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From the Pen of Father Tim - 01/14/2024
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Dear Parishioners,
In the days when I was in school, Dr. Piaget – a cognitive scientist – was the big thing in describing how the brain works. The brain is a very conservative instrument – and no, I do not mean conservative in the political sense, rather, I mean the brain has cognitive schemas to help us process and process quickly. A cognitive schema is simply categories of how we store information in our minds. We naturally lump certain kinds of information together. Information is assimilated and accommodated. As we approach Dr. Martin Luther King Day, it is important we look at our own minds and hearts on how we perceive other people. There are indeed cultural norms for different groups of folks – and it helps to know these so as to be able to navigate relationships. But beyond that, are you and I willing to go beyond our preconceived notions, treating every person as loved by God and giving people a fair shake?
When I was an acolyte, I requested to serve in a poor area. I was assigned to St. Elizabeth – Mother of St. John the Baptist in St. Louis. What I learned from that experience was how much I did not know. I went in knowing they could teach me much about loving God… but even so, there was much I did not know. The people of the parish taught me much. To a person: they gave me a fair shake and – best I can tell – I gave them a fair shake… as different as our cultures were.
In this time and place in history, the groups may have changed slightly, but we all have our preconceived notions because our brains simply work that way: Conservative versus liberal, Democrats versus Republicans, Hispanics, African Americans, Pro-Life, pro-abortion, people we construe as our enemy [to name a few]… indeed: anyone who you and I perceive as different from our selves: are you and I willing to accept God’s Grace to treat them with the respect they deserve as God’s children. Are we willing to give them a fair shake? In the Epistle of St. Jude, we hear, ‘the archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil in a dispute over the body of Moses, did not venture to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” Even the fallen Lucifer was treated with the respect of being loved by God and created by God… and even St. Michael did not dare cross the line of disrespecting one of God’s beloved. And yes, God does love His children and angels who have turned away from Him.
The civil holiday Dr. Martin Luther King Day reminds us that every human person has dignity – the dignity of being loved by God. That which God did not love, He would never have created. Let you and I love in word and in deed.
Let us be careful out there!
Fr. Tim Henderson
