Pastor's Message

January 23, 2000

LET THERE BE LIGHT

I never knew my great grandmother, but ever since I was yong I have heard stories about her. A hardy immigrant from the old country, she had many sayings that she would evoke at appropriate times. One of her lines came every year about this time in January. She would look out the window as night would fall and say, “From now ‘til summer, each day is a hen’s step longer than the previous day.”
Although I’m not exactly sure how long a hen’s step is, I can get a sense of what she meant. Her expression is a picturesque way of saying that, moment by moment, each day will have a bit more daylight than the one before. In other words, hang in there, spring is coming!
In honesty, in January we can assume that there is much winter — cold weather and snow — still ahead of us. Amazingly, it is precisely in the darkest and coldest moments that we can look forward to more light and warmth.
Our faith is filled with such paradoxes. By admitting weakness, we find strength in the Lord; in an awareness of sinfulness, we look to forgiveness; and when we are feeling most empty we can be filled up with others’ love and concern.
Christians are people of the light. We believe and trust that days of light are coming, sometimes a hen’s step at a time.

- Fr. Herb

January 16, 2000

JUBILEE PLEDGE

By now everyone knows that the year 2000 is being observed as the Great Jubilee, the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus. It is not to be merely a year of merriment, but also a time of religious and spiritual renewal. The following pledge from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops gives us food for thought. Next Sunday we will invite everyone to make this pledge. Please study it.

As disciples of Jesus in the new millennium, we pledge to:

Pray regularly for greater justice and peace.
Learn more about Catholic social teaching and its call to protect human life, stand with the poor, and care for creation.
Reach across boundaries of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, and disabling conditions.
Live justly in family life, school, work, the marketplace, and the political arena.
Serve those who are poor and vulnerable, sharing more time and talent.
Give more generously to those in need at home and abroad.
Advocate for public policies that protect human life, promote human dignity, preserve God’s creation, and build peace.
Encourage others to work for greater charity, justice, and peace.

- Fr. Herb

Pastor's Message January 30, 2000 PROVIDING THE ENVIRONMENT I was talking with a friend who taught junior high and high school for thirty years. One of his comments to me was that for his students, the school they attend is their world. That’s where they learn to interact, and that’s where they practice adult skills. No doubt, there are other influences — like family and neighbors — on our kids. The significance of the school environment, however, cannot be overstated. What happens in the classroom, in the hallways, on the basketball floor or soccer field, and in the cafeteria really impacts on most young people. The fact that we provide a healthy value-based environment is one more of the many reasons why I am sold on Catholic Schools. As we begin Catholic Schools week, I want to take this opportunity to re-emphasize the many ways our schools help young people grow into mature, adult, Christian leaders. No school is perfect; this is not a time for throwing stones at any institution. But it is a joy to be able to say that St. Peter’s offers the best academics in an environment that reflects the values of Jesus and challenges the students to use their lives to make a difference. St. Peter’s Schools are great...and they just keep getting better! - Fr. Herb

January 23, 2000 LET THERE BE LIGHT I never knew my great grandmother, but ever since I was yong I have heard stories about her. A hardy immigrant from the old country, she had many sayings that she would evoke at appropriate times. One of her lines came every year about this time in January. She would look out the window as night would fall and say, “From now ‘til summer, each day is a hen’s step longer than the previous day.” Although I’m not exactly sure how long a hen’s step is, I can get a sense of what she meant. Her expression is a picturesque way of saying that, moment by moment, each day will have a bit more daylight than the one before. In other words, hang in there, spring is coming! In honesty, in January we can assume that there is much winter — cold weather and snow — still ahead of us. Amazingly, it is precisely in the darkest and coldest moments that we can look forward to more light and warmth. Our faith is filled with such paradoxes. By admitting weakness, we find strength in the Lord; in an awareness of sinfulness, we look to forgiveness; and when we are feeling most empty we can be filled up with others’ love and concern. Christians are people of the light. We believe and trust that days of light are coming, sometimes a hen’s step at a time. - Fr. Herb January 16, 2000 JUBILEE PLEDGE By now everyone knows that the year 2000 is being observed as the Great Jubilee, the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus. It is not to be merely a year of merriment, but also a time of religious and spiritual renewal. The following pledge from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops gives us food for thought. Next Sunday we will invite everyone to make this pledge. Please study it. As disciples of Jesus in the new millennium, we pledge to: Pray regularly for greater justice and peace. Learn more about Catholic social teaching and its call to protect human life, stand with the poor, and care for creation. Reach across boundaries of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, and disabling conditions. Live justly in family life, school, work, the marketplace, and the political arena. Serve those who are poor and vulnerable, sharing more time and talent. Give more generously to those in need at home and abroad. Advocate for public policies that protect human life, promote human dignity, preserve God’s creation, and build peace. Encourage others to work for greater charity, justice, and peace. - Fr. Herb

January 9, 2000 A GIFT FROM THE FAMILY Sometimes people ask what motivated me to become a priest. That’s a hard question to answer, but I know that it goes back to my family. I learned very early that faith was not something to be practiced only at Sunday Mass. Without being “pietistic” my family was religious. We always had family prayer and frequently talked about beliefs and values. What’s more, I know that both of my parents were committed to giving more to life than seeing what they could get out of it! This is national Vocation Awareness Week (January 8-15). People frequently fret about the shortage in numbers of priests and say that somebody should do something about it. Truth is, those who can nurture vocations are the families themselves. Hopefully young people will see priests happy in their vocation. That can inspire them. But the basic value system in which the seeds of vocations can grow have to be there first. Most often that comes from home. Is there an enemy to religious vocations? I suspect that the vast materialism and consumerism of our society prevents some vocations from ever being realized. Being a priest is strictly counter-cultural. We have to stand for some things that are not high priorities in our world. For me, the twenty-five years that I have been a priest have been a gift from God. And the value system that I learned at home that allowed me to follow the call to priesthood has been a gift from my family. - Fr. Herb
January 2, 2000 A MATTER OF TIME One of my favorite pieces of music is Brahms’ first Violin Concerto. In the first movement the solo violin and the orchestra are constantly interacting. There is a superb primary melody that gets played and then developed. The sound gets louder and more intricate until twenty minutes and twenty-three seconds into the movement, the solo violin returns to the melody all by itself. There is a breath-taking moment when it goes high and clear with the simple strain that Brahms created. At its very peak, the orchestra comes back in like a gentle friend supporting the lone violin. And then, all too soon, the moment I have waited for is gone! Imagine listening for over twenty minutes for what will only last a couple of seconds. And there is no way to hold on to that beautiful melody. To try to do so would be to do it disservice. It just has to be enjoyed while it is playing. And, to be really honest, it only has its impact when the listener has worked his or her way through the first twenty minutes. Time has always fascinated me. What is so evident is that it marches on. Like those few notes of music played by the solo violin, time pushes on. As a child I am sure that I figured I would live to see the year 2000, but it was always SO FAR away. But day by day, it got closer. And here we are. Time comes around only once. We have to grab the moment, enjoy the music, and live and breath each second fully. We can make the world better during the time that we have. That’s true for any millennium. - Fr. Herb