Pastor Notes March 19, 2023
-
March 20, 2023“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Her husband died a year or two before, leaving her alone within the two story house they shared for a number of years. Jean however had two sons and a daughter who lived in the same town, always watching over her, tending to the aspects of life that kept her comfortable. Her passion centered on her family, her Catholic faith, and the enjoyment of cooking Lebanese food. As a neighbor, I took full advantage of her marvelous Lebanese dishes, inviting myself over at anytime. Within the grief Jean held over the death of her husband, she was also dealing with certain health problems. Her legs could no longer carry her much beyond the house; and an advancing macular degeneration took away much of her eyesight. No longer able to cook her traditional dishes for family or other gatherings, Jean now relied on her children for travel, and a magnifying machine on loan through the state. I witnessed her tears of loss at times, but more often the beauty of her ‘sight’ when she talked about the lives of her grandchildren, or shared stories of her upbringing essentially within the same neighborhood, her Lebanese heritage and the foods she so enjoyed preparing. Always, whether moments of tears or descriptively describing a grandchild’s achievements, Jean’s eyes would open wide—and with assurance—when telling me of a good and gracious God. Oh, she had questions for God that would go unanswered, but Jean’s daily prayers and reception of the Eucharist remained the constant reminder of His presence in her life.
And Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see might see. How is it, losing most of what creates a source of happiness and joy in life, a person can still find beauty and the presence of grace in midst of loss? Jean’s dependence on her faith, creating a beautiful space in her heart and soul, validates Albert Einstein’s reflection: “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
In the same vain we are reminded of the beauty we hold in our hearts, reflecting in our soul as described by words of St. Augustine, “Some people, in order to discover God, read books.
But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?
Thank you to our Religious Education Directors, and the volunteers who taught, influenced, and guided the students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last Sunday afternoon. Bishop Nickless was gracious, the music reflected the grace of the Sacrament, and a spirit of Christian hospitality surrounded the sponsors, parents, grandparents, and families who were present. And the students who shared the background of their chosen saint provided inspiration for those of us present. I hope most of us ‘older’ folks still remember our chosen saint, our sponsor, and the age we received the Sacrament, sealed with the Holy Spirit.
A short “Parish Pilgrimage” is planned for April 13th thru the fourteenth, with Dubuque as our destination. Along the way we will have a tour of The Basilica of St. Francis Xavier Church in Dyersville, New Mellerey Trappist Monastery outside of Peosta, the BVM Motherhouse in Dubuque, and the National Aquatic Museum in Dubuque. Our overnight stay will be at the Franciscan Shalom Retreat Center in Dubuque. We are ‘car pooling’ for the this pilgrimage. If interested or have questions please call the parish office.
I believe the season of Spring is just around the corner after receiving more snow this month than all of February, (and with that Palm Sunday and Holy Week two weeks hence). I heard the Archbishop of Dubuque diocese offered a dispensation on the 17th for those who desired to eat the traditional Corn Beef & Cabbage meal. God bless the Irish but I’ll take fish, even a lightly breaded Catfish.
God bless, Fr. Tim
FYI: “It was such a spring day as breathes into a man an ineffable yearning, a painful sweetness, a longing that makes him stand motionless, looking at the leaves or grass, and fling out his arms to embrace he knows not what.” (John Galsworthy, author)