Stomp

One of our family’s greatest joys is when Abbot Arul comes to visit. Before moving to lead his community in India, Abbot Arul was the Parochial Vicar at our parish and one of our clan’s favorite priests, in large part, because of his passionate preaching. The Abbot now makes a yearly visit back to the states to visit his confreres in this part of the world, seek support for his important mission, and we believe, mainly to visit St. Patrick Parish. On this most recent visit, Abbot Arul blessed us with a 3-part parish reflection series where he unpacked the parables of the Kingdom of Heaven.

On the first evening, I almost missed his talk because I was stuck in a frustrating meeting where I felt like no one was getting it. As Abbot Arul went through his reflection, like a good teacher, he checked at various points along the way to make sure we were tracking. About three-quarters through his 90-minute session, he could tell a large portion of the room was captivated but struggling to know where he might go next. He stomped loudly and said even louder: “you need to know this, for your life, for your soul, you need to know this.”

Abbot Arul is not a big man. But his stomp made a big impression not only on me but on the whole room. On the one hand, thinking back to my meeting, I instantly understood the instinct to stomp. However, there was something different about his challenge than what I had offered to my colleagues earlier in my meeting. True to his entire ministry, Abbot didn’t need to be understood; he wanted others to understand. His message wasn’t for his agenda, but for our salvation. As he taught about the parable of the Pearl of Great Price with his own enthusiasm and insistence that we “get it,” he modeled for us the passion with which God searches for all of us, how He is desperate for each of us to “get it” — not because He needs it but because, to quote the great Abbot: “we need it for our life.”

In my life and leadership, while I might stomp often, am I getting people’s attention to be heard or to enable others to hear? Is my message for others or myself? As we draw closer to Holy Week this Lent, let’s be sure we are paying attention and calling each other to pay attention to messages the Lord wants us to hear.