One of the less appealing aspects of my melancholic temperament is that I tend to get hung up on imperfections even in the face of overall success. I vividly remember the great backhanded play that Lancaster Bible College’s third baseman made to rob me of my fourth hit of a game all the way back in 2009. I went 3-4 and had a great game, but it still sticks in my craw that I didn’t go 4-4 that day. But occasionally, even in a sea of internal negativity, a light sneaks through and allows me to sit back and be proud of something. This week, we got some feedback and reviews from our Latino brothers and sisters who have been participating in the Coram ESL classes, and the overwhelming sentiment was one of gratitude and excitement to be learning the language and working towards greater unity in the region. Some highlights: “I want to keep studying so I can learn more from the English class and communicate with our American brothers and sisters.” “The class is very useful and helps me to improve my English and relate to our American brothers and sisters. I’d love to have a field day or a picnic so we can eat together and have activities like a bilingual Rosary.” “The classes are very interesting, and you have opened the doors to the entire Latino community.” Click title for full column.

A recurring theme in Our Lord’s teaching is “You shall know them by their fruits.” Time and again Jesus warns His disciples that they must hold themselves to a higher standard of mercy and forgiveness than that of the Pharisees. He sends them out into the world with the expectation that they will generously give of themselves, and He will give success to the work of their hands. Our success does not depend solely on us, but we have to be unrelenting and intense in the manner in which we live out our vocation of priest, prophet, and king in the world. Click on title for full column.

Not long after I came here as pastor, Deacon Steve shared a parable of sorts with me that has impacted several changes we’ve seen in the last four years. Approaching Easter, there was a mother who set out to teach her oldest daughter how to make the traditional family roast that the family always has on special occasions. After laying out all the ingredients, she tells her daughter that the roast has to be cut in two and placed in separate pans. When the girl asks why, the mom thinks for a moment, and realizes that she has no idea why exactly. It’s just the way it’s always been done. So she calls her own mother and asks why, to which the grandmother replies “Because I never had a pan big enough for that roast.” In modern, better equipped kitchens, the solution had outlived the problem. Our own version of this was the older system used during the Communion Rite at OLR, where the people processed up from the back, because there was a time when every Mass was standing room only, and all the people had to be cleared out from the back so that people could process out of their pews, then to the front, and then back to their seats. This was no longer necessary, but old habits die hard, and people maintain such traditions. Click on title for full column.

Before I became a big softy who semi-regularly cries at weddings, I used to get a kick out of sappy married couples getting weepy at marriage celebrations they attended together. It didn’t make much sense to me because they’re already married, they have their own vocation, why should they be emotional watching someone else get married? But now, in my own dotage, and having gotten somewhat verklempt at multiple ordinations at this point, I think I understand it. There is something about seeing other people take the plunge into a vocation that calls to mind not only everything that has happened since we ourselves were that young and foolish, but also something that affirms the essential fact that God has cared for us from well before that moment up until the present. Seeing people give themselves over entirely to the life that God has prepared for them is a reminder of what He has called us to, and that’s beautiful, even if it is a bit saccharine. Click here for entry form.