February 2, 2020

Fifty years ago today on February 2, 1970, I was received into the Catholic Church at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile, Alabama. I was 20 years old.

A few Sundays ago we heard the gospel of the call of the first disciples. With Jesus, it is always a call to follow him. We don’t stand still . . . we’re on the move. Most of the time we’re playing “catch-up”, trying to catch up with the Lord who always goes ahead of us into Galilee.

For me, it was a call to ministry and service. A mere eight years later I was ordained a priest. I could never have dreamt of a more exciting and challenging journey.

As I look back over these fifty years, I can only say “thank you” for all the moments where God’s presence has been revealed. Not many of us are able to remember our baptism . . . which is a shame. Being 20 years old made all the difference in my life. Should babies be baptized . . . well, of course. But when God works it out so that one comes to the water a little older . . . it’s not a problem, rather it’s the most remarkable experience of grace. I will always be grateful.