THE MINISTRY OF MEMORIES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 7^th Tuesday after Easter is, “The Ministry of Memories.”

One of great ministries we can all do - a ministry that’s not in the bulletin or on the bulletin boards - is that of getting people to tell us their memories - to tell us their stories. It’s the ministry of listening.

You don’t need much training to take on this ministry. The only two tools one needs are: first, a piece of imaginary duct tape to put over one’s own mouth; and second, a question mark - like a shepherds hook or crook - to pull lost sheep out of another’s memories.

There are people - especially people who have been around - right next to us in car pools or swimming pools - nursing homes or right next door or at family gatherings - folks who can still tell us their stories - what it was like to be who they are - and what they went through. There are people who will light up - when we listen up and ask them to tell us their stories.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE STORIES

Now that you asked me to tell you one of my favorite stories, let me tell this one. I’m a little boy. My father is in his green vinyl chair in the corner -  reading. My dad loved to read. Imitating him I take down a brown covered book on our one shelf of books desk stand. It’s the book, Best Known Poems in the English Language. I turn to a page.  There is a rose petal - dead - dry - dark faded red.  I’m wondering what is this dead thing doing in this book. I really wasn’t old enough to read the poem. It was my father’s book. I marched over to him with an open book - with the dead rose petal - as if it were a dead moth or something on a plate. I show him the dead rose petal. I ask the question: “What is this?” He looks at it - pauses -  and simply says with an impish smile, “Memories!” I love that story.

I love to ask people I visit in homes or nursing homes, “What is this?” to the stuff I see on their walls or their  tiny tables. 

“What is this?” 

Answer every time - the same answer my father gave me - in their words and with their smiles or their tears: “Memories!”

TODAY IS THE FEAST OF ST. MATHIAS

Today - May 14^th - is the feast of St. Mathias.

Last night I took down John L. McKenzie’s Dictionary of the Bible from one of my book shelves. I looked up, “Matthias”. It simply says he was chosen by lot - quoting today’s first reading - [Acts 1: 23-26] - to take Judas’ place. Then John L. McKenzie says in his succinct style, “He is not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament, and the traditions about him found in the apocryphal books and in the Fathers are totally worthless.”

Sometimes we know almost nothing about another person.

SISTER MATTHIAS COSTELLO - SISTER OF MERCY

My dad came from a big family in Ireland and 3 of his sisters became Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine. They were much older than he - he being the baby of the family. They came to America when he was still a little kid.  He came later on.

I once went by bus to Portland Maine with my dad. We visited  two of those Sister’s graves - both dying in their 20’s.  I remember standing there at their graves - seeing my dad crying - along with his sister - Sister Mary Patrick  - who lived to serve for over 50 years as a nun cooking at the Mercy motherhouse in Portland Maine.

I don’t know anything about the lives of these 2 young women who died so early. I don’t know what my father and his sister were thinking that day. It’s too late now. All four are now well buried. Their thoughts are buried as well. They are memories - like the memory of that dead rose petal in that old book of poems. What ever happened to that old book?

CONCLUSION

I can stop there and say, “Well, that’s that” or I can say, “Let other people take their place - people around town or the planet - who are alive. I can go up to them and do what I call “The Ministry of Memories” - and ask them about their memories, and listen to their stories about brothers or sisters - roses or poems they used to love to read.