Driving Ms. Daisy:  I’ve had this ongoing conversation about driving with one of our more senior parishioners.  Let’s say for the sake of this story that her name is Dee!  Now Dee has had a hard time understanding why her family wants to dedicate so much time driving her around.  She would rather simply have her car keys and go where and when she wants to go.  She claims she doesn’t want to bother her daughters and she’s just not ready for them to be “Driving Ms. Daisy.”  I’ve tried to help the cause and get her to understand all the great reasons why it’s not all so bad to have a few chauffeurs.  I’ve told her she should learn to enjoy all the things her kids want to do for her as she gets up in age. She just hasn’t been buying my story!  I really thought I could help the cause and win her over.  I’ve been failing miserably.  I told her recently I’ve had an easier time winning my parents over on this topic!  Although as my mom likes to tell people, it’s much easier to give in when the “General” or his army speaks than try reasoning your way out of the conversation.
 
Last week, I was standing outside near the Gathering Space doors following the funeral of Dee’s great grandson Dean; we were waiting for the kids in the crowd to release some balloons.  Dean was a 7 year old who died from brain cancer.  As I was standing there with Dee and her family, somehow the topic came up about Dee not being able to drive.  As I heard Dee bring up the topic, I went up to her, gave her a huge hug and attempted to take over the conversation.  By this time, the group was laughing as they watched me and Dee go back and forth on the topic.  The “animated” conversation broke the somberness of the moment.  Dee was being a really tough customer and was trying to disprove or discredit every single reason I came up with as to why it was good for her to be driven around.  It was quickly becoming obvious I wasn’t going to win this conversation.  At one point, Dee looked up at me with a huge smile and said, “You can talk all you want.  I don’t really know what you’re saying.  I have brand new hearing aids and thankfully they’re not working well right now!”  Needless to say, we all burst out into laughter.
 
Congratulations First Communicants:  I wish to offer congratulations to all of our young people celebrating their First Communion this weekend.  This annual celebration is always a highlight in the life of a parish.  I would like to thank the parents, our Religious Education staff, teachers, catechists and all those who helped prepare these young people for this wonderful day.  Your own witness and example inspires these young people and enriches their faith journey more than you will ever know.
 
Now, more than ever, we need to teach our young people the importance of the Eucharist in their daily lives.  We live in such a complex world and we need to help these young people to be people of prayer and people who know they are disciples of Jesus Christ.  They need to be a people of the Eucharist!  We have come to celebrate with these children and have placed a great amount of emphasis on this great and holy day.  Now we have to continue our catechesis and show them by our own word and example the importance of the Eucharist in our everyday lives.
 
One of the clearest ways to show these young people the importance of the Eucharist is by making the Eucharist and weekend participation at Mass an absolute priority in our own lives, even beyond all the activities that occupy the weekend!  I could count more than you’d like to know the number of times students have admitted that being at Church over the weekend simply isn’t a priority for their family.
 
The second graders making their first communion this weekend have incredible faith; yet their faith is only in its infancy narrative.  As much as we have to protect and nurture a young budding plant, we have to nurture and protect the faith life of these precious little ones.  We need to do all we can to help them on their journey to the Lord.  Let us celebrate with them EVERY weekend around the table of the Lord.  Let us show them the importance of Eucharistic Adoration.  Let us show them the importance of prayer.  Let us show them that God needs to be the center of their lives!  Walking together on the road of life we can encounter Jesus in so many different ways.  But these young people need our help in pointing out His presence.  They also need our help in showing them that Jesus truly is the way, the truth and the life!
 
Festival Volunteers Needed:  As I announced at all the masses this weekend, we need your help to make the 49th Annual Spring Festival a great success.  Yes, we need you to turn in those raffle tickets but we also need plenty of volunteers to work the entrance gates, to sell 50/50 tickets, to work in food and the many other areas of the festival.  Even if you only have an hour to spare during festival weekend, please consider donating some of your time.  We need your help!  Please visit the festival volunteering page at www.sjascs.org/festivalvolunteering to sign up for a shift or two (or three or four)!
 
Remembering Sr. Carol:  Last weekend’s celebration in memory of Sr. Carol was absolutely outstanding.  The liturgy was undeniably beautiful and the party that followed was truly a Sr. Carol type celebration!  I want to thank everyone who had a hand in making the celebration such a phenomenal success.  I want to single out and thank Fr. Rich and his committee.  They planned the entire event and handled all the details in executing what needed to be done to dedicate the Sr. Carol Juhasz, IHM Center for Community and Fellowship.  If you haven’t seen it yet, please stop by the Holy Family Gathering Place (the former Gathering Space) and see the beautiful wall commemoration honoring Sr. Carol.  What’s rather ironic and humorous is that Sr. Carol often worried about being quickly forgotten.  As I mentioned at the liturgy, there’s probably not a single day that goes by that Sr. Carol isn’t talked about or mentioned by name.  How lucky we were to have crossed paths with this special and remarkable servant of Jesus Christ.  May we follow her example and do all that we can to draw others to Christ the Lord.  Sr. Carol, pray for us!
 
Enjoy the week.  Know of my prayers.
 
In Christ,
 
gmb
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