ICHTHYOLOGIST
[The following is a story for this morning's Kids' Mass - 3rd Sunday after Easter - C.]
ICHTHYOLOGIST
The third grade teacher, Mrs. Bridlepath, wasn’t surprised when Theodore said, he wanted to be an ichthyologist when he grew up.
The principal was visiting Mrs. Bridlepath’s third grade
classroom, so to impress the principal, she asked the kids to tell what they
wanted to be when they grew up.
Once more 11 of the 26 kids in the third grade - said they
planned on becoming veterinarians. Once more those 11 were all girls. The boys said
they were going to be football players, lacrosse players, engineers, U.S Navy
Seals, Nascar Drivers, etc. It was then that, Theodore said his dream was to become an ichthyologist.
At a coffee break Mrs. Bridlepath and the principal, Mrs.
Thistle were talking about Theodore. “Interesting choice” said Mrs. Thistle the
principal, “but just what is an ichthyologist?”
“Oh,” said Mrs. Bridlepath, the third grade teacher, “it’s a
person who knows and studies all about fish.”
Mrs. Bridlepath added - that every summer Theodore’s parents
try to take Theodore and his older sister Teresa, who wants to be a soccer
player, to a different aquarium. Mrs. Bridlepath added, “I didn’t know there
were so many different aquariums around the country.” She only knew of the one
in Baltimore, Camden New
Jersey and the one in New York at
Coney Island . Now she knew, because of
Theodore, there over 100 of them, and he hoped to see all of them before he hit
21 years of age.
Mrs. Bridlepath told the principal: “That’s all he’s really
interested in.”
Theodore had a small fish tank - that held 20 gallons of
water in his room - and a big tank - that held 55 gallons of water in their
basement. “Watching the fish in there,” Theodore said, “was better than
watching people on a big screen TV.”
Theodore used five dollar or twenty dollar bills he got from
aunts and uncles - grandmas and grandfathers - to buy tropical fish for his
tanks.
He knew all there was to know about fish in his brain - and
in large collection of books about fish in his room.
As he grew up - teachers tried to get him to think outside
of the fish tank - telling him there were many other careers and jobs he could
try.
However, Theodore’s mind was made up - quoting statistics
about the world being 71% water and that there were over 30,000 different
species of fish. He said there were jobs for ichthyologists in food industries,
marine biology, aquariums, and in teaching, etc. etc. etc.
Time went on. Theodore’s regular name switched to Teddy for
most people. He got to love sports - and studies in other stuff than fish - but he kept his dream alive to be
an ichthyologist. He still loved to visit aquariums and read up about fish. He
loved to surf the waves at the ocean as well - becoming very good at that as well.
His sister Teresa - Teri - became a violinist - and now
plays for the Boston Symphony Orchestra - is married - and she and her husband
Tom have 4 kids - one of whom has a small fish tank - with 4 gold fish - and he
too says when he grows up, “I am going to become an ichthyologist.”
Theodore - or Teddy - didn’t become an ichthyologist.
Surprise. He became a priest - to the surprise of everyone.
Mrs. Bridlepath and Mrs. Thistle went to his first Mass. Mrs. Bridlepath didn’t say, “I always knew he’d be a priest.” Mrs. Thistle said, “I thought he was going to be a - what was that word again, “An ichthyologist” said Mrs. Bridlepath.
Mrs. Bridlepath and Mrs. Thistle went to his first Mass. Mrs. Bridlepath didn’t say, “I always knew he’d be a priest.” Mrs. Thistle said, “I thought he was going to be a - what was that word again, “An ichthyologist” said Mrs. Bridlepath.
Then in his first Mass sermon they found out what happened.
Father Teddy chose as his Gospel reading for that first Mass the story in the
gospel of John about the morning Jesus told his disciples where to cast their
nets. They were fishing all night long and had caught nothing. They cast their fishing nets just where Jesus
told them to toss them and surprise: their nets were filled with fish - almost
to breaking point.
When they brought their nets to shore they counted their
fish - large ones - 154 fish. Teddy said
when he heard that for the first time - he realized Jesus was interested in
catching fish. Then he told everyone in
church that morning - "That was the beginning." He told everyone that Jesus - a
carpenter - switched his career to becoming a fishermen - to catch men and
women to follow him.
He added that Jesus called fishermen to become fishers of people - and they switched their jobs to become preachers - then with a smile - so I switched my career in ichthyology to becoming a priest.
His parents were sitting there thrilled in the first bench in church - with wonderful smiles on their faces - and small golden pins on their lapels - that Father Teddy gave them - small golden pins with the image of a fish on them - the symbol of Christians.
His sister Teresa - was sitting off to the side - crying
- with her violin in hand - with 15
members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra who were playing at the Mass - and
Father Teddy said, “So I guess it’s good to ask kids what they want to be when
they grow up - but you never know? Look at my sister Teresa over there. She always
wanted to be a soccer player - and look at her now.”
And she, the older sister, stood up, and interrupting his sermon spoke into a
standing microphone, “and you wanted to be an ichthyologist” and the whole
church laughed and clapped.
And after the clapping, Father Teddy said back at her from his microphone, “I did become one! Look at all the fish in church this morning whom I caught to come to my first Mass today. Amen!”
And after the clapping, Father Teddy said back at her from his microphone, “I did become one! Look at all the fish in church this morning whom I caught to come to my first Mass today. Amen!”
And everyone clapped again.