Every other year, the priests of the archdiocese gather for a few days in Cambridge, Maryland, for the Priest’s Convocation. It’s a wonderful opportunity to take time out of our busy schedules and be able to talk with one another and support one another in our ministries serving the people of Washington.
The latest one took place just before Thanksgiving, and it was particularly special for all of us. Bishop Gerald Vincke of Salina, Kan., led our efforts. He has done extensive work with spiritual direction in Rome and other places with vocations, and his talks were superb. From my perspective, the stories he told are what made them so meaningful.
He told a lot of stories about himself – his ministry, his relationship with his father and siblings, how he learned to forgive, and more. His great love for Jesus glowed in beautiful ways through his stories.
On the first morning, Bishop Vincke gave a beautiful talk that included several poignant stories about his father, his brother and his growth in ministry. After his talk, one of our priests asked him how we could help fathers in our parishes become better leaders and inspirations to their wives and children.
He thought for a bit, and then said he honestly didn’t have a great answer, but that he bet some of the priests in the audience did. That opened the floodgates in a beautiful way. For more than an hour, I would say 20 to 25 priests stepped up to the microphone to share stories of their dads and what they had learned about fatherhood.
The stories were poignant and moving. Two priests had just lost their dads in the weeks before the convocation. Others talked about the blessings of fathers who taught them so much about God. Still others spoke about struggles with their fathers and struggles of their fathers with alcohol and other issues.
The stories from Bishop Vincke and my fellow priests were real and honest and from the heart. They brought us together in ways we probably did not image would happen. In fact, one of our newly ordained priests spoke the next day and said he was uncertain about the convocation and what might come out of it. He then said he was thrilled to be part of this group of priests that were so human, spiritual, real and eager to do God’s will.
God worked through the stories we shared, and it reminded me how important stories are. Think about how much we enjoy movies, books, theater and so many other ways of telling stories that entertain us, move us, inspire us and teach us. I frequently use stories in homilies to better understand and reflect upon what the Gospel might be saying.
Christmas is also a time for stories. Stories of our own Christmases, and stories that help us understand the full meaning of Jesus’s birth. Through 50 years of the priesthood, I have found probably eight or 10 stories that seem to really impact people.
We don’t have the time or space to go into great depth here, but you may want to look some of them up. I have used “One Solitary Life” talking about Jesus. I have used a story by Miles Connelly called “Mr. Blue,” a wonderful tale about a little boy who still wants to be friends with those being mean to him, teaching us about God’s love in a very simple way. I have used stories about Christmas carols, and even a funny little joke about “pesky squirrels” to encourage people to come worship God more than just Christmas and Easter.
The ultimate goal is to make Christmas come alive beyond social gatherings, gift giving and time with loved ones – as wonderful as all those are. The real Christmas story is that of a baby in a manger 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, a baby who was the only son of God, who loves us so much that he sent his son to conquer sin and death through his own death and Resurrection. It’s also our story today as we strive to live our part in God’s salvation story.
All stories ultimately lead to the greatest story – the Nativity of Jesus, the love of God, the gift of eternal life. Let’s refocus and celebrate well the beginning of that story by remembering our own Christmases past, the first Christmas 2,000 years ago, and ongoing birth of Jesus in each of us every day.
Christmas is the beginning of salvation’s journey that will end in victory at Easter, reminding us of God’s greatest gift – the gift of eternal life. It’s the greatest story ever told. Let’s remember it, tell it, celebrate it, and live it with renewed faith, gratitude, vigor and love.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
(Msgr. John Enzler serves as the mission advocate of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a chaplain at his alma mater, St. John’s College High School in Washington. He writes the Faith in Action column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard and Spanish-language El Pregonero newspapers and websites.)
