Highs and Lows, Sadness and Joy

What a strange week it’s been.

It started out well enough with a spectacular Mass at the Lake in Sharon. We had a glorious day, the weather was perfect, and 300 people showed up. The Mass went off without a hitch and much of the credit goes to Fabiola Aguilera. She and her army of helpers made all the logistical things happen, so I thank her on your behalf but if you see her around Church tell her what a great job she did. It was my first Mass there at the Lake and I had a great time. I hope you did, too, if you went.

The week took a sad turn for me as I found about the deaths of two people. First, a high school friend passed away and then a friend’s grandmother passed as well. I was asked to celebrate both funerals in my hometown of Reading and so I had an interesting week of seeing old friends and renewing acquaintances while dealing with some real grief.

My friend Jimmy was only 48 years old and while he had suffered from Muscular Dystrophy for some time, he was living with it and he truly was a person who had no self-pity. He lived a lot in his 48 years, more than most do in double that and I found him to be an example of how to pick up your Cross and carry it daily. He never complained and he sought the good in his situation. He was an inspiration.

Ruth Fennelly was 92 years old. She had 7 kids, 20 grandkids and 27 great-grandkids. She, too, lived a lot in her life. She was the kind of person that once you knew her, you were her friend. For life.

I am good friends with one of her grandsons, who I have known since I was 7 years old. He and his brothers and sister are like family to me, and Ruth always treated me as if I was grandchild 21 and I’ll never forget it. She was kind and generous and she loved a good “discussion”.

My friends, we must cherish these people in our lives. They are children of God and they image Him for us. We meet them on our journey and like Jesus, we meet them where they are and they meet us where we are and that’s a holy thing. People like Jimmy and Ruth, and the countless others we know, teach us something about Christ and if we are paying attention we can become closer to Christ through them and they through us. Highs and lows this week, sadness and joy. Truly the Christian paradox. Look for Christ in the every day, in the people you meet. He is there and He waits for you. Peace.

Fr. Chip

Photo: Flickr user LaTease Rickard. Used under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)