Pastor's Message

Pastor's Message February 28, 1999 FALLING I watched a young child trying to walk. Each time she took a step or two, she started wobbling and then fell back on her bottom. No harm done, she would get up again and start over. Later that day I talked to a woman who had slipped and fallen on an icy sidewalk. Unlike the small child, this adult felt pain from the fall. Her wrist had been injured, and she felt sore all over. A week later a parishioner confided that her aging father had fallen in the nursing home and had broken a hip. At his age, the hip would probably never fully heal. The elderly man was confined to bed. Falling is part of life. But its effects are different at different times. No doubt, we can try to avoid falls and pray that they will seldom happen. For most of us, however, they will come nevertheless. To paraphrase an old statement, to fall is human but to rise is divine. When we fall in terms of our spiritual life, we have to ask God to help us get up again. God’s grace and love can put us back on our feet. - Fr. Herb
February 21, 1999 NEW AGAIN The familiar old houses were gone. In their place was a new store. I couldn’t believe how quickly the scene had changed. I was visiting a town where I had lived for a while. I was amazed as I drove down the street to see that the landscape had changed. Although I had not known the residents of those homes, the houses’ absence shocked me. How quickly the old had given way to the new! What I don’t know is what had stood on that same site before the houses. It is very likely that the same ground has hosted many different “owners” through the years. Each new proprietor, whether as home owner or shop keeper, has moved in with high hopes. Each one designed and decorated their place to meet their own taste. If the land beneath our feet could talk, it would tell tales of many folks passing by and settling in. (Even the land beneath this church and our schools was used for other purposes by previous generations.) Seasons and years have given way to new seasons and years. Through it all, the consistency is the land itself. In our quest to become new this lent, we have to get rid of the old that no longer fits. That is especially true when the old leads us away from Jesus. We rebuild on the same soil with new hopes and a firm conviction that a better self awaits each of us. - Fr. Herb
February 14, 1999 NOBODY’S PERFECT An automobile had broken down on the side of the road. A tow truck was present, rigging the car to bring it to the shop for repairs. As I passed by, I noticed the big words on the auto’s rear window, “CAR OF THE YEAR.” Even outstanding cars, even Car-of-the-year cars, can break down. That is when we realize that machines don’t last forever, and things can go wrong even on the best of vehicles. It’s a sad truth that repairs have to be made, but the good news is that with the right repairs, those great cars can be up and running again. No car is perfect just as no human is perfect. We hate to admit it, but we sometimes perform at less than our best. More disconcerting is the fact that our imperfect times may be frequent. It’s humbling to admit that we fail and need to be retooled. Yet that admission is the beginning of a comeback. It’s like being towed into the shop. As lent arrives this week, the whole church stops and says aloud, “We are imperfect. We have stalled or broken down on the road. We need overhauled.” Lent is for sinners like us. - Fr. Herb
February 7, 1999 DINOSAUR EGGS I was visiting a family with three young children. The kids started telling me how much they like eating Dinosaur Eggs. When I asked what they meant, the mother explained that Quaker Instant Oatmeal makes packets that have little white “eggs” mixed with the oatmeal. When you pour the hot water into your bowl, the eggs “break open” and reveal edible dinosaurs. The family even gave me a packet to take home and eat. Sure enough, the eggs sort of dissolve and suddenly miniature dinos appear. The couple I was visiting commented that Dinosaur Eggs is one way to get their kids to eat oatmeal. I wondered what my dear mother would have said about such tactics. On cold winter mornings she cooked (not instant!) oatmeal because it was a warm breakfast. Her favorite line was that it would stick to our ribs and help us get through the day. For me that always conjured up an image of eating something akin to glue! It seems it is no longer enough to tell someone that something is good for them. There has to be some other motivation as well. I don’t doubt that parents discover many ways to entice their kids to eat nutritious foods. As a non-parent, I don’t know all that they have to contend with, so I won’t argue with them. There is still something to be said, however, for doing something simply because it is good for you. We don’t always see the direct rewards for our self-disciplines. We may not even know how we are changed. But there are many important activities each day that are neither fun nor inviting. These can be moments of tremendous growth. Oatmeal can be good to eat even when it does not contain Dinosaur Eggs. - Fr. Herb