“Going My Way” - a lesson in grace and humility

My husband, Tim, is a nostalgic guy. He loves old shows, so he can see the classic cars and the simpler way of life. He loves black and white movies because they are usually wholesome and teach a good lesson. So, when he started hinting a couple of weeks ago about wanting to watch the 1944 Bing Crosby movie, Going My Way, before Christmas, I was not surprised.

Finally, last night we took the time to enjoy some Christmas movies, and as my gift to him, I chose Going My Way over a cheesier new holiday movie. I want to tell you why I am really glad that I did.

If you haven’t seen this Christmas classic, it really is a good one. A new young priest has been brought to St. Dominic’s Catholic Church in New York City to try to revitalize the church, get it out of debt, and lead it in a new direction by focusing on helping the renegade youngsters of the parish. Bing Crosby plays the cheerful, caring Father Chuck O’Malley, who just happens to have the gift of music. He cleverly wins over the gang of boys who had been terrorizing the area and brings out the best in them, helping them use their voices to create a boys’ choir. However, his love of golf, and his fun-loving nature put him at odds with Father Fitzgibbons, the priest who had been at St. Dominic’s since its birth and had served there faithfully for 45 years.

The beauty of this story is in Bing’s character, Father O’Malley, and how he carries out his leadership role with so much humility and grace. Although he has been appointed directly by the Bishop to oversee St. Dominic’s, and has authority over her tired, elderly priest, the young Father O’Malley chooses to pretend to be the new subservient assistant to Father Fitzgibbons. He humbly defers to him for small stipends of money to do good, and he treats him with the upmost respect and kindness. However, despite his efforts, he and Father Fitzgibbons don’t see eye to eye on much, and so the elderly priest goes to visit the Bishop to ask him to send the younger man on to some other parish. Of course, poor Father Fitzgibbons is deeply humbled to find out that the roles were not as he thought. The movie goes on with young Father O’Malley continuing to show the elderly man of God kindness and grace, treating him with the upmost honor, and blessing him in several special ways by the end of the movie.

When the young O’Malley is able to sell some of his songs to a music producer, and raise enough to get the church caught up on her mortgage, he even arranges that the producers come to church and give their payment as an offering after Father Fitzgibbons’ preaches and gives a plea to the congregation for benevolence to the church to help her stay open. The uncharacteristic generosity of that Sunday’s giving bolstered the little elderly priest’s confidence so much, that he has a renewed spark for life. Of course, by the end of the movie, the elderly reinvigorated Father adores O’Malley, without even knowing half of what he’s done behind the scenes.

Even just writing this short synopsis of Going My Way warms my heart. It just makes me want to be better—to be more Christ-like, as Bing’s character, Father O’Malley, was. It makes me want to be humble and gracious, and not need to be noticed or praised, but to build my brothers and sisters, and friends and family, and especially, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, up with all I do and say.

Jesus, the Christ, Emmanuel, epitomizes humility and grace. He came from Heaven. He came from the Father’s side, to slip into the womb of a Jewish peasant woman, and to be born in a lowly place where livestock are kept. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes used to wrap newborn lambs. He was laid in a manger, a lowly feeding trough. He slipped onto this Earth unnoticed by the powerful or rich of his day. He came to dwell on this planet as his temporary home—the same blue-green jewel He had spoken into existence and hung into our galaxy with the Heavenly Father and the Spirit at Creation’s inception. He the Ruler, the King of kings, had been given all authority by the Father, yet became the servant of all.

He came full of grace and truth. He came to all of us, and for all of us, who didn’t deserve Him. He followed the Father’s plan for Him and carried out the Father’s will for Him, perfectly. He touched so many lives in His short earthly life in the flesh, and sacrificial death upon the cross, that no threats by the Pharisees or the Romans could keep His transformed followers from sharing what this lowly carpenter from Nazareth, the Savior of the World, had done for them. They would not keep quiet about their Resurrected Lord.

It may have been a silent night when Mary labored to give birth to her first-born son, but as soon as He was laid in that manger, the skies over the hillsides nearby came to life with Angelic voices, and God’s glory shown around those faithful shepherds. Those men of the flocks — much like that lowly, Father Fitzgibbons—were men with soft hearts. They were awake and available, and they were chosen to be among the very first to witness God’s most gracious gift to all humankind. Jesus, the Son of God, the One who would save His people from their sins. And the scriptures say, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:20 NIV)

They had run to Bethlehem to see this One who had been announced to them by a sky full of angels. They had searched and found him, the only baby lying in a bed of straw, wrapped in swaddling clothes. They had knelt in awe before Him, likely taking turns reaching out to gently touch this little lamb of the ages with their rough working hands.

Let’s not miss the opportunity today to join those shepherds of long ago and come, kneel before Him. He’s no longer in the manger. He’s the Risen Lord of lords and King of kings. He’s waiting at His Father’s right hand, listening for our prayers of faith and humility and need to fill his ears and his heart. He is Emmanuel —God with us. Don’t wait. Just take time now to open your heart to Him. You will be thankful for all of eternity if you do.

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Christmas Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Fer Troulik @fertroulik