Room for Improvement

Fr. Joe Newman, OSFS, preaching at Camp DeSales.

It takes time to become an effective preacher. I have been preaching weekly for 10 years, and I still consider myself a newbie! It is a great blessing to be part of a community with so many excellent preachers. I love listening to my fellow Oblates’ thoughts and reflections on the upcoming readings for Sunday, and I often steal their ideas to flavor my homilies. I once stole my brother’s Christmas homily. My brother, Michael, is also an Oblate priest. I told him my delivery was better.

I learned a great lesson following the first public homily I ever preached. I was a deacon at St. John Neumann (Reston, VA), and the parish had a bench full of Oblates who were excellent preachers. Right after mass, one of the parishioners came to me with a simple question, “Do you know what the largest room in the world is?” Honestly, I thought this was some church thing so I responded, “St. Peter’s?” With a smile, he looked at me, “No, it’s the room for improvement!” As I said before, it’s such a blessing to be part of a community with excellent preachers. (I did not steal this story, it really happened to me.)

Oblate Fathers Mike and Joe Newman celebrated their ordinations together earlier this year.

I love telling this story. I always recount it with a great smile and laugh. This wisdom was not an insult because it was full of optimism and hope!

In a letter of spiritual direction written by Francis de Sales, he captures the truth of the virtue of humility:

“The humility that does not produce generosity is undoubtedly false, for true humility, after it has said, ‘I can do nothing; I am only absolute nothingness,’ suddenly gives place to generosity of spirit, which says, ‘There is nothing and there can be nothing that I am unable to do, so long as I put all my confidence in God, who can do all things.’ And so, buoyed up by this confidence, it courageously undertakes to do all that is commanded.”

After a decade of preaching, I see God at work. Talk to any preacher and you will hear a common insight, “What I say is not what they hear.” After hours of preparation and prayer, it is an often occurrence for people to stop me after mass, tell me the message they heard and its impact on their lives. The thing is, it’s often not the message I preached, it is even better! God is at work, and I am in wonder when I witness His activity.

Francis has a wonderful way of combining our nothingness with our greatness. Stumbling into the “room for improvement” does not lead us to anxiety, despair, or bitterness; instead, the largest room is full of hope, courage, and generosity. We are confident that our God, who led us into that room, will not abandon us. No, with fresh courage, our stumbles gain us confidence in God.

Fr. Joe Newman, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo- Detroit Province