Punching the Clock vs. Going the Extra Mile

Shortly before we were ordained priests, the then vice-rector of the seminary had an informal gathering with our class where he gave us some advice. His words were simply as priests, you can either be a “station manager” or an “entrepreneur.” The point he was making was the station manager doesn’t ruffle any feathers, makes no changes, keeps things status quo, but doesn’t really move the parish forward. The entrepreneur looks at a parish and, working with others there, looks for ways the parish can grow. To be sure, there is often many things that need no change at all. But inevitably, a parish can try some new things, make some tweaks here and there, as the priest works with the people of God to continually make the parish a better place.

I’ll often refer to myself as a “work in progress” in that I’m trying to become a better person as the years go by, and trying to become a better priest too. I’d do some things differently like we all would. But my hope is that over the course of my priesthood, my goal is not to have a social hall named after me, but to one day be with God in heaven, and have a conversation about the people who I may have helped get there. The way that happens is through so many things big and small; the big choices I’ll make in looking at things in my life and the life of the parish I serve, but the daily interactions I have with people too. How true this is for all of us.

Jesus in our Gospel this week on the 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C) gives us a lot of challenges; loving our enemies; going the extra mile for people, doing good and not expecting things in return. It’s a great reminder that keeping the commandments is great as we want to avoid sin, but we also don’t want to stand before God and say “well I didn’t do much harm.” We want to be an entrepreneur who made a difference in the world for the better. So how can we do that?

As a starting point, remember that the love of God is always a free gift. We are sinners, we let one another down, we make mistakes – but God is not giving us His love with any strings attached. Many a great entrepreneur failed at various ventures in business before making it. However, we are called to respond to that love and love like Jesus.

Start by looking at the people closest to you, namely your family. How do you love them? Most parents don’t give their children a bill for raising them. But keeping up the loving attitude as the years go by requires introspection. Ask yourself what is your attitude towards others in the family. Do you do extra chores because it’s the right thing to do or because you maybe are hoping someone will reward you with a present? Do you help your kids or aging relatives and avoid resentment? Do you do something for an extended family member and expect something in return such as at Christmastime? Do you give that all important gift of time to loved ones?

When we take it a little further and include people at work or at church, there are so many things we can do to give and make a huge impact.

For one, we can refrain from giving harsh judgment. Jesus says “stop judging and you will not be judged” and “stop condemning and you will not be condemned.” We can judge if we ultimately want to help people, but if that’s not the case and we are just judging to put someone down, we need to refrain from that.

But then we take it up a notch. So often at our parish, I see people give so freely to serve our parish in so many ways, and there is never a “what’s in it for me” kind of attitude. Whether its funeral ministry, bringing Communion to the homebound, being a catechist or putting together a school gala or parish festival, the story is all the same: people do these things to help build up our parish family. This is the kind of attitude we need to have in all that we do!

In “Field of Dreams,” at the end of the movie when Ray (Kevin Costner) meets his younger father who asks him if this is heaven, Ray says “no, this is Iowa.” But he asks his dad if heaven is real. And he says “oh yeah” and when asked what’s it like, he says “it’s where dreams come true” to which Ray says “well then maybe this is heaven.” I can’t say whether there is baseball in heaven, but I do believe that in heaven there is no disunity in the body but perfect love between God and all of the saints who love Him and one another. God has called us to build something so the people will come – not a baseball diamond in a cornfield, but to build up His Kingdom which we pray to do every time we say the “Our Father.” What’s in it for us? Love and mercy. Something we are freely given, and called to freely give. So let us daily be an entrepreneur, building up that Kingdom with our actions of love and mercy as fishers of men.

Have a blessed week,    Fr Paul

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February 2025