Happy Anniversary
Thirty-seven years ago this week, I became a Catholic. I was baptized, made my first confession, had my first communion and was confirmed all in that one week. You may be wondering what would cause such a fervor of religious enthusiasm in a twenty year old Baptist kid from north St. Louis.
Thirty-seven years ago today, Jan and I were married. That was the sacrament I was really interested in. The priest who officiated at all five of the sacraments was Father Donald Eichenseer, my wife’s cousin. That explains how I was able to pull off such a sacramental extravaganza in just six days.
This was in 1968. Most of the Vatican II changes hadn’t taken effect yet. He told me that I had received five of the Church’s seven sacraments. He told me that I would never receive Holy Orders and I would have to die to receive the last rites. Well, in the years that followed, the Church restored the permanent diaconate, so I have received the sacrament of Holy Orders. And “last rites” is now the sacrament of the sick, and I’ve received that one as well.
I invited Fr. Don to my ordination, and he graciously came and concelebrated. Now, if I can just get him to anoint me, he’ll be seven for seven.
The reason I’m telling you all this, is because it really points out the power, the complexity and the wonder of God’s amazing plan for all of us. Out of all the millions of people in the world, how did an Irish protestant kid from Jennings, MO bump into a German Catholic girl from Hecker, IL? What are the odds? If you go back even further, how did my mother-in-law from Kirkwood meet my father-in-law from Hecker, IL, back in the 1940’s? At the same time, my mother, from Palmyra, MO met my dad from St. Louis. All those things had to happen for me to be standing here today.
What about my great grandparents? Eight Irish people got on eight boats and managed to find each other in the United States. It’s so amazing I can’t even think about it without getting a headache. Yet every one of us has a similar history and it goes back for hundreds, even thousands of years. In all of that time, if just one person had missed the boat, or had the flue, or stayed home from a church picnic, we wouldn’t be here today.
God's plan for us is more complex than any of us can possibly imagine. But, each of us has a part to play. We never know how our interaction with someone else will affect our lives here on earth, and our eternal lives. It's certainly something to ponder as we approach Thanksgiving and the beginning of Advent.
Thirty-seven years ago today, Jan and I were married. That was the sacrament I was really interested in. The priest who officiated at all five of the sacraments was Father Donald Eichenseer, my wife’s cousin. That explains how I was able to pull off such a sacramental extravaganza in just six days.
This was in 1968. Most of the Vatican II changes hadn’t taken effect yet. He told me that I had received five of the Church’s seven sacraments. He told me that I would never receive Holy Orders and I would have to die to receive the last rites. Well, in the years that followed, the Church restored the permanent diaconate, so I have received the sacrament of Holy Orders. And “last rites” is now the sacrament of the sick, and I’ve received that one as well.
I invited Fr. Don to my ordination, and he graciously came and concelebrated. Now, if I can just get him to anoint me, he’ll be seven for seven.
The reason I’m telling you all this, is because it really points out the power, the complexity and the wonder of God’s amazing plan for all of us. Out of all the millions of people in the world, how did an Irish protestant kid from Jennings, MO bump into a German Catholic girl from Hecker, IL? What are the odds? If you go back even further, how did my mother-in-law from Kirkwood meet my father-in-law from Hecker, IL, back in the 1940’s? At the same time, my mother, from Palmyra, MO met my dad from St. Louis. All those things had to happen for me to be standing here today.
What about my great grandparents? Eight Irish people got on eight boats and managed to find each other in the United States. It’s so amazing I can’t even think about it without getting a headache. Yet every one of us has a similar history and it goes back for hundreds, even thousands of years. In all of that time, if just one person had missed the boat, or had the flue, or stayed home from a church picnic, we wouldn’t be here today.
God's plan for us is more complex than any of us can possibly imagine. But, each of us has a part to play. We never know how our interaction with someone else will affect our lives here on earth, and our eternal lives. It's certainly something to ponder as we approach Thanksgiving and the beginning of Advent.
posted by Mike at 6:19 AM
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