Finding Bethany - Fr. Aaron Hess
While this weekend we celebrate the Great Feast of Pentecost and the conclusion of this 50 day Easter season, there have also been many other things to keep our minds on. Certainly we continue to rejoice with gratitude at the ordination of 7 men being ordained priests for the Archdiocese this weekend, especially Fr. Adam Berning. We also have gratitude for the assignments of Fr. John and Fr. Alex to our family of parishes. And I know for me, as I prepare to take on my new assignment in Cincinnati, this has also taken quite a bit of my mental capacity the last couple of weeks, communicating with my new pastor and preparing for the move.
About a month ago, I was able to sit down with a priest older than me and asked him some questions about the first time he moved parishes. Among other tidbits of wisdom, he also brought up something I found quite beautiful. He encouraged me to find Bethany in the parish. For those who may be unfamiliar, Bethany in the Gospel was where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. These were some of Jesus’s closest friends. He would travel there and spend time with them, just being himself and enjoying their company. And for each priest today, this is a possibility for him also. In each parish, there are going to be those families that will welcome you in, that you can go to and just be yourself. You don’t have to be getting to know them, you don’t have to constantly be ministering. You can truly sit and become part of the family, in a way. It becomes a place of rejuvenation with the people of God. And I thought that this was a beautiful thing to reflect upon.
These past three years, there have definitely been some of those Bethanys for me, places where I can be myself. I’ve been able to have snowball fights in people’s living rooms. Scrabble with parents while their kids run around and distract me. I’ve gone over in shorts and a T-Shirt to help with flooring with young parents. I’ve had homes to go to after or between Masses for a quick meal or just to pop in randomly when it’s been a long day and know that their door is always open. Places where I can show up and watch a movie while sitting on the floor surrounded by friends my age. These have truly been life-giving and rejuvenating for me, so for all of those families and individuals, I truly do thank you.
And I think I would like to take this time then to encourage all of you to consider offering Bethany to your priests as well. Be a home, be a family, where a priest can go and just be himself, where he doesn’t feel like he has to be “working” or answer questions all the time about what is going on in the parish or where he has to be on guard about any of the statements he may have. Where he can just be a friend, a man, a father. This can be so helpful to Fr. Reckers, Fr. Mondiek, as well as to Fr. Alex and Fr. John when they arrive. Parish ministry is beautiful and necessary, but it is also quite often time consuming, demanding, and tiring. Offer Bethany to them as a way to build up your priests and give them healthy and fruitful homes here in the parish.