October 7, 2026 “You did not send that to a priest!” The “that” in question was a video of Sesame Street characters – puppets – singing a lively song with the repeated line, “L is the letter of the day.” In sports, it’s common to hear people talk about a team “taking the L” or “getting the W” – taking the loss or getting the win. When I sent that video to the priest, my favorite football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, had just defeated the priest’s favorite team, the Steelers’ bitter rivals. The video clip I sent the priest was basically me taunting/trash talking the priest. My friend couldn’t believe I was trash talking to a priest. “Shouldn’t you be kinder and more reverent around a priest?” “He already knows I’m a jerk,” was my response. “Father has heard me list all the sins I’ve committed. I think he can handle a little trash talk. Plus, he’s talked trash to me before, too. He’s still a person, you know?” I’m very grateful for our priests for their role in serving in the person of Christ – administering sacraments and praying the words required to consecrate the Eucharist. If we had no priests, we’d have no Eucharist, and the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. In addition to providing our spiritual food at the altar of the Lord and celebrating the sacraments, our priests share the Lord with us in the words they deliver when they preach and teach. They share the Lord with us in their service to various ministries. They share the Lord with us in their witness – giving their lives to the Lord. But in addition to sharing the Lord with us, they share themselves and their humanity with us. They share meals with us. They share their humor and insights with us in conversations. They share their love of particular shows, movies, hobbies, activities and events with us. At least a few of them even share sports trash talk. They share both good days and bad days. They share the full range of human emotions. They share it all with us. We are truly grateful for our priests. We’re grateful for their humanity as they work to bring us the divine. While many of our priests are mentioned personally in the pages of this edition, some aren’t. Deadlines get missed. Emails get overlooked. Despite our best intentions, people forget. All our priests, named or otherwise, are appreciated and loved. Even the ones who have bad taste in football teams. Instead of a video, please join me in sending them thanks and prayers. |
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