When I was growing up I was often “bossy” with my younger brother. I really do not remember much in the way of specific anecdotes, but I do remember when my mom would intervene. Her first words were often “who died and left you in charge?” I never gave it much thought other than to accept that I was not in charge of my brother.

Skipping ahead a half-century, my mom’s words ring a new truth for me. Perhaps not what she meant at that moment, but equally applicable.

God sent His son to live among us to teach us to love Him and one another. Jesus was our teacher, amplifying and expanding the lessons of the prophets. While at the time His followers did not fully “get it,” He knew His time with us was very limited.

So, what was Jesus longer term plan for us? Several things really:

• He instituted His Church.
• He gave us the sacraments and entrusted them to His Church. Through this gift we receive the graces of divine life.
• We received the Holy Spirit to guide us in his will, especially the leader of His Church.
• His word. At first, little was written, passed only by Sacred Tradition. Over time many testaments were recorded from which the Church, through its infallible authority, canonized a collection as the Holy Bible.

Central to Jesus plan for our earthly lives is His Church – the Universal Church – the Catholic Church. THAT is who Jesus “left in charge.” Jesus created 1 Church, not many denominations. He appointed officials (Apostles and their successor Bishops) and a leader (Peter and his successor popes). Christ created His Church not just for the decades following His death, but “until the end of the age.”

Scripture, as always, explains this better them me! Here is the narrative:

(Jesus) said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

John 20:21

He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”

Mark 16:15

Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

Matthew 10:40

Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

Luke 10:16

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 16:18-19

If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 18:17-18

Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

This saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable, married only once, temperate, self-controlled, decent, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children under control with perfect dignity; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of the church of God? He should not be a recent convert, so that he may not become conceited and thus incur the devil’s punishment. He must also have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, the devil’s trap. Similarly, deacons must be dignified, not deceitful, not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain.

1 Timothy 3:1-8

And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

John 10:16

I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.

1 Corinthians 1:10

Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.

Luke 22:31-32

The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you.

John 14:26

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

John 15:16

And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.

John 17:22-23

God is one and Christ in one, and one is His Church, and the faith is one, and His people welded together by the glue of concord into a solid unity of body. Unity cannot be rent asunder, nor can the one body of the Church, through the division of its structure, be divided into separate pieces.

St. Cyprian (c. 250AD)

Last Saturday my daughter graduated from her Catholic high school. There are many people she will remember fondly, but one person in particular stands out – Msgr. Richard Lopez, one of the priests assigned to the school. Father Lopez had no special relationship with my daughter any different from every other student. He stands out entirely for his exceptional love of people.

I first met Father Lopez at the Annual Dads’ Morning of Recollection, one Saturday morning last January. This was the 19th time this fellowship event and Mass was held for the fathers of students. Father Lopez was very warm and funny, but the thing I remember most was receiving a blessing. At that point I was not yet confirmed so I could not receive the Eucharist at Mass, but I did go up for a blessing. Father Lopez had such a warm smile for everyone. Much more than a smile really…   obvious joy. Somehow completely accepting, embracing and reassuring.

When I first learned of the retreat, I was undecided about attending. My wife had met Father Lopez on a parent / teacher night and said I definitely had to meet him. My daughter, who is usually neutral on these things, urged me to go. Other parents did likewise. I am glad I listened to them! Many of the dad’s who were present didn’t even have students still enrolled. They simply enjoy coming each year and are invited to do so.

My daughter often recounted how some students would misbehave and get in trouble at school. One thing I appreciated about her Catholic high school is their unwavering discipline. Those pushing the fairly tight envelope would swiftly find themselves in detention or worse. In Father Lopez’ classes things were different. Punishment was never necessary.

For example, if Father noticed a student apparently chewing gum – he would turn around and face the blackboard. Then he would offer a prayer something like, “Heavenly Father – I must be imagining what appeared to be gum chewing. Please let me see my error when I turn around in 3 – 2 – 1…” Of course, the offending student would quickly discard the gum. The class would proceed and no punishment assigned, but it was more than just that. The students did not want to misbehave for Father Lopez. If not out of respect and love, they behaved simply due to peer pressure from the love everyone else had for him.

Of course, the relationship Father had with the students meant they especially listened to him and did as he asked. It was respect he never requested but received fully and gladly from everyone. Such treatment from high school kids most teachers can only dream of. That love and respect is reciprocal. Father has covered the walls of his classroom with pictures of hundreds – maybe thousands – of past students.

Last Friday an end-of-year awards assembly was held. Various awards were presented to students and teachers. I remember joking with my wife that any “teacher of the year” type award should really be renamed “teacher of the year other than Father Lopez” to give everyone else a chance. As it turned out, Father Lopez did in fact win an award, but true to his nature, he was not there to receive it. Father was out in service to others.

On graduation day, Father Lopez was on stage with all the other faculty, administrators, dignitaries and our Archbishop. The principal presented the award at that time. Everyone immediately stood-up and enthusiastically applauded. Parents, teachers, students – everyone. Not to be polite or because their view was obstructed, but in recognition of someone they truly admired. Father Lopez accepted the award and sat down as quickly as he could, motioning for everyone else to also do so. Always humble, he wanted the focus to remain on the students and not himself.

Later that day a “lock-in” for the new graduates was held. They had a lot of fun and received nice prizes. One thing they all received was a “Father Lopez Bobblehead Doll” (pictured). I suppose such things are sometimes to make fun of someone. Not in this case. I have no doubt that these toys will accompany most of the kids to college in the fall to remember Father Lopez.

In this Year of the Priest, we celebrate Father Lopez and all of our priests. We are truly blessed to have such humble servants called to the priesthood. They are the Catholic priests who should be in the news. Since the news doesn’t value them, it is up to us to honor them and keep them in our minds and prayers.