“Lord, it is good to be here.” These words of St. Peter, uttered in awe at the manifestation of Christ’s glory at his Transfiguration, express well how we feel as we come together this weekend to give thanks and praise to God in this Eucharist, and especially as we celebrate our beloved Fr. Adelchi Bertoli’s 65 years of faithful service as a priest, of which the last 50 have been spent right here at St. Monica’s.

I promised Fr. Bertoli that this would be a homily, and not a preliminary statement for his canonization process!  As I looked at the readings, and thought of Fr. Bertoli’s deep and abiding faith, his life of prayer, and his generous commitment to the people of this parish, there was much in today’s Scriptures that spoke to me of his journey – and ours.  So a brief meditation on three words today: FAITH, TRUST, SERVICE.

FAITH

Today’s reading from the Letter to the Hebrews offers one of the most eloquent definitions of faith in scripture: “Faith is the assurance of what is hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen.” Most of us were brought up with the idea that  faith is somehow about “believing in the invisible.” But there’s more to it. It is also about “realization”, “assurance”, “evidence”, “conviction” —things you can perceive.  Though faith does have an unseen quality, it’s not blind.  It exists in the here and now, but it sees things through a different lens, in a different light.

To illustrate what this faith looks like in practice, the author of Hebrews evokes the examples of Abraham and Sarah.   Abraham and Sarah were living quietly in Ur, an aging couple not yet blessed with children and rapidly losing hope. 

Not quite knowing where they were going, they experienced a call: to leave their family, their clan, all that was familiar to them, and to go to a new place.  Along with the call, however, they received a promise, an offer they can’t refuse: the promise of land, and descendants “as numerous as the stars of the heavens and the sands of the seashore.” They would become not simply a family, which was already their fondest hope, but a nation. All they had to do was put his confidence in God and the journey God would take them on.

But the promises did not get realized all at once.  Far from it! For decades more, there are no children, and when they did finally come – first Ishmael, and later Isaac, there were many complications indeed! Abraham continued to live the rest of his life in tents, pitching them down and folding them up here, there, and everywhere between Egypt and Canaan. The story of Abraham and Sarah is a marvel because, even without seeing the promise fully realized, they never stopped believing in it.  They leaned into it, expected it, and lived as if it were true, even though the nation that would eventually come from them remained a dream in his lifetime. Abraham and Sarah are models of faith because they didn’t have to possess what God promised, in order to live as though it were real. They believed  in God’s word, they trusted in God’s care, and that was enough for them.

I am sure that in 1965, when Fr. Bertoli left his family, his home of San Daniele, the priests with whom he taught at the minor seminary in Udine, his students and his friends, he had no idea what God had in store for him.  A year at Westminster Cathedral in London to learn English and minister to pilgrims, two or three years in Montreal to do his licence in Theology and improve his French, and then he would go back home.  St. Monica’s Parish opened their doors to him, and then Loyola High School called on him, and three years became five, and 5 became 10, and roots began to be put down, and here we are, 50 years later!!  Though much has changed, what has remained constant is “faithfulness”: Fr. Bertoli’s faithfulness taking root and firm foundation in God’s absolute fidelity to his covenant.  And when I think of all the students and fellow teachers, the parishioners and families, the people whose lives have been touched by Fr. Bertoli’s gentle presence and who have touched and changed his, they are indeed as “numerous as the stars of the heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore.”  Only God’s faithfulness makes our faithful response possible.

TRUST

Closely related to faith is “trust”. If faith is seen typically as an intellectual concept – “believing that something is true” – then trust is somehow more relational: it conveys dependability, comfort, integrity, ability to be oneself with another person.

In the Gospel today, Jesus calls his disciples to that kind of trusting relationship: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to entrust the Kingdom to you!”  It is a trust rooted not in material security, but in freedom from possessions: live simply, give alms, share your surplus with the poor. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

One thing I have always admired in Fr. Bertoli is the material simplicity of his life, and his general contentment with whatever he has, whatever his situation in life is.  When I look at my possessions – especially my library, my DVD collection, my electronic gadgets, the many things I have accumulated – I am humbled by how little Fr. Bertoli seems to have “stored up” after fifty years living in two fairly tiny rooms on the second floor of St. Monica’s rectory.  More important than the quantity or material value of one’s possessions, however, is the degree of attachment one has to them.  So although I have no immediate intentions to rid myself of all my books, CDs, DVDs, computer, iPad, and smart phone – I do try to remind myself that ultimately, they are not my treasure, and I need to invest my heart in what truly matters: God, my family and friends, my ministry in the parish, my students, those the Lord has entrusted to me.  And when I look at Fr. Bertoli, I see a man of faith who has sought to keep his priorities straight throughout his priestly life. I have learned much from him!  

SERVICE

Finally, in the Gospel, Jesus speaks to us about SERVICE.  He contrasts the “trustworthy” servant – the one dressed for action, lamp lit, diligent in his work, kind to his fellow servants, ready for whatever comes – with the “untrustworthy” servant who seeks only his own advantage, who abuses others, who is negligent in his duties.  He indicates that each will receive the reward he deserves, and  concludes with the observation: “from those to whom much has been entrusted, much will be expected.”

I must admit that I have sometimes worn the last part of that statement as a bit of a burden.  Growing up as a “gifted child”, I placed on myself very high expectations and I have often lived with a sense of “unfulfilled potential”, no matter how much I have achieved or done.  Many of us probably know the feeling that no matter what we do, it somehow doesn’t seem to be enough.

Jesus does not expect us to be achieving all the time, performing all the time, outdoing everybody else.  Indeed, what he praises in the faithful servant in today’s Gospel is kindness to others, devotion to one’s daily responsibilities, and fidelity to the master who has entrusted these tasks and duties to him.  Ministry is not about flashy performance, but consists in fidelity to the daily tasks and burdens of life, knowing that what we do is an expression of loving service to the One who has entrusted his Kingdom to our care, who has called us to life and love, to holiness and discipleship, to service and mission.

The opportunity to serve alongside Fr. Bertoli these past eleven years has taught me much about the deeper meaning of priesthood, and of service in general.  That it isn’t so much about achievements, impressions and accolades, but about humble service, rooted in prayer, genuine friendship, solidarity with those with whom I am called to serve, genuine love and concern for those entrusted to my care.

Although we hope to keep Fr. Bertoli with us for many years to come, he will be 90 next January, so he may begin to slow down a little!  But we know that he has the heart of the faithful servant of the Gospel, who seeks not to draw attention to himself, but to serve in whatever way he can, his service rooted in his life of prayer, in the call he received so many years ago, trusting each day in the God in whom he has placed his faith, and who has placed his faith in him.

Well done, good and faithful servant! Ad multos annos, Don Adelchi!