Braving rain for Christ

National Catholic Reporter, Sept 10, 2004 by Evi Quinn, Charles Van Winkle

James Stephen Behrens' reflection on the newly ordained priests in England who marched out of the cathedral's open doors into a torrential downpour really touched a nerve with me (NCR, Aug. 13). The thousands of us practicing Catholics active in Call To Action and other reform movements have long learned to be dry people and stay out of the rain. But when and how will our sisters and brothers who choose to stay out in the rain realize that they need not stay drenched and storm-beaten for the sake of following a tradition? There is the tradition of Jesus' teachings and then there is the one from Tevye in "The Fiddler on the Roof." The late Bishop Raymond Lucker from Minnesota hit the nail on the head when he said, "We must distinguish between essentials and nonessentials on our faith journey." Click on to www.ctausa.org and march in the sunshine with the people who are committed to conserving the Catholic essentials in Jesus' tradition.

EVI QUINN

Carlsbad, Calif.

[Quinn is founder and past president of Call To Action San Diego.]

In his "Starting Point" regarding the eight newly ordained priests and six deacons who marched through the open doors of the cathedral into the rain, perhaps Fr. Behrens was too intent on satisfying his e-mail correspondent in England.

Referring to the going-forth decision of the newly ordained as "what many of us lower folk might say [is] stupidity," Fr. Behrens decides: "I am sure it was a sunny day when Jesus sent his disciples forth."

Jesus did quite a few things that the worldly wise and the "lower folk" deemed not simply stupidity; his own relatives thought he was out of his mind. Peter vehemently protested against Jesus' intent to take up the cross, and yet Jesus rebuked Peter and tells us to take up our cross.

People are willing to stand in the rain for hours to meet a celebrity, to view the corpse of a famous or saintly person or to participate in the Mass celebrated by the pope or any other priest.

I hope that in hindsight and even in empathy, especially as a contemplative religious, Fr. Behrens will be able to acknowledge that being overcome by the ecstasy of the glorious moment of ordination, and being overwhelmed by the transforming love of God for having answered his call in one of the most challenging and dissuasive times in the history of the church, the newly ordained had little choice other than to march into the torrential downpour: "Jesus, we are willing to take up our cross and follow you in good weather or bad! Beautiful people of God, no matter what the challenge, we will be there for you to lay down our lives, just as Jesus has done for us!"

May those of us who have grown old in the ministry not grow cynical, but, rather, take some time apart to contemplate the incomparable thrill of our own ordination that prompted us to want to be "fools for Christ's sake."

(Fr.) CHARLES VAN WINKLE, CSC

Copperas Cove, Texas