Pastors Notes from September 11, 2023
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St. Paul exhorts the Roman Christians in our second reading, “The commandments, ‘you shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” By now we ‘Christians’ recognize the word “neighbor”—as Jesus teaches—implies more than proximity, the family next door or across the street. “Neighbor” is neighbor to us as Christians regardless of proximity, race, ethnicity, background, country or class. Mother Teresa, in her indomitable spirit to witness even a thread of Christ’s face in others, gives us her understanding of ‘neighbor’: “I believe in person-to-person. Every person is Christ for me and since there is only one Jesus, that person is the only one person in the world for me at that moment. . . .Do not imagine that love to be true must be extraordinary…See how a lamp burns, by the continual consumption of the little drops of oil. If there are no more of these drops in the lamp, there will be no light…What are these drops of oil in our lamps? They are the little things of everyday life: fidelity, punctuality, little words of kindness, just a little thought for others; those little acts of silence, of look, and of thought, of word, and of deed. These are the very drops of love that make our life burn with so much light.”
Of course, when I was a youngster, ‘neighbor’ meant those next door or on the same block: Mrs. Downs, the Jongewaards, the Ackerson family, Johnny & Aunt Reno, Bill & Faye Loebig, the West family and Bauer family, Clarence Ackerson, and St. Joseph Catholic grade school playground virtually in our backyard. Those families were not necessarily best friends but they watched out for each others’ children, helped out when there was a sickness or death in a family, noting any unusual theft or vandalism occurring, kept up their property in respect to those on the same block, and allowed others to ‘cut across’ their lawn. In college, a ‘neighbor’ was anyone living on your dorm floor, or those taking many of the same classes in a shared degree. And upon graduation with your post secondary degree, ‘neighbor’ was anyone living in the same apartment complex. And the meaning of such began to get blurred, seeing the individuals or families in your apartment complex—‘neighbors’—but having little social interaction with them. Progression of technology and mobility further redefined neighbor; individuals and families living in our area whom we see from time to time, coming and going, sharing infrequent gestures of greeting or brief conversations in passing. Our primary concern now’ in conjunction with ‘neighbors,’ is security and privacy. St. Paul, in today’s second reading, redirects our understanding of ‘neighbor’ as a follower of Christ Jesus.
At once, sharing a mutual relationship of hope and wellbeing with those in the confines of a neighborhood or community, and at the same time, nudging us Christians to consider ‘neighbor’ beyond a strict geographical location or culture. As we enter into the Eucharistic Revival for our Church, Pope Francis’ words seem fitting. “So let us ask ourselves this evening, in adoring Christ who is really present in the Eucharist: do I let myself be transformed by him? Do I let the Lord who gives himself to me, guide me to going out ever more from my little enclosure, in order to give, to share, to love him and others? Brothers and sisters, following, communion, sharing. Let us pray that participation in the Eucharist may always be an incentive: to follow the Lord every day, to be instruments of communion and to share what we are with him and with our neighbor. Our life will then be truly fruitful.”
In St. Terese’s autobiography, Story of a Soul, she highlights the reality of ‘neighbor’ and who we can be. In her Carmelite community, even the best of Christian faith and intentions cannot alter personalities that lead to misunderstandings. St. Terese had a difficult time with a particular nun in her close knit community, puncturing her faith with tension and unrest. Finally, determined by Jesus’ command to somehow love one another, she compelled herself to smile at the disagreeable nun and treat her with kindness whenever they had an encounter, with a sense of peace in her heart in doing so. One day the nun asked Therese, “just what is it about me that you find so pleasant, Sister Therese?” She never gave a reply, just a smile and gesture of kindness. Possibly, St. Therese is the patron saint of “neighboring.” As you receive the Together As One letter and pledge card with Bishop Nickless’ message I personally want to thank you for your prayerful consideration and contribution. You have chosen to make a difference for our parish and diocese, an expression of your Catholic faith. Your gift supports diocesan ministries that affirm and teach your youth, assist the poor and the marginalized and build our Church for future generations. Your support helps us provide the ministries that share Christ’s love to so many ‘others’ within our parish community and diocese. In short, your gift is changing lives. Thank you again for your prayerful consideration and support toward the Together as One diocesan annual appeal.
God Bless, Fr. Tim
FYI: September 11, 2001, revealed heroism in ordinary people who might have gone through their lives never called upon to demonstrate the extent of their courage. (Geraldine Brooks, author)
