Great leaders are very hard to find. Just look at the media coverage of our nation's presidential primary. What happened to the quality of our leaders since the days of our nation's birth? Where are the great leaders in our day? The answer is they are to our left and to our right, not politically speaking, but in reality! Sitting right next to you in our church are the men and women who are called to be the great leaders of the 21st century. Like it or not, you and I are the ones called to be the great leaders of our day.
In today's gospel we hear about Jesus calling two of the greats of his day, Andrew and John, "to come and see." In outward appearance these disciples were nothing exceptional, but their hearts were open to the Lord Jesus. In fact, if you closely examine the credentials of all of Jesus apostles, there isn't one who looks like a very good prospect to found a new religious expression.
In 2007 Fr. Robert Darrow retired after 23 years as pastor of St. Hilary Parish. What a long and successful run! At that time the Archdiocesan Placement Board assigned me as the new pastor. It had been 21 years since I had left Queen of Angels Parish to become a pastor in the south suburbs. I inquired of the board about an associate pastor and was informed that no associates were available at that time. Imagine my surprise, when only two weeks later Fr. John Clemens called me to ask if I would be willing to take an associate pastor. God works in wonderful ways. So it came to pass that Fr. Arthur Olsen joined us here at St. Hilary Parish.
Over the years our parish has been blessed with the service of many wonderful priests, sisters, an occasional brother, and even a bishop. So many families got there start here through the sacraments of marriage, baptism, first communion, and confirmation. Parishioners have been comforted by the sacraments of forgiveness and healing. Many have completed their life’s journey with our blessed Lord here in this parish church. Some of them were your grandfathers and grandmothers, your moms and dads, aunts and uncles. There would not be a Catholic community here without the good work of all these disciples of Jesus.
Who is going to continue their work and the work of our Lord in the next millennium and until he comes again? The answer is you and me. We are the ones who have to do it, if it is going to get done at all. We may not think that we have what it takes. We may think that those who went before us had more faith, deeper understanding, better prayer lives, whatever. The fact remain they were no different than we are. They were confused and confounded, just like us. They had their trials and their doubts, just like us. They kept asking God, "why me?" just like us. In the end it was their faith in his promise that brought them through it all.
Why does Christ choose people like us to build up his Church? The answer is quite simple- what better proof is there that God is in charge?