Mark Twain once mused that “all you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” These seem like fitting words to begin as I, quivering with emotion, scribe a few words on the death of the fictional (and yet real) Susan from the Parish Council . Her ignorance was inestimable, her confidence impenetrable, and her success undeniable. Not that I can confirm Susan has indeed passed from this life to her eternal… reward. To further cite Twain, perhaps reports of her death have been greatly exaggerated. I suppose Susan can rise from any alleged demise. Truth be told, if Susan is not cremated first, I imagine her funeral as such, with the priest requesting additional “ministers” of Holy Communion, and Susan rising from the casket to pump the Purell and serve Jesus to all her sisters and brothers. But for now, I will dare to speak of Susan as having died. Her online “group newsletter” via Facebook/Twitter has gone silent. She warned recently she was sick
ReplyDeleteMr. Millette,
I'm not at all sure why I received this email??!!
I am of French-Canadian descent, Quebec Province specifically. My parents did a version of the tradition in France since we did not have sabots (the wooden shoe of yesteryear in France). This is what was used to receive the small present on December 6 from St. Nicholas. We were taught that this was a gift from little Baby Jesus and our parents would put it in a small stocking and hand it to us on December 6 morning (we didn't have a fireplace, just a furnace).
Since we understood that a Bishop, such as was St. Nicholas, was first of all a Priest, and therefore an Alter Christus, and St. Nicholas being a Bishop, had the "fullness of the Priesthood" and therefore through the Sacrament of Holy Orders could send, as Jesus did, other Alter Christuses into the world. Our parents, in keeping up with this tradition, made the Faith that the Nuns at the Catholic School that we went to a reality in our lives. We knew St. Nicholas' generosity with the poor, as we were (we lived in the projects). In fact I will never forget Père Mathieu/Fr. Matthew who funneled, on the sly, fruits and veggies that were donated for the Priests in the Rectory. We had our very own living spirit of St. Nicholas who I will never forget! What an example to us of Christian charity!
Oh, to only have those Priests again!
In fact, I and two of my brothers, delivered newspapers, and took a part of our meager profits to pay our tuition and books to help our parents. Such was the lesson that Père Mathieu taught us. We were never taught to "punch heretics" or to defend our Faith with snark... Always with loving Christian charity.
Since most people do not react well to a Christian with a baseball bat in his hand, nor do they ever forget someone who had punched them in the gut. I admonish you in Christian brotherly love, with the words of St. Paul with Galatians 5:13~17, which read:
(V13) "For you, brethren, have been called unto liberty: ONLY MAKE NOT LIBERTY AN OCCASION TO THE FLESH, ... BUT BY CHARITY OF THE SPIRIT ... SERVE ONE ANOTHER.
(V14) "FOR ALL THE LAW IS FULFILLED IN ONE WORD: THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.
(V15) "BUT IF YOU BITE AND DEVOUR ONE ANOTHER; TAKE HEED YOU BE NOT CONSUMED ONE OF ANOTHER.
(V16) "I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
(V17) "FOR THE FLESH LUSTETH AGAINST THE SPIRIT: AND THE SPIRIT AGAINST THE FLESH; ... FOR THESE ARE CONTRARY ONE TO ANOTHER: ... SO THAT YOU DO NOT THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD."
I would much sooner that people would remember me for the charitable way in which I express my Faith in words and deed, than to be remembered as the Priest who used snark and sarcasm to bully me ... into being charitable?! Who bullied me into seeing Christ's Love?!
That may work in politics, but not in sharing Christ. I'm sorry, but I can't give that my Priestly blessing.
I close as did St. Paul to the Galatians 5:26:
" Let us NOT be made desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another."
I have no idea why you received an email either! I just double checked my settings and everything is set up so that no emails are sent from this blog. Must be some form of spamming. Sorry for that!
DeleteIt's still your article. And the comments are still quite appropriate for what you said. Not just for this article but for others that you have written.
DeleteI believe you can plainly see that the way that God's people express themselves on His behalf is a far cry from how you express yourself.
St. Paul and I are both concerned to get people to Heaven. And so we speak as true teachers, not wanting to flunk the student, but rather to spur them on to what their true potential is capable of. Your true potential is as lofty as the permanent mark on your soul from your Baptism. That mark is God's homing device. It seems you have somehow, or for some reason, disabled it. A good soul searching, attitude searching, motive searching, along with a good Confession and a heart felt act of contrition and follow through on that act of contrition would go a long way toward reactivating that homing device.
I keep you in my prayers. This plan, I can bless.
Please stop commenting on what you think the state of my soul is. Ok? Worry about your own soul, sir.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to. But that's not really in my job description. And I cannot keep Jesus from being concerned in me.
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