Dear Friends,
Last Friday evening I had the opportunity to be at the premiere of the new documentary about Fr. Flanagan. It was created by the Father Flanagan League which is working for the canonization of Fr. Flanagan. The narrator for the documentary was Jonathan Roumie who most of us know best as the actor who portrays Jesus in The Chosen series. He was at a reception prior to the showing and I had a chance to have a brief encounter with him and to thank him for his portrayal of Jesus. They had just finished taping season five which concludes with the crucifixion so he said he was a bit tired and drained from the experience.
The documentary about Flanagan tells the story of what moved Flanagan to create a place for homeless boys and why they had to move out of town and create a town of their own. It tells the story of listening to and acting on the voice of God. This also happens to be our theme in the next month’s Cabrini Communities where we will discuss a chapter of Staton’s book about praying in the Middle Voice. Praying in the middle voice helps us to see that we are co-workers for the Kingdom of God, we are vessels of peace and mercy and grace for a world that is desperate to hear the voice of God.
The saints are great witnesses for us in the ways of listening to God and following God’s will. Fr. Flanagan is a local good example of what happens when God and human beings work together. In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus teaches his disciples about true greatness, about cooperating with God in the middle voice. Jesus tells them that whoever wants to be first must be the servant of all. He then places a child in their midst, showing them that welcoming the least among them is welcoming Him.
The Gospel often challenges us to put others first like Fr. Flanagan did with the street kids. Serving and loving others selflessly, we follow Jesus’ example and live out our faith. Instead of seeking power or status, Jesus calls his disciples to serve others, especially those who are in need. Jesus’ example of welcoming a child teaches us about leadership arising from humility and trust.
What separates Flanagan’s work from others in his day was that he accepted kids no matter their race or their creed. He put that information in writing on the sides of the gate that led into the town they built on Highway 6 west of Omaha. Even before the civil rights movement began, Flanagan was creating a community without racism where everyone is welcome simply because they are children of God. The documentary describes Flanagan not fighting with Omaha leadership who informed him that he could not put children of different races together in one building. He said “okay” to the leaders’ face, then obtained land outside of Omaha where they did not have to follow the Jim Crow laws of the day and moved west. The movie is scheduled for a nationwide release on October 8th. You can go online for tickets. Google “Heart of a Servant, The Father Flanagan Story.”
I am in South Dakota this weekend celebrating a wedding for one of our parishioners. Have a great week everyone!
Peace,
Fr. Damian
