Colin Devine, Staff Writer

“How do you think the pig farmer felt about Jesus?”  Father Jim King, CSC asked this question during his homily at a Mass in Keough in reference to the Gospel story in which Christ drives a herd of pigs into the sea.  I was immediately struck by the level of thinking that it evoked.  As I got to know Fr. Jim more closely (watching the election of a new pope together did the trick), I realized that this depth of thought pervades his life.  Fr. Jim has held a variety of positions with Holy Cross and now serves as the Director of Campus Ministry.  He has a message that Notre Dame students will greatly benefit from hearing.

Every service held in the Basilica this Easter weekend was absolutely packed.  I asked Fr. Jim, “What is the crucial message of the Easter season?”  Without missing a beat, he responded, “It shows us that we don’t have to be perfect to be loved.”  He continued, “What distances us from God is our inability to grasp that he accepts us regardless of our faults.”  The entire message of Easter for Fr. Jim is simply “the parable of the prodigal son playing itself out on a cosmic scale.”

After several minutes, our conversation shifted to a discussion of movies. Fr. Jim mentioned that his favorite recent movie is Lincoln. Reflecting on the person of Lincoln, he said, “He had that knack for knowing how much he could get out of people. He wasn’t someone who believed in exercises of futility.”  Our discussion quickly shifted to leadership and the vision that Fr. Jim has for Campus Ministry.  “It’s not about programs.  It’s about people.  Programs exist to serve people, not as ends in themselves. We need to be student-oriented, not program-oriented,” he said.  I think great leaders have the ability, as Lincoln did, to hone in on and execute the heart of their mission.  Fr. Jim exemplifies this ability.

Like many of the Holy Cross priests, Fr. Jim attended Notre Dame. He graduated in 198—I mean, 1998 (You owe me one, Fr. Jim).  I am always curious how alumni think Notre Dame has changed over the years, and I asked Fr. Jim about his perspective.  He reflected that people spend a lot more time using technology today, which sometimes affects relationships in an adverse way.  However, he also thinks technology can be an opportunity for evangelization, observing, “The Church needs to use the tools necessary to connect with people where they are, rather than wishing they were somewhere else.  Otherwise Pope Benedict wouldn’t have gotten a Twitter account.”  The image of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI tweeting from a cell phone never ceases to amuse me.  I think Fr. Jim’s point is crucial and deeply connected to the parable of the prodigal son.  Rather than judging people, the Church at her best meets them where they are.

A huge challenge of writing this column is to depict a person effectively in such a small space.  Often, various aspects of someone’s personality are very difficult to encapsulate.  In this case, I am entirely incapable of describing Fr. Jim’s sense of humor.  Reading his words on the page is inadequate because it doesn’t communicate the tone or facial expressions that accompanied them.  In describing Fr. Jim, the most accurate comparison I can make is to Gandalf.   During our week in Rome, Fr. Jim would come and go from the group, arriving in classic Gandalf fashion at the precise moment when someone had need of him.  One of my favorite things about Gandalf is that he always has a humorous twinkle in his eye.  That amusement is infectious and tangible in every interaction I’ve had with Fr. Jim.

I love paradoxes.  One of the last things Fr. Jim talked about was a central paradox of Christianity: “The demand to be perfect and unlimited forgiveness can coexist without being contradictory.”  Christ demands that we strive for sainthood, but always loves and accepts us where we are.  As Fr. Jim demonstrates, deep wisdom and humor can coexist without being contradictory, too.

Colin Devine is in desperate need of a new nickname. Any and all puns involving the word “Devine” will not be considered. Email him at cdevine1@nd.edu with suggestions.