Pastor's Message

Pastor's Message May 30, 1999 THE LIGHT OF DAY Last week I had my first encounter with one of the famed 17-year cicadas. It was emerging from the casing (shell) that it had lived in under the earth. Then it took off flying into the tree, leaving the dry shell behind. Many people have told me their fears of the cicadas. Others, who seem to have confused them with locusts, are afraid that they will hurt their vegetation. Some people have even wrapped aluminum foil around the trunks of their trees to keep the cicadas off. Rather than dwell on those typically human concerns, I want to see things from the cicada’s point of view. Imagine being under ground for seventeen years. Finally, the internal alarm clock goes off and it is time to come out of the ground and into the light, shed the old way of living, and then fly freely up towards the sky. What a feeling that must be! It’s a resurrection image, for sure. Perhaps humans are not so different from cicadas. Many people never live in the light. Others carry around their old shells and have trouble beginning new lives. As we see these insects in the next few months, we can look at them as signs of God’s call for us to break free from our old selves and bask in God’s light that calls us to fly free. - Fr. Herb
May 23, 1999 A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE A friend proudly showed me his flower garden. Pointing to one section, he said that all the flowers in that area were wild flowers that he had planted. From my limited knowledge of flowers, it certainly looked like they were various types of woods flowers. My friend’s comment about planting wild flowers got me to think. If they are planted, then are they still wild? I know that many nurseries now sell packets of wild flower seeds. Is that a contradiction of terms? Part of the beauty of wild flowers is precisely that they are NOT planted. They grow on their own where their seeds happen to drop. I’m not against people planting woods flowers in their yards, but then don’t call them wild. Only the wild are wild. Does it matter? Perhaps not. But sometimes I fear that we try so much to control nature that we start to lose the sense of spontaneity and “naturalness” that comes with nature. God’s world of nature is a tremendous gift to us — there just to be enjoyed. It doesn’t have to be planted. Fr. Herb
May 16, 1999 THOUGHTS ON TWENTY-FIVE YEARS Although the actual twenty-fifth anniversary of my ordination is May 25, I am celebrating today. It gives me great joy to have classmate Fr. Mike Brown, who has been residing here since last fall, also part of the celebration. The people of St. Peter’s have accepted me so much into your families. I truly feel at home here; this is where we should celebrate! You will also notice visitors from out-of-town and out-of-state coming for the 12:15 Mass today. I have a number of my brothers and sisters arriving with their spouses. There are thirteen siblings in my family; ten of us will be here. There are also other friends from other parishes coming for both Fr. Mike and myself. I always love to see the people I have known from different communities mixing with each other. All of this makes sense because it’s hard to think about priesthood without including the people of the church. Priests don’t exist on their own. There is no such thing as a free-lance priest. And priesthood exists for the sake of the church. So the entire church should be celebrating together. Thank you so much for your support in the past. And may we all continue to work together for God’s Kingdom in the days ahead. Fr. Herb
May 10, 1999 GROWING IN FAITH Someone recently complained that everything he heard in church was a repetition of what he had heard since first grade. The response was that the good news, in fact, is not new. What has changed is the person who is hearing it. That is, because we all change, what we hear always has new impact on our lives. Christian Formation — another phrase for religious education — takes place throughout our lives. We have to take it seriously and we have to make it a high priority. Without on-going learning, our faith gets weak or becomes caught in a rut. Although adult education is extremely important, I want to call attention to what is the primary and BEST form of sharing our faith with our children, namely Catholic schools. Study after study has concluded that no program or institution has been as successful in teaching faith as the Catholic school system. This is especially true when it is coupled with faith practiced in the home. For that reason, I invite parents once again to think about our wonderful school system here at St. Peter’s. We have the finest academics (shown by all standardized tests) and the best system for helping students learn values. On top of that, we are carrying out the mission of the parish to help young men and women learn to live their faith. If you have children in our school, please help support what they are learning by putting your faith into practice at home. If your children are not at St. Peter’s, perhaps you can use this as a time to review your decision and rethink your reasons. I fervently hope you look into St. Peter’s for your family. Thanks for reading this. Fr. Herb
May 3, 1999 MEMORIES OF A MAY ALTAR When I was a child, I somehow inherited the task of providing flowers for our family May altar. It was a job I was proud to have. The family May altar must have been started by my older brothers and sisters. All I can remember is that we always had it. It consisted of a white cloth draped over a small stand in the upstairs hallway. Over the cloth, built up to give it some height, was a small plastic statue of Mary. On either side was a vase of flowers. The flowers on the altar were often blossoms from the apple or cherry trees or the blooms of lilacs and bridal wreath. At other times, I preferred to fill the vases with wild flowers from the nearby woods. Spring beauties, buttercups, wild phlox, and violets took their turns in gracing the shrine. The purpose of the May altar was to show reverence to Mary, the Mother of God. It became a focus for prayer and faith. Since it was located upstairs, right outside my bedroom door, it was one of my first sights in the morning on my way down to breakfast. It was a wonderful reminder that my faith was an intricate part of my life. It called me to live the entire day in dedication to God. I suspect not many folks have May altars any more. At least, not in this country. I wonder, though, what we do in our homes to remind ourselves of the daily significance of our faith. - Fr. Herb