Numbers 11: 24-30 (links validated 5/11/23)

Don’t be discouraged and don’t be afraid, because God is with you; God promised to never leave nor forsake you - even in difficult times. It reminds me of the words of one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite poets, Langston Hughes, in his poem “Mother to Son”: Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor - Bare. But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now - For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair...

“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.” I heard this echo from Isaiah from a wonderful old priest shortly after I was ordained: working for a summer in one of our Oblate parishes, I was living in the rectory with an elderly priest, a fine, saintly man. He had been ordained for more than 50 years and had, during all those years, been exemplary, honest, faithful, and generous. He was deeply respected. Now, in his late 70s, legally blind and semi-retired, he celebrated mass every day, heard occasional confessions, and spent most of the rest of his time praying. I was taken by his goodness. One evening, sitting with him, I asked him: “Father, if you had your life as a priest to live over again, would you do anything different?” Given his obvious goodness and fidelity, I was expecting him to say no. His answer surprised me. He said, I would be a gentler with people the next time...

"Over the past year I have enjoyed spending some leisure time doing research into a particular time and place: The Soldiers' Widows' Home which once stood on the banks of the Kankakee River in Wilmington, Illinois. It was founded in 1895 to address the needs of impoverished and/or abandoned widows and daughters of Civil War veterans. Prior to this, at least in Illinois, there existed another home for veterans and their wives. However, once their husbands died, their widows were left with nowhere to go..."

"Not long ago, David Brooks published a remarkable column called 'The Summoned Life'. In it, he draws a distinction between what he calls The Well-Planned Life and the Summoned Life. The Well-Planned Life is just what you think it is: it's all about gathering up those diplomas, qualifications and experiences so you can move up the career ladder, rung by rung. The Summoned Life, as Brooks describes it, is different...."

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