2012:3 - Desperation

My friend Michael who I usually teach with each summer is not here this year. When he read my last blog, he commented, “Desperation is a terrible thing.”

Indeed it is. It can make people do things that are entirely outside the norm. Such is the case at the seminary this year.

My friend Michael is a Franciscan friar and priest and so he normally takes leadership of pastoral responsibilities in the summer course, preaching and presiding at our daily mass. (Michael is a wonderful preacher and I am missing the opportunity to soak up his prophetic and challenging words this summer.) Because Michael is not here the priests who live and teach at the seminary are sharing the presiding duties. But preaching in a foreign language is a daunting task – especially when you’re proficiency in the language is not great.

Out of desperation, Abuna Bishoi, our lead priest for the summer course announced on Tuesday morning that I will be preaching the homilies every day until the students are prepared to deliver theirs.

I’ve preached before in the summer course – one or two times each year -- but the challenge of daily preaching is a new one for me. Day 2 was easier than Day 1. Hopefully Day 3 will be easier still.

There’s a lot of things I could say about this opportunity that are probably better left unsaid. What I will say is that I second Michael’s observation “desperation is a terrible thing.” I’ll also say the Holy Spirit works sometimes in the strangest ways!