Fr. Simon's Letter - May 29, 2022

It is clear from the accounts in the New Testament that there were certain highpoints that captured the imagination of Jesus’ disciples in a way that they would willingly have stood still, those occasions when they probably asked “Why can’t it always be like this?” 

At the Transfiguration, Peter was so in awe of what was happening that he suggested building tents for Jesus and their visitors. It was as if he just wanted to cling onto the experience and stay on the mountain. He soon realized that was not possible, just as we do with our experiences. Time moves on.

Having to move on is a challenge that we repeatedly need to face. Parting from loved ones always has something of the bereavement experience about it, and of course the ultimate bereavement comes with death itself. It is then that we may gather the memorabilia to try and keep the person alive in our minds, but we know that the key is not really in the photographs or the videos – treasured as they may be – but rather in the depths of our hearts. It is there that the love lives on.

There is something of a parallel here with what happened to the disciples after the death of Jesus.    Despite the rumors of his resurrection, they begin to withdraw in fear and talk about returning to their previous ways of life. However, Jesus gradually helps them put the picture together. His ascension provides the springboard for them to move on. Rather than witnessing the end of the ages, they were met and chastened by two men dressed in white, who ask rather humorously, “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?” God apparently had not yet finished with them. It confirms that there is work to be done – the same work that Jesus was doing when he was on earth. No matter how difficult and uncertain things become, the gospel now has to be written around the story of their lives and their faithfulness to Jesus. That too is the challenge for us.

Graduation season is upon us, and it reminds us of our human potential, the value of perseverance and the importance of setting goals. Next Friday, eighth graders will graduate from Queen of All Saints School. Some have spent as many as eleven years in our school. They are heading off to different high schools, in the Chicagoland area and around the country. They eagerly await what promises to be an exciting time in their lives – high school and preparing for college. It is a time of great pride along with some feelings of trepidation, as parents celebrate the accomplishments of their children and look to some upcoming changes in the family dynamic. That is the case with endings and beginnings, and we will forever grapple whether endings are really the start of beginnings or whether beginnings are start of endings.

Speaking of beginnings and endings, Fr. Dave Straub has been appointed as Associate Pastor of Queen of All Saints parish. Fr. Straub will finish his assignment at Sacred Heart parish in Palos and will begin his ministry to our community on July 1. Please read his letter on the next page and join me in welcoming Fr. Straub to Queen of All Saints!

Blessings!