FROM THE ASSOCIATE PASTOR’S DESK
I have to say that these last three weeks have taken a lot out of me. The news of being moved. Things coming-up that have taken away my day off each week. I’ve been up late replying to emails, listening to voice mails, preparing funeral homilies, daily homilies, and weekend homilies, not to forget the Holy Day and being at Columbus preparing for upcoming school retreats. I’ve wanted to get a haircut for the past week but haven’t had the time. Made an appointment for an oil change but had to cancel it. Then off to La Crosse for a set of meetings, only to be told that I have another set of meetings being added to my calendar now that I’m going to be an administrator!
AND LIFE GOES ON!
While praying with this weekend’s Gospel from Luke, I had to stop myself from the “oh me oh my” attitude and see what God is trying to show me. You see, sometimes we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, we forget why we are doing what we are doing. We get so bogged down with “life” that we lose focus on the why of life. We start to feel that one more thing is literally going to break the camel’s back (ours). But in reality, the things we do each and every day matter. They foretell how we see our futures, that is, our life after death. It shows us that what we do today, well, it has implications on how we will live after we die.
Now I’m am not writing this looking for any sympathy, I’ve already done that and the pity party is over! I tell you this because it’s very easy for each of us to feel overwhelmed, underappreciated, and overworked. It’s easy to think that we are all alone and there is no one to help. But when we can look back and see the good that has come from our efforts, the life that has been touched or changed, the success that has been won because we got through it...well, then we know we are on the right track.
Our struggles are temporary, we push through because we know we have a God that provides, a God that is always reaching out to us, a God who only wants us to succeed in this life. Because He knows that when we do, we are guaranteed eternal life with him after the resurrection. How are we preparing for that? Is today going to be the same as yesterday, or the day before that, or the month before that, or the year before that? We have today, we know that. Today is the day we all have to make it the best day, not only for ourselves but for everyone we encounter.
When we start seeing every day as an opportunity to see our own resurrection, then we will see that every day is a gift leading to the ultimate present.
I truly love being a priest, and there is not one thing in the last three weeks I would want to change!
Make today count!
Fr. Barry
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