Jesus, I Trust in You!

04-26-2015Weekly ReflectionFr. Brian Jazdzewski

Every once in awhile, in the crowds I often run in, body art is part of the visible surroundings. Sometimes I read a message found on some tattoos which reads, “Trust No One.” I hope that as a person of faith, you find that message as disturbing as I do.

Divine Mercy Sunday was celebrated around the planet just two short weeks ago. We were reminded by Jesus, through Saint Faustina, about His message to each of us, “I Trust in You.” That, of course, means that we, as disciples, are to own up to the simple prayer which states, “Jesus, I Trust in You.” As easy as those words are to pray, they are often more challenging to live up to. That prayer is quite a contrast to the aforementioned tattoo.

Now it seems that some of us are concerned about less people being active and involved in Church activities. And, sometimes we hear the blame placed upon PRIESTS. That blame is directed to the power of the priest; the decisions, personality, pastoral practices or shortcomings of the priest; and includes priests accused of (or perhaps found guilty of), some type of sexual misconduct. Make no mistake, the sexual misconduct scandals have left, and will leave, an unfortunate scar upon the Body of Christ.

At this point, I refer back to the Polish Museum in Winona, which, last week, hosted a three day event showcasing the hidden talents of priests. Ironically, in the midst of articles and advertisements in local newspapers which showcased misconduct, there was great interest and promotion of what priests do to occupy their idle time. Again, its challenging for me to display my hidden talents of small-engine tuning or power sports recreation, but I want to share a brief encounter I had just several weeks ago.

I was purchasing a piece of equipment from a private seller in MN; I found the unit on craigslist. Because of the climate of the priesthood these days, I continue to be reluctant to advertise to strangers that I’m a priest; I never know the reaction. After the transaction was complete, I asked the fellow which private school his children attended, he made reference to that fact earlier. After hearing the name of the school, I mentioned the school sounded Catholic. As he curiously agreed to my inquiry, I confessed that I, too, am involved in a Catholic school as its Pastor and Principal. Needless to say, he was surprised.

As our conversation was winding down, I had mentioned to him my gratitude that he enrolled his children in a Catholic school, even in the midst of a MN diocese which continues to struggle with allegations and legal settlements of priestly sexual misconduct. His reply to that was quite stunning... and refreshing. He said he attends Mass and remains Catholic because of Jesus and the Sacraments, and not because of the priest underneath the vestments. Somehow, in the midst of a hazy culture, this man and many of you really understand why we do what we do. We come here, we pray, we are Catholic because of Jesus and we look through the priest underneath the vestments. He, and many of you, understand quite well that our resurrected Lord is the one who invites us to own the prayer, “Jesus, I trust in You!”

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