A Great Example For Us
Father Junipero Serra is an excellent example for Catholic men at work. Even though his feast day is during the summer, he's a particularly good example to follow during Lent.
Lent brings us those daunting challenges: prayer, penance, almsgiving. Why daunting? Because if we're busy with our work - especially if we work really hard for long hours , it can be easy to go light with the penance - you know giving up stuff, maybe fasting a bit. Now that I think about it, those long hard working hours can make it easy to lighten up on prayer too. We're working so hard, such long hours, how can we fit in extra prayer time during Lent?
As for almsgiving, well, we can always give a bit more to the poor. But just remember that the idea of almsgiving is based in charity. Just throwing a couple more bucks in the Poor Box isn't quite what the Church has in mind. And if there's one thing that long hard hours at work can challenge, it's charity. At least it can be that way for me. A typical scene might be me writing a nice check to some favored charity, then biting off one of my kids heads in a fit of impatience, exasperation or anger after a tough day. I don't think Holy Mother Church teaches us that writing the check somehow offsets the bad behavior.
Anyway, back to Father Junipero Serra. I remember studying his mission work in California when I was in grade school. He was beatified in 1988 by John Paul II.
Born in Spain, he joined the Franciscans, earned degrees in philosophy and theology. He was a highly regarded philosopher and theologian, holding a chair in Philosophy.
In spite of his accomplishments and an exalted position in the academy, at his own request at the age of 36 he began working with the missions in America. Talk about a career change! Eventually he founded 21 missions along the California coast from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, converting the natives. He died in 1784. One hundred years later, the legislature of California declared the centennial of his burial on August 29th Father Junipero Serra day, a legal holiday. A large statue of him stands in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Imagine that! In San Francisco of all places!
He worked relentlessly to convert and serve the native people of California until the day he died, traveling the 600 miles between Santa Barbara and San Francisco in spite of various physical ailments that plagued him his whole life. He frequently worked in spite of tremendous pain.
In addition to his love of God and his fellow man, seen in his success in bringing so many to Christ, secular sources cite his great administrative ability. Add yet another skill to his academic and intellectual abilities. The Catholic Encyclopedia (1917) cites him for his fortitude, love of mortification, self-denial, insatiable zeal and absolute confidence in God.
Most of us Catholic men at work aren't working in missions converting Indians. But we are setting an example for everyone around us (aren't we?). Perhaps our good example will attract someone to Christ, or help someone who has strayed to get back to the Church.
Think again about the qualities exhibited by Father Junipero Serra: fortitude, love of mortification, self-denial, insatiable zeal and absolute confidence in God. Think about the fact that he was also a scholar and excellent administrator. Isn't that astounding?
So this Lent, I thought of him. All those character traits, all those skills, all that exhausting effort, all for God and others. Could we have a better, more manly example to follow in our own daily work during Lent - or any other time of year?
Lent brings us those daunting challenges: prayer, penance, almsgiving. Why daunting? Because if we're busy with our work - especially if we work really hard for long hours , it can be easy to go light with the penance - you know giving up stuff, maybe fasting a bit. Now that I think about it, those long hard working hours can make it easy to lighten up on prayer too. We're working so hard, such long hours, how can we fit in extra prayer time during Lent?
As for almsgiving, well, we can always give a bit more to the poor. But just remember that the idea of almsgiving is based in charity. Just throwing a couple more bucks in the Poor Box isn't quite what the Church has in mind. And if there's one thing that long hard hours at work can challenge, it's charity. At least it can be that way for me. A typical scene might be me writing a nice check to some favored charity, then biting off one of my kids heads in a fit of impatience, exasperation or anger after a tough day. I don't think Holy Mother Church teaches us that writing the check somehow offsets the bad behavior.
Anyway, back to Father Junipero Serra. I remember studying his mission work in California when I was in grade school. He was beatified in 1988 by John Paul II.
Born in Spain, he joined the Franciscans, earned degrees in philosophy and theology. He was a highly regarded philosopher and theologian, holding a chair in Philosophy.
In spite of his accomplishments and an exalted position in the academy, at his own request at the age of 36 he began working with the missions in America. Talk about a career change! Eventually he founded 21 missions along the California coast from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, converting the natives. He died in 1784. One hundred years later, the legislature of California declared the centennial of his burial on August 29th Father Junipero Serra day, a legal holiday. A large statue of him stands in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Imagine that! In San Francisco of all places!
He worked relentlessly to convert and serve the native people of California until the day he died, traveling the 600 miles between Santa Barbara and San Francisco in spite of various physical ailments that plagued him his whole life. He frequently worked in spite of tremendous pain.
In addition to his love of God and his fellow man, seen in his success in bringing so many to Christ, secular sources cite his great administrative ability. Add yet another skill to his academic and intellectual abilities. The Catholic Encyclopedia (1917) cites him for his fortitude, love of mortification, self-denial, insatiable zeal and absolute confidence in God.
Most of us Catholic men at work aren't working in missions converting Indians. But we are setting an example for everyone around us (aren't we?). Perhaps our good example will attract someone to Christ, or help someone who has strayed to get back to the Church.
Think again about the qualities exhibited by Father Junipero Serra: fortitude, love of mortification, self-denial, insatiable zeal and absolute confidence in God. Think about the fact that he was also a scholar and excellent administrator. Isn't that astounding?
So this Lent, I thought of him. All those character traits, all those skills, all that exhausting effort, all for God and others. Could we have a better, more manly example to follow in our own daily work during Lent - or any other time of year?
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