however, that I was raised with a fundamental thought or value that the priesthood was a worthwhile, legitimate and acceptable use of personal talents and abilities directed at being of service to others. The need is present now no less than it was then, to be of service in the lead of worship and prayer, to address basic questions about life and living, to examine how best to live out my own life by an example of life lived in service to others by being present to their lives at certain times, in certain circumstances.

This is not an exceptional outlook on life. Many individuals fulfill roles of service in the community: those who are in the safety services, those who are a part of the medical services, those who teach, those who are in public office. The objection is raised, however, that to be of service in the priesthood, there is a demand to give up marriage and family. I can agree that this can be difficult at times. But I can also suggests that many of the underlying benefits of such a life can be experienced, sometimes in a greater way. There are many opportunities to affect, to influence, to give meaning to lives. Sometimes this can be even more profound than in family life. Unfortunately the current environment often suggests that being part of the clergy, being a priest, is a difficult and even a bizarre choice. We need to get beyond that thinking and realize that supporting the choice of being a priest is important. This is not a matter of just encouraging the present clergy. This is more important as a matter of encouraging young people now to consider a response of being of service in the priesthood.

We have heard the message of the Scriptures today, especially from Saint Paul, about leaving behind many things in life. The suggestion is strong that in doing so a greater freedom can be achieved., a freedom to affect lives by word and example. This is an acceptable, legitimate, needed way for individuals to reveal to themselves and to others the depth, the meaning, the effect and the presence in life of a good and loving God.