Many of us at Blessed Sacrament Church knew or just heard about Monsignor Charles Keenan and remember him leading the many services that we know that we can depend upon from this beloved church.
Few of you know that about 60 years ago, then Father Keenan brought Calix to Blessed Sacrament and to all the people of our diocese.
The first meeting was held in the boiler room of this church, as Keenan Hall had not yet been built. There were six or seven people there including a former member of the US Congress.
From the very beginning, Our Lord took a special interest in Monsignor Charles Keenan, Father K or just Charlie to many. He was born in a good wholesome part of the country. He showed him the love of a family and the worth and value of the Church. He taught him how valuable and fun baseball and baseball games can be. He showed how to build parishes, how to comfort people,how to turn a tear into laughter.
He hoped that he would be a special light to others. God had to show the world that a man, a Christian, a Catholic priest could fall victim to an addiction and that he could get up better than he ever was before and be a light for all to see.
We have also learned to testify to the whole world that Christ came down to us poor sinners and to us particularly. He lit the way so that we could be relieved of our obsession and/or the resentments that come from and through obsessions. He gave us a “Msgr.” who was a light to many of us in the simple, small, and regular meetings of Calix. “Msgr.” is not just up on the altar; he is one with the altar and us as he brings Christ down for us.
We have heard it said that “don’t go up into your head too long unless you carry a gun because it is a dangerous neighborhood.” We who have lived in our head know this to be true. But the story goes on to tell us to truly recover we must move from our head to our heart and look for our HP there. St. Ignatius of Loyola advised us to “move our head into our heart”.
Father K showed us the way. He has done that through Mass and the sacraments, through good humor and laughter and through a lively and continuing interest in all of us and our doings. And through these many Calix afternoons of fellowship where we lean over to help one another while we eat the good food put before us with loving hands.
When we go to our hearts in the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, we find the heart of Jesus. He tells us he will bear our sorrow and because he bears it, we can carry it with him, and it will indeed turn light. Did not Father Keenan bring the load bearing Christ into our hearts all these many years?
Monsignor has also taught us to go to Mary. Go to our Lord’s mother and our Mother and she as the Queen of Angles will get them to help us. She it was who taught us how to truly love and respect women and men in our poor and fallen world. She helped us gain back the love of our family just as she helped Monsignor gain and claim for his own the love and respect of the whole Catholic and priestly community of Lincoln and beyond. Who among us has not brought a problem to Monsignor? We brought these problems in tears and confusion, frustration, and Christ came to us through Msgr and said, “I will help you carry it for a while”.
Bishop Flavin had an Easter sermon one year where he proclaimed, “Christ came for sinners not for Saints”. He would comment on an aspect of that proclamation and then return to the shout “Christ came for sinners not for Saints”.
We in Calix know that indeed Christ comes to us not because we are Saints but precisely because we need him as Sinners. He came to Monsignor, he came to the Bishops of our country and came even to the Pope because they, like we, are sinners not Saints.
We have not fallen permanently to our addiction. If we fell, or slipped, we got up again because “Msgr.” got up again. We have seen others around us fall down the deep well, but they also have been spared. I know not why we have been spared but I do know when I review the book of life and see the background of my salvation, I will see my family praying for me, I will see all of you praying for me and I will see Msgr praying for me.
We thank God and his Mother for sending Monsignor to us in our time of great need. We pray that he may now send other Priests, Monsignors and Charlie’s to us and our children and grandchildren for once again we need them so very much.
