1/19/24 - Friday Forget-Me-Nots by Jim Silcott

Photo Caption: Indoor Recess...Again!

Dear Our Lady of Peace Family,

was sitting in church last Sunday morning at the 8:45am Mass. Sunday’s weather seems now to be one of the balmy days as the temperature has continued to slip as the week goes by.

I was impressed with the large number of folks who came out in the cold, especially at the early Mass. Of course, although I didn’t get to see the game because I refuse to subscribe to Peacock, I was amazed more than impressed with the number of folks who came out for the Kansas City-Miami game. At least we who went to Mass on Sunday got to sit in warm pews!

Although, up until now, we have had a beautiful autumn and relatively warm winter, when we get these days of bitter cold and high winds, we tend to forget that the weather was ever pleasant. Everything we do is affected by the cold. As the days go by, we wonder if we will ever feel the warmth of the sun.

Last week a utility pole fell in my neighborhood when a wind toppled tree hit it, and we were out of electricity for about 15 hours. Because I have a well, no electricity means both no heat and no water. We managed fine that evening, the weather hadn’t yet turned extremely cold but one night of no lights, no water, no internet, and no heat can be a long one. Although this turned out to be, in the scheme of things, just a minor inconvenience, my wife and stepson and I discussed over our candlelight dinner how blessed we were that we have electricity 99% of the time.

It is the same with the cold. It may last weeks. We may have more bad weather ahead before the spring thaw, but most of the time we enjoy good weather in Central Ohio. When we don’t, when we are even mired in day three or four days of cold as we have been this week, we tend to forget all the better weather days behind us and ahead of us.

At church last Sunday the first reading was about Samuel hearing the call of God. He confused God’s call twice, thinking instead it was Elijah, whom he awoke to ask what he wanted. Finally, Elijah tells Samuel that the next time he hears the call to simply say, “Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.”

I have heard His call. I have answered His call. It is one of the main reasons I chose to spend my life in Catholic education. But how many times over the years, the months and the days gone by have I from time to time experience the cold of feeling apart from God. When I am in those moments, I forget how warm, loving and inviting our Lord is to us. Just as we can’t imagine sitting on a park bench right now basking in warm sunlight, there are times that I can’t remember how warm it is to sit in the embrace of God. So, what do I do? Instead of taking time to really pray to call out, “Yes, I am listening,” I shut myself off and grumble about my lot in life.

My saving grace is attending Mass on Fridays with the students and on Sunday mornings. Even if I am in one of those spiritual funks, the Mass is a temporary respite from the cold. And when I truly contemplate the fact that Jesus Christ becomes actually and really present in the Eucharist, I do feel the warmth again, and I know that if I keep at it, the cold in my heart will thaw.

It doesn’t seem like it this week, but spring will come. The trees will bud, and the flowers will bloom. We do have to wait a bit, but it will surely come. We don’t have to wait as long for God. He is always here for us. We just have to take the opportunity through prayer and the sacraments to recognize that fact. It’s like a spiritual trip to Florida in February!

Jim Silcott