Pastor's Message

May 27, 2001

REMEMBERING

We all joke about forgetting things. Some people feel bad about not being able to recall names or other details. Being able to remember is truly a gift. God gave us memory as our way of connecting the past with the present. Often when we remember someone, that very act brings that person into our lives once again.

Memorial Day is not simply the beginning of summer. It is primarily a time for remembering those who have died. First celebrated as a time to honor those who died in service of this country, it has become a time to remember all who have gone before us.

If you ever look at inscriptions on tombstones, you know that most people don't want to forget their loved ones. I sometimes walk through the oldest sections of cemeteries, saying prayers for those who have died a hundred or a hundred and fifty years ago. A human life is not just for the time someone lives on earth. What the deceased did while alive affects all ages that follow. We must keep them in mind and hold them in prayer before God.

This Memorial Day, while relaxing with family or getting caught up on lawn chores, stop for a few moments to remember and reconnect with those who have gone before us.

Fr. Herb

May 13, 2001

APPRECIATION

Mother's Day is great. It is a time to thank mothers everywhere for their on-going love, work, and commitment. It also becomes a day to encourage mothers not to give up or to feel unappreciated.

But there is also a problem. Because Mother's Day is only one day long, many of the same sons and daughters who are so expressive of love and appreciation on Sunday, forget to do the same on Monday.

It's not that I oppose the celebration of Mother's Day. Instead, I think it would be great if people didn't see it as a day of purging themselves of the responsibility to honor their parents EVERY day. Today we celebrate mothers with more festivity than the rest of the year, but the need to show our mothers that we notice what they do for us - and have done for us - should happen all year long.

Happy Mother's Day, moms! May you feel appreciated everyday. And may you know how treasured you are for the valuable vocation you have accepted. God's blessings be with you.

Fr. Herb