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Pastor's Message
October 25, 1998
WELCOME TO FR. MIKE
We are very happy and very blessed to have another priest joining us at St. Peter's for a few months. Fr. Mike Brown, whom a number of you have already met, will officially arrive here on November 23 and stay until June 30, 1999. The bishop has made this assignment as a "pro-tem" associate to the parish, not replacing any of the other staff.
I want to explain a bit about this. Fr. Mike has been ordained nearly 25 years. In fact, he is a classmate of mine and a good friend since seminary days. Both of us were ordained for the Toledo Diocese. In 1982, Fr. Mike became a chaplain in the U.S. Navy and has seen much of the world as he ministered to both Navy personnel and Marines. In September of this year he took an early retirement from the Navy in order to come back to work in a parish in the Diocese. Beginning next July, he will be assigned pastor somewhere within our Diocese.
In the meantime, Fr. Mike needed a place to stay and an opportunity to re-immerse himself into parish life. I invited Mike to come to St. Peter's. Both he and the bishop thought that was a good idea. Although Fr. Mike has been here for a few weekend Masses, he mostly has been traveling, visiting his family and others, before his assignment officially begins.
I know that you will warmly welcome Fr. Mike as you have other priests in the past. And even though his stay will be relatively short, please help him feel at home. You will find him insightful, deeply interested in people, and very helpful in many ways.
Fr. Herb
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October 18, 1998
VOICES AND HANDS
I was watching a person give directions over the telephone. What amused me was the use of hands to accompany the direction-giving. Although the listener could not see the hand motions, the caller appeared to need them as a way of relating information.
Many of us would have to admit that we use our hands to convey messages. My mother used to say that if she tied my sister's hands, my sister wouldn't be able to talk at all.
Just as hand movements can help conversation, body movement can facilitate praying. Kneeling, sitting on the floor in meditation, standing with open arms, or bowing our heads are some of the forms that help us pray. Even the way we choose to open or close our hands makes a difference. Pesonally, I am drawn into prayer by opening my arms in a gesture of surrender.
Perhaps words simply are not enough. Prayer is the lifting of our hearts and minds to God. If body gestures help make that happen, then we should feel free to use them.
- Fr. Herb
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October 11, 1998
IN BUSINESS
A major daily business newspaper ran a radio advertisement that went like this. In the background was the clearly-recognizable sound of church bells. Then a man's voice said, "If your company were open for business only one day a week, then a weekly business magazine would be all you'd need." The announcer continued by saying that most businesses need daily business news, which could only be found in their publication.
As I listened to this commercial, which aired only briefly before it was pulled, I reacted strongly. The insinuation that churches are open "for business" only one day a week, and the implication that church staffs (and clergy) work only one day a week, bothered me somewhat. However, my main problem with the commercial lay elsewhere.
This radio ad tapped into something too real for my liking. Its attempt to make a contrast between church and business reflected an attitude that says the business of living one's faith can be handled with an hour of worship once a week. It is almost as if to say the rest of the week has nothing to do with attempting to live the Gospel.
Perhaps what should be suggested is a new commercial with a message like this: "If living your faith is something you do only once a week, then weekly paryer would be sufficient. But if you try to live your faith every day, then something more is needed. That calls for daily prayer."
- Fr. Herb
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October 4
BECOMING HUMAN
I read with interest a newspaper article about scientists finding a gene that gives people their "humanness." According to this article, there are between 60,000 and 100,000 genes in the human person. Amazingly, 98.5 percent of those genes are shared with other primates (monkeys, chimpanzees, etc.) Consequently, for years scientists have tried to zero in on the specific genes that allow humans to speak, think, and behave differently from our mammal cousins.
It's astounding how much we continue to learn about the physical human make-up. God's plan of creation that provides tiny genetic differentiation to allow humans to exist is stunning. I find that it makes the Divine master plan of the universe even more awesome.
Nonetheless, I have a problem. With the right gene or not, I still find too many persons not exhibiting very much humanness. When I hear about cruel behavior shown by some towards their fellow humans, greed with destructive consequences, and atrocious prejudice towards those who are different, then I wonder whether humans are very human at all.
Maybe there is a gene that allows us to function with speech or the ability to reason. But there has to be something more that allows us to be truly human. A heart of compassion and a soul full of love provide that quality.
- Fr. Herb
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