Heartfelt Luck

My wife and I attended Mass at our wounded church this weekend. We were surprised that the damage from a fire earlier in the week did not appear too extensive. However, our pastor explained that restoration experts had been busy all week. They did a marvelous job. The only damage appeared to be in the area around the Marian side altar. The wooden altar can be restored. However, we are waiting final word about the possibility of restoring the statue of Mary.

Thanks to an alarm system and a quick response by the fire department (within a couple minutes of the initial alarm), the damage was not nearly as extensive as it could have been. Our church is a very old building. The flames came close to making their way into the church attic. Had that have occured, the entire church building would have been lost.

While we lick our wounds, we count our blessings.

No Rush to Judgement

Well, conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh won't be part owner of the National Football League's St. Louis Rams after all. This has been the topic of many talk radio programs. Many callers are applauding the decision by the NFL to "not accept" the bid to buy the Rams by the group that includes Limbaugh. Those callers claim that Limbaugh is a racist. Other callers have denounced the decision, claiming that anyone should be able to be part of the NFL. A common argument was that Michael Vick was convicted of a felony and is now a quarterback in the NFL, whereas Limbaugh, who has not been convicted of a felony, cannot be an owner.

Obviously, the vast majority of people opposed to Rush Limbaugh owning an NFL team are opposed to him because they do not believe in his political views. Those that support him as an NFL owner do so because they support his political views.

Here is the opinion of your humble blogger: Rush Limbaugh should not own a National Football League franchise. Rush is in the business of generating controversy. He has been an expert in doing so for many years. This skill has earned him millions of dollars over the tears. The last thing the NFL wants is controversy. Close eyes are kept on owners like Jerry Jones of Dallas and Al Davis of Oakland. The NFL wants to attract all fans and alienate none.

For the same reasons Rush Limbaush should not own an NFL francshise, neither should other controvery-mongers like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. Race and political partisanship have nothing to do with reasons to deny ownership. However, generating controversy, and potentially alienating many fans, does not sell NFL tickets, merchandise or television rights.

The Risks of Burning the Candle at Both Ends

I ran into a fellow parishioner at the credit union earlier today. He asked me if I had heard about the big fire downtown. I replied that I hadn't. He then went on to clarify that the fire was at our parish church. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. Although a cause has yet to be determined, the fire was on the side of the church near the Marian altar. That is an area that has many votice candles. From what my friend told me, the damage was limited to a portion of the church. However, the damage in that area is pretty extensive. There will be no weekday Masses this week. The hope is that the weekend Masses can take place.

I feel no different than if someone informed me that a family member was in an automobile crash. Insurance will cover the damages. But there are damages nonetheless.

Please pray for a full and speedy recovery for Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church.

A Tragedy

Many years ago, I got my first real job as an assistant to a state senator. I was young and living in the capital of our state. Somewhat ironically, there were several other young males with whom I graduated from high shcool that were in the same boat. There were about 10 of us that graduated within a year or two from each other from a small Catholic all-male high school. All of us were legislative assistants, bureaucratic administrators and/or lawyers. Several worked for the governor. In fact, the political reporter from our hometown's daily newspaper wrote an article about this cabal of young men from the same small high school that were having some impact on state politics.

For the past 20 years, there has been regular contact among the members of this cabal. There have been numerous gatherings to celebrate weddings, births, birthdays, funerals of family members and to just get together.

I got the call early on Sunday morning from another member of the cabal. His first words were, "Joe is dead". Joe was valedictorian of our high school class. He was the most intelligent person any of us knew. He was not naturally intelligent - he worked very hard and studied. He was a lawyer with experise in public utilities. After settling down, he and his girlfriend had a daughter, got married, had another daughter and were expecting their third child in a few months.

Joe was involved in a one vehicle crash at 11:30 pm on Friday in a small town about 90 minutes from his home. His vehicle missed a turn and rolled. Joe was thrown from the vehicle and sustained critical injuries. He was airlifted to a trauma center where he survived for a day on life support. He quickly died after his family decided to remove life support.

It is difficult to come to grips with Joe's death. Although this is presumptive, all of us would be surprised if alcohol were not a factor in the crash. If that proves to be the case, it only adds to the depth of this tragedy. Joe is fine, but the people he leaves behind are struggling - wondering how to help his wife and children.

In the most recent post, I wrote that death is part of life and life is part of death. It is a challenge to see that through the haze of this tragedy.

Respect Life Sunday

My advice to those that want to celebrate Respect Life Sunday in an apporpriate manner is to respect death. In the the late 70s, there was a song called Born to Be Alive.

Born To Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez
Some in the pro-life movement have adopted it as a theme song. I would argue that we are not born to be alive, but we are born to die.

I do not intend to sound morbid. All human roads lead to earthly death. The people that seem to live the fullest lives are the people that understand that all human roads lead to death. These are people that comprehend that God is in control. So, rather than struggle to gain control, these people embrace what is before them and try to impact, but not control, their lives and the lives of others - Mother Teresa, Oscar Schindler, etc.

In the past week, I have had many connections to death. My mother's memorial Mass took place last weekend. The grandmother of a good friend suffered a stroke and is in a coma from which she will not awaken. A high school classmate died last night from injuries sustained in a car crash the day before - he leaves behind a wife, two young children and one child on the way.

Catholic priests and deacons get it. People often ask why priests and deacons never seem to be sad when they preside at funeral services. Priest and deacons recognize that people are born to die. A spiritual goal has been reached when a person dies. All is blissful for the person that dies. The struggle is for those that mourn the loss of a loved one. Helping those that are mourning to understand that the death of the loved one has resulted in new life for him or her is one of the most life-respecting actions there can be.

Where Have All The Mourners Gone?

Our family celebrated a memorial Mass for my mother this weekend. Although my mother died several weeks ago, she donated her body to a medical college. Thus, there was no need to have a service right away. We waited until a date that seemed to work for most of our relatives.

While a good number of people came for the visitation and/or the Mass, my siblings and I discussed that there were many more people at my father's visitation and Mass nearly four years ago. We then had the "aha" experience. When thinking about people we thought might have come to my mother's Mass but didn't, it became apparent that my mother outlived many of her friends and peers. Many of her friends have passed away in recent years. Many others are in some type of assisted living.

"Turn about is fair play". Let's say a prayer for those friends that have died or are in need of any type of healing. It's what mom would have wanted.

Paying the Piper

This blog has included posts about the Vatican's three-years study of women religious in the United States. There have been numerous articles, both pro and con, written about the study. For the most part, U.S. bishops have remained silent. The silence has proven to be costly - to the tune of $1.1 million. The Vatican has requested that U.S. bishops foot the bill for the study. I actually have no problem with this, as long as the bishops have access to all of the information gathered and related reports. Institutes of women religious should also have access to the same information. The information may be very helpful as nearly every Roman Catholic entity - parishes, dioceses, religious institutes, etc. - struggles to meet growing needs with fewer human and financial resources.

Click Here For A Related Post From "Whispers In The Loggia"