“This is a time of moving in our diocese, and to my surprise I will also be moving.” This sad announcement was made by my parish priest this past Sunday. An audible communal gasp was heard. Fr. Adams was crying, every mom in the congregation was crying, toddlers looked around perplexed at the scene surrounding them. We were all under the assumption that Fr. Adams would be our pastor for at least another two years so while hearing of a new bishop and other priests moving it never crossed our minds that our dearly loved priest would be among the numbers switching parishes.

The response to this news has highlighted to me how different people, different personalities, respond to news they don’t like. Many of us just cried, others were so angry they couldn’t express their grief, some want to take legal action, some want to switch parishes without even offering our incoming pastor a chance to show his gifts. And almost everybody wants to write letters and flood the incoming bishop’s mailbox with the question “why?”

Poor Fr. Adams has been bombarded with emails about fears and questions of what’s to come. Will we get to continue our Fr. Hardin workbooks? Will Legion of Mary continue? How will the hispanic community respond to a new priest? Will we still be able to host co-op at church? Does the new priest allow the communion rail? What about the fact that we only have boy Altar servers? Will he support the schola? And so many other questions and fears. This flood of questions prompted Fr. Adams to host a meeting with the co-op families to tell his side of the story and to answer some of these burning questions.

Father began the evening with a decade of the Rosary, the Nativity, specifically contemplating the flight into the Egypt. Then he went straight into a beautifully worded narration of history about Our Lady of Fontgombault Abbey in France. I cannot convey this story with the same emotion, precise wording, and beauty as Fr. Adams so I will simply sum up that the entire message was about obedience. It was clear to me from this story that Father wanted us not to take legal action, to accept the sad reality of his leaving us, and we need to trust that this is God’s will. However, some personalities are strong and struggle with hearing a request such as this. The rest of the evening was mostly Fr. Adams reiterating that he sincerely does not want anyone to legally fight the bishop about this decision. It was very sad for me to watch Father repeat the same things over and over and over again and responding the the same question and accusation worded slightly differently by so many people. In this time of transition Fr. Adams needs the comfort that we can stand on our own two feet and we will be ok and will pray for him, our new bishop, and new priest. Though it may be painful, he simply wants us to obey and trust.

How often does God do the same thing with us? We ask for something we insist is in our best interest and God answers time and time again that this is not His will? We can be so stubborn! But, in that meeting with Fr. Adams I again realized how immature and petty we can be. God’s will is often hidden or disguised as something we don’t like or hurts. But we need to listen and pray and in the end, God will bless those who obey.

In this month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus let’s pray the litany begging for our desires to be aligned with God’s will:

Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. 
(Repeat have mercy on us. after each line)
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 
God the Holy Spirit, 
Holy Trinity, one God, 
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, 
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in 
the Virgin Mother’s womb, 
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the
Word of God, 
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty, 
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, 
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, 
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, 
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity, 
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love, 
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, 
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, 
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, 
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts, 
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures 
of wisdom and knowledge, 
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead,

Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased, 
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received, 
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, 
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy, 
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who call upon You, 
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness, 
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our offenses, 
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with reproaches, 
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our iniquities, 
Heart of Jesus, obedient even unto death, 
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, 
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, 
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, 
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, 
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, 
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in You, 
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in You, 
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints, 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 
Spare us, O Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 
Graciously hear us, O Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 
Have mercy on us. 
Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, 
Make our hearts like unto Thine. 

Let us pray.
Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Thy most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers Thee in the name of sinners; and to those who implore Thy mercy, in Thy great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who livest and reignest with Thee forever and ever. Amen.