You have heard me say this before, “No one likes change except a wet baby.” Most of us can smile at that because there is a lot of truth in it. Change is rarely easy. We become comfortable with what is familiar. We know where everything belongs. We know how things are done. We know what to expect. Soon, as many of you know, our parish is entering a time of change.
After 16 years as your pastor, I am retiring, and Fr. Jose will become your new pastor. For some people, that brings excitement, for others, it brings uncertainty. For most of us, it is a little of both.
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells His disciples, “Do not be afraid.” Three times in this passage, Jesus speaks words of reassurance. Why? Because whenever God leads us into something new, our first reaction is fear. The disciples were facing a new future. They did not know exactly what lay ahead. Yet, Jesus reminded them that they were in God’s hands. “Even the hairs of your head are all counted.”
Those words apply to us today. God has been guiding this parish long before I arrived, and God will continue guiding it long after I leave. The parish does not belong to a pastor. It belongs to Christ. And now God is opening a new chapter.
Fr. Jose is not me – and that is a good thing. He will have different gifts, different experiences, different strengths, and different ideas. He will do some things differently than I have done them. There may be times when you find yourself saying, “Well, Fr. John always did it this way.” I hope when that happens, you will stop and remember that every pastor brings his own personality and gifts to the parish. The worst thing we can do is compare. The best thing we can do is welcome. Your greatest gift to me would be to truly welcome Fr. Jose and continue to grow St. Agnes into the welcoming parish it has become.
Sometimes change is exactly how the Holy Spirit helps us grow. Think about your own life. The greatest blessings often came through changes you did not choose – a new job, a move, a marriage, the birth of a child, retirement, challenges that forced you to trust God more deeply. Growth and change usually travel together.
Today is also Father’s Day, and fathers understand this well. Good fathers know that children grow. The little boy who once held your hand eventually drives a car. The little girl who sat on your shoulders eventually leaves for college. Change can be difficult, but it is also a sign of life. A loving father does not try to keep everything the same forever. He helps his family move confidently into the future. That is what I hope for this parish.
I ask you to welcome Fr. Jose with open arms, open hearts, and open minds. Pray for him. Invite him to your home – or out for a hike or maybe a boat ride, this area of the world is new to him. Encourage him. Give him the freedom to be the pastor God has called him to be. Let him make this parish his home. And when he does something differently, do not assume it is wrong. It may simply be different. And different can be even better. Most importantly, remember the words of Jesus today: “Do not be afraid.”
The future of this parish is not in my hands. It is not in Fr. Jose’s hands. It is in God’s hands. The same God who has blessed St. Agnes through the years will continue to bless this parish. The same God who has guided us in the past will guide us into the future.
So today, on this Father’s Day weekend, let us thank God for all fathers, for all spiritual fathers, and for the gift of this parish family. And let us move forward with confidence, trusting that the Lord who knows every hair on our heads will continue to watch over us, bless us, and lead us wherever God wants us to go.