June 16th, 2023
Dear Friends,
Have you ever read or been read the book, The Monster at the end of this book? This is a classic book from my childhood and serves to teach us an important lesson if we are open to it. The entire premise of the book is that Grover (of Sesame Street fame) is aware of the title of the book we are reading. This is a real page turner of a book until Grover tries to guilt you and physically “hold” the pages together trying to get you to stop turning the pages. Why? Because there is a MONSTER at the end of the book.
Grover is terrified of the unknown and of that monster. He is not ready to face his fears, so he is trying to avoid this thing he is so terrified of. However, we want to see the end of the book, we can’t just stop. Stopping would be weird. So, we keep reading as he is pleading. Finally, we get to the end of the book. Is there a monster at the end of this book? Of course, there is you silly goose. “Well look at that! This is the end of the book, and the only one here is…. Me! I, lovable, furry old Grover, am the Monster at the end of this book. And YOU were so scared.”
What is the lesson that we are learning from Grover? It depends. Some will tell you that the message is to power through the things that scare you and you will be a better person. Some may tell you if you turn the pages of your life, you have nothing to be afraid of. I am not a fan of option one. I do like option number two. However, there is the other aspect if we look at our lives and realize that God is the one “turning” the pages even when we are scared, we are not alone. We must remember that in life we are never alone. Whether we turn to our friends and family for support or if we put our lives into God’s hands, we are not alone. More so we should not be afraid. I get it, there are some things that terrify us. I am almost 42 years old, but if I see a yellow jacket flying around, I want to turn and run like Kermit the frogs with arms flailing in the air. I am not allergic, just due to childhood stings, terrified of them.
The reality in life is, there can be bigger things we may be afraid of that are not yellowjackets, I am not trying to diminish those fears we have. Instead, this is a reminder that you are never really alone if you have that faith and trust in God. Each day we can turn to Him for help and support, for strength and calm. But it starts with us trusting in Him and turning to Him.
Summer is almost upon us. As we begin our travels, I urge you to plan for masses as you travel. It is so easy to find a place to worship. Grab a bulletin, especially if it is unique and bring it home with you, we always love to see what other churches are doing both in bulletin design, but also events and activities. Remember to update your online giving or sign up for online giving if you are traveling to continue to support your parish. You can always donate via PayPal and Venmo. Venmo is new to us this week, so we need a little more time to roll out the marketing side of things, but we are listed as St. Matthew the Apostle Parish (@STMRandolph) for Venmo and it should be the same name for PayPal. If you have any questions about WeShare ask MaryAnn or myself. If it is PayPal or Venmo ask me.
Have a safe weekend, Happy Father’s Day to our fathers.
God Bless,
Fr. Brian
P.S. What's the fundamental difference between a bad joke and a dad joke? The first letter.