You’re young and show up for practice to teach you the tools you need to efficiently perform your sport. You regularly practice and never miss a practice (verb and noun from the same word) until you get it right. That’s life’s formula preparing you for whatever career, because of your learned sport’s discipline.
Oh, but wait! If you become either a doctor or lawyer, you never stop practicing. What’s with that?
“I sold my practice a couple of years ago” to a larger law firm says a retiring lawyer. Who’d want to buy a “practice?” Didn’t they get it right after all those years? “I want to begin my own practice,” says a young doctor and that one I understand. Get yourself out there. Do some good things. Get to know your patients. (Another great use of the word “patient,” when starring at the table sign that says, “If you’ve been waiting for more than fifteen minutes…” My concluding end of the sentence is, “Now you are truly a patient. Please find a different doctor.
Still practicing?
Both lawyer and doctor have practiced their respective careers only to retire, still practicing. Where’s the feeling of perfection and satisfaction after a stressful day? Where’s the word “practice” in confidence and pleasure?” “The practice went well today,” the coach says to the anxious team about tomorrow’s big game. “I know we’re ready, now let’s get out there.” See! The practice is over and tomorrow is the performance to demonstrate what the practicing did.
With my pretend Masses at ten-years-old, I practiced and imagined who I could be. I tried to mimic the real thing I witnessed daily at Church. Fast forward eighteen years and I’m standing in front of a congregation wishing for words of encouragement or enlightenment to lighten up their upcoming week. You can see it in their eyes staring up at me, “Give me something Father that I can take home with me tonight. Something to remind myself of, something to teach my children, something I can carry to work with me.”
I guess my first few sermons were practice. I got to know the people and threw away all my graduate notes with words no one uses in daily conversation. I talked to them. I wanted a chuckle from them to know they’re listening. I wanted to zing them at the end to sharpen my point. I was no longer practicing, I was preaching, and they’re listening.
“You are who you represent yourself to be.”
A wise friend told me, “You are who you represent yourself to be.” I carry that with me daily. Those guys rose up above priests in our cultural status with their “practices, ” but I’ve perfected the gift given to me. I’m not practicing priesthood. I now know the confidence and satisfaction when Mass has ended.
Patient or client? I hope I never become either but I know that you and I will always need someone who knows what he’s talking about.
Books by Fr. Joe Jagodensky, SDS. All available on Amazon.com
“Soulful Muse,”
inspirational reflections on the Catholic Church and U.S. culture
“Living Faith’s Mysteries,”
inspirational reflections on the Christian seasons
of Advent/Christmas & Lent/Easter – a great seasonal gift
“Spiritual Wonderings and Wanderings,”
inspirational reflections on the Catholic Church and U.S. culture
“Letters From My Cats,”
a collection of letters written by my cats over twenty years
“Bowling Through Life’s Stages with a Christian perspective,”
Bowling as a metaphor for religion and growing up
It’s interesting, you can take almost anything about our culture and say the opposite and then be right with the Catholic Church. Let’s try a few. Take something from our U.S. culture and find its contradiction (its truth) in our Christian faith.
It’s tough being a priest. Housekeepers and cooks, being driven everywhere, paid for meals at expensive restaurants, weekly gifts of checks and cash. Everyone calling you what Jesus expressly told us not to call you, “Father.”
We pray for them as though their destiny can be changed. We talk about them as the “poor souls in purgatory” when purgatory is the gateway to heaven. (They ain’t “poor,” by any means folks.) Years ago, on this day in grade school we could say an “Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be” inside the church. We then needed to leave the church, and a soul would ascend to Heaven. We could repeat this as often as our little feet or minds could endure this repetitious ritual. It sounds silly today, but back then, it was pretty important work. (Taking the place of God’s judgment is a big job; too bad we feel the urge to take His place!)
Your parent tells you, “Stop pretending!” “Do your homework.” “Take out the garbage.”
My mother would tell me that “I’m getting too big for my britches,” when I thought too much of myself. I’ve never owned a pair of britches. Jesus questions us by saying, “If you cannot love yourself then how can you extend love to another?” The Church would surely tell us, “Love yourself? Are you kidding?” Perhaps, “‘Kinda like’ yourself would be okay but never love yourself.” Or the Church may say, “Try ‘sort of’ like yourself, try that on for size but never, ever think of loving yourself.” That’s the Church talking to us, not me. If I took a poll here in church of how many of you, “Love yourselves,” 80% of you would say, “No” in deference to the teachings of the Catholic Church. But that’s not what Jesus is asking of us.
All right, I have something important to tell you. It’s not easy to talk about it but my therapist said that, “Talking about it will make a difference in my life.”
Someone says, “Life is so complicated,” which it is not. Another declares, “Life is overwhelming,” turn off your cell phone and TV and see what happens. A third person sighs, “Life escapes me,” it probably has because you’ve haven’t embraced it. (Still living in your parent’s house at thirty-years-old is your first clue.)
Rev. Joe Jagodensky, SDS.
