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Job Shadowing It was not an unusual request but it was a first for me. A student asked if he could “job shadow” me for a day. I’d heard of this happening with other professionals, but not a parish priest. I wondered when would be a good day. Today: April 3, 2008? Mass begins the day with a group of people who have developed into a family. They sit in the same seats everyday; if one is absent, the others get worried. After Mass, I notice the light on the answering machine. It’s a message from our school superintendent about a tragic early morning fire that claimed the lives of ten members of one family. I stop to pray for the family, our school personnel and our emergency volunteers. After breakfast, it’s time for Communion calls to our nursing facility. Despite declining health, the residents welcome the gift of the Bread of Life with incredible faith. Back at the office, another call summons me to the hospital to comfort a young couple expecting their first child. Their baby, only twenty weeks old in this young mother’s womb, has died. No words could erase such grief, yet, the presence of a caring family becomes a priceless gift. Nearing lunchtime, I stop in the hospital cafeteria to, by chance, discover a parishioner eating alone. I joined him for what developed into a delightful conversation of early family memories. Returning to the rectory, I met with a parent whose daughter was in the process of a marriage annulment. This was more than necessary paper work for him; it was a parent expressing genuine concern about his daughter’s future. Nearing dismissal time at school, it’s time for my shadow to leave. My day is only half-spent; but this student would have had a sampling of a “typical” day of a parish priest on the very day that we remembered the first anniversary of the death of Bishop Michael Murphy, who served as priest for sixty-five years. I prayed that such a simple “shadowing” could possibly plant the seed of a vocation to the priesthood. —Msgr. Charles Kaza is episcopal vicar of the Eastern Vicariate of the Erie Diocese and pastor of St. Tobias Parish in Brockway Please tell us what you thought of this feature. Imagine a young bride and groom receiving an attractive but empty basket as a wedding gift! Well, it wasn’t completely empty. It was covered with a hand-embroidered cloth; but there was absolutely no gift card or cash envelope tucked inside. Such was the wedding gift from my grandmother to her daughter, my mother. This basket would be used just once a year: to carry the special Easter menu of food to church for the traditional blessing. For some fifty-three years, the basket was brought out of storage, given a good airing outside during Holy Week and reverently prepared for its journey to the Easter Vigil.
As kids, we had the privilege of carefully carrying the basket for Mom, whose labors of love filled the basket and would help us, as a family, break our Lenten fast on Easter Sunday morning. Now seventy-nine years old, the basket, after Mom’s death, was handed down to my sister, Alice, who still maintains this longstanding family tradition.
To see the basket gracing our family table on Easter (as well as to enjoy the food) is a real experience of the new life that is ours through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. To see the basket is to remember and celebrate the hands and hearts that have prepared and carried it through some four generations of our family. To see the basket is to appreciate the bonds of faith that can unite a family even when death claims members one generation after another. To see the basket is to realize the real “treat” of food after the purifying experience of Lenten fasting and abstinence. To see the basket is to thank God for the gift of his Son that calls each of us to share in the victory of life over death, light over darkness, hope over despair, love over hatred.
Whether a parent or catechist or pastor, we all face the challenge of trying to roll back the stone in the Easter story with our young believers. We have plenty of resources in textbooks, all of which can be very helpful. However, when scratching our heads in search of another approach, let’s not overlook the simple resources at hand—like a basket—that can often best carry the lasting message of Easter. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Alleluia! —Msgr. Charles Kaza is episcopal vicar of the Eastern Vicariate of the Erie Diocese and pastor of St. Tobias Parish in Brockway Please tell us what you thought of this feature. “I would rather have a funeral than a wedding!” Such a comment is often heard in priest gatherings as they share their latest struggles with brides and grooms, trying to stay focused on the real meaning of the wedding celebration. As important as the special, personal touches are, they can easily overshadow the sacrament of marriage. Pastors know first-hand how quickly such detailed plans fade in memory if a solid foundation of the nature and obligations of marriage has been ignored. I can easily think of two couples whose lived witness to this sacrament still remains with me. Rene and Dorothy were married for sixty years. Dorothy suffered a debilitating stroke which required admission to a skilled nursing facility. Rene walked from his home three times a day to feed Dorothy. Once, when I visited at lunchtime, Rene looked at me and said, “Father, even though Dorothy cannot talk, I know that she still loves me. I can see it in her eyes.” Wow! Rene’s remark has stuck in my mind and heart as I witness young brides and grooms reciting vows: “In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.” Without words, 60 years later, they were communicating their steadfast love. Essential to marriage are the simple, genuine reminders of how much a man and a woman have come to mean to one another. The second couple is my parents, George and Anna. They made it to 53 years of marriage before Dad died. One of their personal traditions was their preparation for the sacrament of penance. Before leaving home for church, each would ask the other to forgive them. They were not embarrassed to ask this in front of us kids. There’s never a lack of opinions as to why so many marriages experience such tensions that they end in a civil divorce. I would not pretend to have the answer. I do believe, however, that Rene and Dorothy, as well as George and Anna, offer two of the more credible pieces of advice for today’s brides and grooms: with and without words, express your love and ask for forgiveness all the days of your married life. Msgr. Charles Kaza is episcopal vicar of the Eastern Vicariate of the Erie Diocese and pastor of St. Tobias Parish in Brockway Please tell us what you thought of this feature. “He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.” (Jn 13:1b) This simple sentence introduces the account of the Last Supper. Unlike the other Gospel writers, however, John’s Last Supper is interrupted by a foot washing ritual. Jesus asked if they understood what he had just done. He explains, “I have given you a model to follow, that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (Jn 13:15). As the passion-death-resurrection of Jesus would unfold, Jesus would show this “love to the end.” How often have we been moved by the variety of films, artwork and music that help us enter into the tremendous suffering of Christ in his passion? The words of John 3:16, which often hang on home-made banners hung in sports arenas, preach to the world-audience that, “Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” From beginning to end, his son would live and share that love. I have often wondered how Jesus could preach love to the very end. In the face of the opposition of religious leadership, the slow-to-learn disciples, the handing over by Judas, the betrayal by Peter…how could he still love to the end? Wouldn’t he have been tempted to think that he was wasting his time as well as his breath? Certainly we have not only thought such thoughts but confess that we have withheld our love in the face of personal opposition or indifference. In a world desperately searching for and carelessly experimenting with love, love has become an overused word. It is precisely why Jesus’ love to the end never fails to convince us that such love is possible. Despite the challenges to the vocation of marriage, men and women still are willing to speak vows of a love lived meant “’til death do us part.” Is there any evidence today of such love to the end? Absolutely! We just need to look for the variety of ways in which Jesus’ love touches hearts. A recent interview with a confirmation candidate re-taught me this lesson In sharing his plans for the future, he plans to pursue his career in the sincere hope of providing a forum to raise public consciousness of the suffering of cancer patients, number one of whom now is his mother! Young in age, but already beginning to be attracted to love to the end. Msgr. Charles Kaza is episcopal vicar of the Eastern Vicariate of the Erie Diocese and pastor of St. Tobias Parish in Brockway Please tell us what you thought of this feature. Say “generosity” and I think “my mother.” From the size of a piece of pie to the care packages she sent during my years in the seminary, her generosity was a welcome gift and remains an inspiration for my daily ministry. Such generosity went beyond our family. Whenever the news came of a neighbor’s illness or death, I was quickly sent with food for the family. For Mom, gifts received were naturally gifts to be shared. It reminds me of a missionary’s story of taking food to a needy family. As he gave the gift to the mother, he witnessed her taking a portion of the food next door. She explained that her neighbors were in greater need than she. Not even poverty prevents us from generosity; on the contrary, our bonding with one another is often deepened in times of need. The youth whom we meet in this special edition of FAITH magazine dispel the negative stereotype of today’s young adults. Read their stories; breathe in their spirit of generosity. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing such generosity at Young People Who Care in Frenchville, where young adults from all over the United States travel each year to offer themselves in service to the people of Clearfield County. Their energy is matched only by their generosity. Each evening offers a prayerful review of the day’s work with personal testimony of how much they received from those they served. The Prayer of St. Francis teaches young and old alike that “it is in giving that we receive.” Our late Holy Father, John Paul II, cautioned young adults against postponing sharing their talents because they are too young; likewise, he reminded the elderly and the infirm that the service of the Gospel has nothing to do with age. Our Emmaus Prayer for priests prays, “Grant that we may imitate in our own lives the death and resurrection we celebrate at your altar.” Such a petition is not exclusive to ordained priesthood. It’s a prayer that we can offer with and for each other. The Paschal mystery of Jesus, celebrated in the Holy Eucharist, has the power to make this mystery a pattern for our lives as we discover the joy of generous service of each other. Msgr. Charles Kaza is episcopal vicar of the Eastern Vicariate of the Erie Diocese and pastor of St. Tobias Parish in Brockway Please tell us what you thought of this feature
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