In the last years of the seminary and when I was in my parish I used to vacation in Australia. I got to meet a lot of interesting church types there. I met Mathew Fox and heard him shouted down by Opus Dei members at one of his well attended lectures. I wondered why Opus bothered to attend. Fox fans ignored them and I think Matt fed off of them.
Later and on the other side of the continent I met a monk who was Padre Pio's English translator. I went to a beach gathering of some Blue Army friends and there he was sitting on a wooden chair in the middle of a long white sandy beach on the Indian Ocean. The ladies where dressed for a formal occasion despite sitting in the sand around father. I never could pronounce this guy's name, so it's no wonder I cannot think of it now. The ladies were quite chatty and I joined in on the conversation. I noticed however that all father translator did was nod and smile. I never heard him say a word.
This was to continue as I attended several house gatherings honoring this fellow. The gatherings were held at some incredible millionaire's mansions along the beaches in the Perth suburbs. I was wined and dined and I got to regale the crown with some of my best stuff. Father just sat there and ate. This went on for about a week until father was moved on to Adelaide during his conquering tour of Australia.
I never saw or heard of him again. I never heard from all those Aussie Catholic celebs again either. What went wrong? I gave them some of my best stuff. Father smiled and ate. I imagine that Father is still touring the best houses if he is still alive. He was quite old. Hmm, I am getting old and I get to tour my neighborhood here in Phoenix while walking the dogs. Is there a lesson here?
Fr. Rod
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