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Church Life

Is it wrong to expect church to meet my needs?

The problem so many times with people's understanding and outlook at church is that it's the wrong outlook. The outlook becomes, what is the church giving to me? How is the church serving me? How is the church meeting my needs? So many people say, these are not my needs. This is not how I want it. I want easy access to Father. I want to be able to go to confession, or do a life confession, or do whatever. That doesn't meet my needs. What about my needs? What's so interesting today is that we have this whole gospel with Christ coming into Jerusalem, and who's the one that we never talk about? The one that we never talk about in the gospel is the perspective of the donkey. Nobody thinks about the donkey on Palm Sunday. They used to make this joke in seminary. They said, pretty soon you're going to go out, you're going to get ordained, and people are going to come up to you and say, oh Father, your blessing. Oh Father, those are beautiful vestments today. Oh Father, it's so good that you're here, I need to do confession. Oh Father, I'm so grateful that you are here to serve the divine liturgy and give us the mysteries. Father, it's so good to be able to get in contact with you. And they said, when there are new priests, they begin to think, oh wow, it's me. Everybody's so happy. Nobody in my entire life has been so excited to see me and to have me around. And then the professor said, and then it begins to dawn on you: you are not who they are coming to see. You are just a donkey. It's like when the donkey walks into Jerusalem and they're like, wow, everybody's so excited to see me. I can't believe they're laying down palm branches and they're singing Hosanna in the highest. This is amazing. I have never been shown such respect in my life. Just such a simple little donkey I am, but glory to God, this is a wonderful experience. Because the thing is, what does the donkey have to realize? It is not about him. The donkey, the Palm Sunday, the celebration, it's not about the donkey. Just like for the holy priesthood, it's not about me. It's not about me as a person. That is not who this ministry is about.

Edited from his answer on camera. The clip has the full thing.

Watch him answer it (02:37)

From “Why You Want Appreciation For Every Sacrifice You Make

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