South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 18, No. 40, Ed. 1 Friday, March 4, 1983 Page: 4 of 12
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Opinion
Pago 4
R|ffl Guest Column
l On the streets
By Sr. Mary Frances Hesaion
Winter was dragging itself out as
long as it could; the snow and mud had
Jong since commingled into that
peculiar city-street “snud’\ which
cakes anything below knee-level,
splashes everything within five feet of
the gutter, and grits into clothes and
cars and peoples’ spirits, until even
their expressions begin to darken.
It was just one such “snuddy” after-
noon, when another Sister and I walk-
ed the inner-city Chicago blocks from
our school to a warehouse-like
religious goods store to price and
order First Communion sets for the
parish children. The streets were half-
cold, crowded, and end-of-the-day
tired. We tried to say hello to people
whom we passed, (a little practice we
had each time we walked Chicago’s
busy streets) but the looks we received
were “snuddy”, even sometimes from
the children.
One of our sophomores joined us as
we approached the intersection of
Ashland and Division.
Some confusion at the doorway of
the corner drugstore just at my elbow
caught my attention. A large, very fat.
very dirty woman, long hair stringing
down her back, had slipped on the slip-
pery tile entrance, and fallen spread-
eagle against the drug-store door. No
one could come out; no one could get
around her to get m.
Suddenly, 1 was bending over her,
long habit skirts mopping up all the
muck around me, tugging for some
kind of hold to try to help her up. As
she looked up helplessly into my face,
the strength of the alcohol on her
breath nearly blinded me, and turned
my ir.ners to water. Somehow, she was
taking hold of my arm and was trying
to raise herself. Then I heard a deep
voice a. my shoulder, felt someone
gently taking my hands away, and
heard a truck-driver-sort-of-man offer-
ing, ‘‘We’ll help her Sister; it’s all
right”. I eased back out of the door-
way, to find Sister and Linda close to
the curb, ready to cross the wide, busy
intersection as the light turned green.
We walked nearly a block in a
silence that was shouting. Terribly
embarrassed because I wasn’t sure
whether I had humiliated my compa-
nions by making such a scene, I could
think of no good excuse or comment to
make. Then, quietly but surely, like a
clarion that will be heard, Linda simp-
ly spoke, ‘‘And Jesus fell the third
time
It’s a long story I’ve told to get to
the point of this reflection, but it’s one
of the dearest stories in my life.
Linda’s sophomore faith saw what
both of us had missed: that, since Jesus
joined Himself to this human family,
we can never again be just a world full
of needy and helpless people, even
when we’ve falh-n. He’s joined
Himself to us as our brother and no
one of us ever dare look at any other of
us without remembering. Lent and
March’s days-before-Spring, and
whatever helplessness lies in each of
our hearts remind us to look into the
eyes of whoever is there, and find a
sister or a brother.
Thanks, my sisters and brothers, for
reading these lines.
Providence Sister Mary Frances
Hession is director of the Office of
Religious Education for the diocese.
Column ‘disturbing’
Deal Editor;
1 would like to respond to your guest
columnist, Ken Pesek, in the issue of
I'eb. 18 pertaining to an aspect of the
National Catholic Schools Week
celebration. I would like to say 1 am also
disturbed, by such an article appearing,
giving the impression that for many
pastors the only thing that counted was
the Sunday collection. As Mr. Pesek’s
background is liturgy and religious
education, he knows the fundamental
lives of Christians in faith is actualized
in its highest form in the Sunday liturgy
at the local parish church.
In our time, there arc many organiza-
tions with the diocese that put on their
liturgies on Sunday afternoon, which
detracts from the very fundamental con-
cept of parish — (bringing) people
together for their celebrations. I would
also state that it is no simple matter to
finance a Catholic education, when most
parishes are subsidizing elementary,
junior high and high schools from such
Sunday collections that seems to be
tainted with an abhorence — the im-
pression given by the writer as the only
thing that matters.
Over the yeais, I have been a partici-
pant in many of these liturgies, such as
Catholic Schools Week, Fiesta de Col-
ores, Fiesta Corpus Christi and
Charismatic Renewals and I have come
folhe Editor
more and more to the conc'usion that
many of these liturgies, although
beautiful in themselves, would have
been far better off if they were
celebrated in the parish community, so
that the total community could ex-
emplify their faith topther. As one
studies the theology of parish, it should
be the microcosm of *he church, where
everything is done, and that the com*
munUy of believers can come together
without the hindrance from other
celebrations.
Sincerely yours,
Msgr. Patrick Higgins
Pastor
St. Patrick Church
STC applauded
Editor:
Thank you for all the work and love
you pur into the South Texas Catholic.
We look forward to it each week, not on-
ly to keep informed locally, but state
wide, and on a variety of subjects. (We
read it ail) from the children’s story,
(Steve) Gengenb' chcr’s column, to the
guest views and especially the letters to
the editor. The weekly calendar is also
very helpful.
Enclosed is payment for another year.
Wish each and every Catholic household
wo ild get a copy of your paper
God bless you,
Johnny and Darlene Knezek
Corpus Christi
if you read something in the South Texas Catholic
that you like or dislike, find informative,
stimulating, or just plain interesting, why not let us
know how you feel by writing a letter to the editor.
Send Utters to the South Texas Catholic, 620
Lipan Street, Corpus Christi, Texas 78401.
The Human Side
Notes by a modern train traveler
By Father Eugene Hemrick
NC News Service
It is my guess that whether it is a vacation or a
business trip, most travel leaves the traveler weary.
Recently I had the opposite experience. Instead of
taking the usual shuttle flight from Washington, D.C.,
to New York City, I went by train. The difference in
time is 45 minutes in the air to three hours riding the
rails.
But there are other differences too.
Seats on the shuttle flight are narrower than on a
metroliner. Flights are usually jammed with men and
wov en who are in a rush, carrying attache cases. The
train often is less crowded and all sorts of people seem
to be on board.
Trains travel along at speeds between 60 and 80
miles per houi, whereas a plane flies at speeds up to
600 miles an hour.
! could cite more differences. But the biggest dif-
ference I found in taking the train was that I arrived in
New York more relaxed than when I fly.
What made the ride so relaxing? Was it the un-
crowded, unrushed atmosphere or the wider seats?
Does a train traveling at a slower speed remind us to
stretch out, walk around or even doze if moved by the
spirit?
My ~eply is “yes” on all those points.
I also mention one other point. A journey by train
can be an opportunity to cherish the gift of time. The
more leisurely pace of a train allows a person to sleep,
read or just think. Although trains are somewhat
noisy, they foster contemplation for me.
Because of the unhurried atmosphere, I often look
out the window and just let my thoughts wander. Tbe
mind is not strained examining this or that idea. The
eyes take in whatever comes into view.
In these moments of silent contemplation, contact
with the inner self is easy to achieve. Built-up tensions
are released as one begins to relax. Leisureliness sets in
and sleep comes easily.
Even though I enjoy trains, however, I am not ad-
vocating train travel as opposed to flying in this col-
umn. My train ride raises a bigger question for me.
Do we, or can we, fit contemplation into our lives?
In a conversation with university students I learned
that radios blarring, campus activities and late night
conversations with roommates make silence and quiet
thought impossible. And yet, the word for school in
Greek is “skole,” which means “leisure,” in the sense
of contemplation.
Many other people, such as a husband and wife rais-
ing children, also live in atmosphere unfriendly to con-
templation. There is the ever present distraction of
television, running here and there, i. e telephone,
neighborhood activities and the good old radio.
When the confusion becomes overwhelming some
people escape with the help of tranquilizers. Many suc-
cumb and let the distractions of life become the norm.
Even though you may not be a fan of trains, you
might take advantage of them sometimes to create time
for thought and contemplation. The next time you
hear a train whistle or watch one pass by, take the op-
portunity to ask when you last derived relaxation from
contemplation.
When were you able to use the silence within
yourself as an opportunity to let go, to release the stress
that ties up the mind or ‘ ) wonder and be thrilled in
wondering?
Who knows? The sights and sounds of a train just
might turn you into a contemplative train buff!
Father Hemrick is director of research for the
National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
(Copyright (c) 1983 by NC News Service)
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Feist, Joe Michael. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 18, No. 40, Ed. 1 Friday, March 4, 1983, newspaper, March 4, 1983; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth840426/m1/4/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .