Someday…

I am quickly writing this weeks Pastor’s Corner as I prepare to travel to Boston to co-officiate at a wedding with my dear friend, Father Charles Sheehey, who will officiate at the wedding of his niece, Sandi Dallhoff. Father Charles has visited our parish many times in past years, always insisting on walking the mile to our church to concelebrate the 7:30 morning Mass. This week, while not in the best of health these days, Father Charles is observing his 94th birthday – the main reason of my rather quick trip to Boston. I will leave Sunday evening on the 10:00pm train, arrive in Boston on Monday at 8:00am, co-officiate at Sandi’s wedding at 10:00am and then hop on the USAir shuttle arriving in DC at 4:00pm. A whirlwind trip!

Father Charles was active in the ministry long after the mandatory retirement age of 75 – a powerhouse of energy, helping out in many parishes (his latest St. Francis in Braintree, Mass) until three years ago when he took up residence in the priest’s retirement home in Boston. One of the reasons I am making this quick 18 hour trip is a lesson I learned, unfortunately, the hard way some years ago. Bishop Carol Dozier, late Bishop of Memphis, was a good friend who kept asking me to visit him. My answer was always the same: “I’m going to come and visit you.” I always had the best of intentions. One morning I got a call that my friend Carol had died. What I had done – or rather what I had not done – played out before me for some days. I chose not to attend his funeral. Going to a funeral now, after telling him for a couple of years “I’ll be down to visit”, seemed akin to being hypocritical. What I learned the hard way was, don’t put off until tomorrow what you can ( and ought to ) do today.

Another related incident comes to mind. Two weeks ago, I traveled to Rhode Island to co-officiate at the funeral of my Uncle Sheldon. When my cousin Philip called to let me know about his Dad, he said that it was Uncle Sheldon’s wish that I be there if I could. One of the moving moments was when his Rabbi and I shared the KADDISH:

Glorified and sanctified be God’s great name throughout
The world which He has created according to His will.
May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity.
May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life for
Us and for all Israel. He who creates peace in His celestial
Heights, may He create peace for us and for all Israel. Amen”

At that moment I was reminded of the words of the late Pope John XXIII when he visited a Temple in Rome and greeted the congregation with the words: “I am Joseph, your Brother.” Good Pope John XXIII saw the link between Judaism and Christianity. Many of you knew my Jewish Uncle Sheldon. At Christmas midnight Mass as I thanked the congregation and the choir I reminded the congregation that the hundreds of small glass icicles that adorned our sanctuary Christmas trees were hand made by my Uncle Sheldon. My Jewish Uncle making hundreds of glass ornaments for his Catholic nephew, a priest, to adorn Christmas trees in a Catholic Church honoring the birth of a Jewish baby says a lot.

So easy is it to procrastinate, to put off. We’ve all done it. We put off that phone call to someone who needs to hear from us (and e-mail doesn’t always cut it). We put off that visit. We think there is always tomorrow. Not necessarily so. I learned that lesson the hard way. One of these days is often none of these days. And as I read recently: “SOMEDAY” IS NOT A DAY OF THE WEEK.

Have a nice week.
Ft. Martin