He is called Jester on twitter. Thousands of tributes regularly pour into him expressing gratitude and deep appreciation for the essential role he is playing during this difficult season.
He is not a governor, cabinet minister, billionaire, clergyman or politician. When going about his daily rounds early in the morning before most of the rest of the world has had its first brewed cup of coffee, he is greeted with cheers and thank-yous by the few who are awake and on their balconies or front steps. Later in the day, this servant receives applause and joyful greetings from the people he serves. He represents symbolically the world turned upside down. Get this, he is a garbage man, or euphemistically, a sanitation engineer. He Is essential along with the ordinary men and women and young and old who stock the shelves in supermarkets and pharmacies, the police and firefighters who protect society from danger, the mothers and fathers, grandparents and extended family members suddenly caring for children out of school. Include among the essential the health care givers, the food delivery people, the home and office cleaners, the farm workers and the men and women in the military.
Among the non-essentials are the wall street money managers, entrepreneurs, billionaires, CEO’s, Hollywood celebrities and sports heroes and even some politicians. Taking nothing from them, it does all of us good to see the people that make our daily lives manageable and who are often in the background suddenly seen as essential and even glorified during this most unusual season of threat and retreat.
If you have been trying to make sense out of what good God is going to bring out of the Coronavirus pandemic, the key may lie in the words Jesus utters in today’s Gospel.
When our Lord says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him” he is speaking right after Judas leaves to betray him and have him arrested, tortured and crucified and put to death. The juxtaposition of betrayal leading to death and giving glory to God is shocking. Jesus loves to point out that the seed remains just a seed unless it is planted in the ground, dies and produces much fruit. Instead of speaking of power and influence, of riches and victory and triumph, Jesus speaks of dying that leads to God’s glory. Death is never the last word. It is a prologue and a doorway toward something better. Perhaps God is teaching us to value and give glory to what and who is essential in our world and our lives: our families, the humble servants in our world rather than those that the media and the world holds up for glory. Don’t we all, deep down, want to lead lives of much dying so that we can bear fruit that will last, fruit that gives glory to God? I say “Yes”, my Lord! Amen.
Father Willy's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
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Father Wilfred J. Raymond, C.S.C. (Father Willy), a native of Old Town, Maine, is the eighth of 12 children. He joined the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1964 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1971. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Stonehill College in 1967 and a master’s in Theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1971. He served in ministry at Stonehill College (1979-1992), Holy Cross leadership (1994-2000), National Director of Family Theater Productions, Hollywood (2000-2014), and President of Holy Cross Family Ministries (2014-2022). In addition to English, he is conversant in French and Spanish. He remains a diehard fan of the Boston Red Sox, even though he has served as Chaplain for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
