The Memorial Mass

Father James Quinn was at our parish for seventeen years during the early days.  Then, as is traditional in the church, he was moved about and upward.  He quietly served wherever he was sent.  His integrity and morality remained unquestionable throughout his long career.  He never gave anyone cause to worry.....not the church, not the parish members, nor children, nor any of the thousands he brought the sacraments to, the comfort of God, and the common sense advise and counsel that were his hallmark.  He died as quietly as he lived and if what we believe is true, he sleeps in God awaiting the return of Christ.  As God might say, "Well done, O good and faithful servant."  As for me, requiem in pacem, Father Jimmy.  You earned it.

Understanding Events Through the Media

When I was a student nurse, one of the first things I was taught was that "all behavior has meaning and can be understood."  It took me a really long time to get that.  My other favorite was that nobody does anything without a reason, that there is always some motivating factor. The caveat in both cases is that we have to have all of the facts.  What I find endlessly amusing is that very often, we are clueless.  It is the same way with trying to determine motivations and facts about events from the media.  The media has no business attempting to editorialize about such things anywhere but on the editorial page.  What I see is every wannabe journalist....no, not journalist....reporter on the planet, trying to tell you why things happened.  Excuse me but I believe that being a reporter is about "reporting", not opining.