11/14/2021

The PTO Dinner Auction was a success – many thanks for those who participated but especially to those on the Auction Crew who put in all the work to make this a success. It was good to see everyone there and experience the energy and interest that was manifested. We have a special community that supports our school. Thanks to all!
I am still on the mend. I have sought advice and the verdict seems to be that I should wait until I get an X-ray that shows healing taking place before going back to work. I can walk clumsily, and can do things here and there, but then need to elevate and ice the ankle, so am not ready for full engagement. Many thanks for the well wishes and prayers from so many of you. You are in my prayers as well. I am especially grateful to Fr. Chuck Tobin for substituting so generously for me at this time. As a former pastor here and one who recently had his foot in a boot, he has capably filled in and has been sympathetic to my plight. May God bless his generosity!
The second “deadly” thought of the heart and mind is sadness. Sadness can be identified with “the blues” or the thought that “life is not fair” or just being down in the dumps. It is an experience of darkness. It is not necessarily what comes from physical illness or clinically diagnosed depression (for instance, chemical imbalance) that one would see a psychiatrist for. Sadness is more about an experience of darkness which comes and goes, for the most part. The thing that distinguishes it is that it calls attention to oneself and one’s plight. The ancient monk Cassian says that sadness does to the heart what the moth does to a garment or a worm does to wood. It also makes one cantankerous and hard to live with, as one sees things more and more from a self-centered view.
What causes sadness? Usually it is some sort of loss which one experiences – the death of someone close, the failure to achieve a goal one sought after, for instance. Sadness can be the result of the first thought, anger, where we lose our temper and sometimes do things which we regret. If this regret takes the form of self-recrimination, those thoughts can beat us down and make us dejected if we focus on ourselves. It is not the loss itself which causes the dejection, but the thoughts about the failure. For instance, one may fail to get a job, or be fired from a job, and thoughts like “I never could succeed” or “I failed again” are the real source of sadness.
There is a good sort of sadness which we might call compunction which leads us to seek forgiveness by going to confession. The difference here is that the emphasis is not on one’s failure, but on the mercy of God and moving forward in hope. This would be a positive response to guilt which we Catholics would call repentance. Compunction leads us to admit what happened, experience some regret, but then turn to God for help and forgiveness. The joy of experiencing forgiveness and the resolve to improve in the future are creative ways of dealing with sadness that do not center on self-pity or oneself, but looks outward for help.
In fact, the basic remedy for dejection is HOPE. What is it that gets us out of bed in the morning, that I most fear losing, that I spend my spare time doing? The answer to these questions is what we hope in. Take conscious and intentional steps to sustain hope. Here hope well placed is not in wealth or position or power or pleasure which are fickle and changing, but in the promise of resurrection after death by Jesus Christ. Consistent with our hope are several practices which the fathers recommend: 1) stay in relationship with others, do not withdraw; 2) do our best to amend our faults and correct our manners; 3) refrain from thoughts that lead to depression and self-destruction, or any thought that puts oneself down; 4) resist morbid suffering, i.e. suffering which focuses on oneself. Focus rather on the gifts of the Holy Spirit like love, peace, forbearance, goodness, benignity, faith, mildness, and modesty. Be on guard for thoughts that cause self-pity.
It is a joy to be your Pastor.

Father Albert, O.S.B