Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • September 1, 2023 13 Recently, I read an article about how a person goes about choosing their seat on a flight says a lot about their person- ality. There are usually three choices of seats available in a row -- the window, the middle seat and the aisle seat. The person who chooses the win- dow seat tends to like their own space, live in their own bubble, become more irritable if disturbed. They can exhibit a sense of entitlement, a sense of control. Such persons can be nesters, making, with the help of the pillow, a comfort- able place to dream and escape. Persons who choose an aisle seat tend to be more sociable; tend not to sleep on a plane and likes the convenience of hav- ing ready access to the toilet. Such persons tend to be intro- verts and value being on the periphery of things. They can be found reading a book or working on a business project. Choosing the middle seat may happen by default. Travel- ling with family especially, the person who is lowest on the totem pole, defaults to the middle seat. Middle seat occupants tend to be a bit disorganized but are a bit more considerate in that they leave seat choices to others travelling with them. The article brought to mind a recent experience I had. At a family gathering , there were all kinds of conversations going on. I was sitting there, just listening when someone said to me, “You’re very quiet. Is there something wrong? Are you okay?” I shrugged off the comment by saying, “Oh! I was just listening to the conversation. I have spent most of my life as a priest listening to people’s conversations.” The comment started me thinking. Is there something wrong with being “quiet” at times? Is there an expectation that one has to be always engaging and contributing all the time? Does society tend to glamourize extroverts and shun introverts? Are extraverts always the smarter, the better look- ing, the more interesting, more desirable as friends? Is there a bias in society against introverts? Are they seen as slow, boring, shy, lazy, stupid and too sensitive? Does society as a whole value and like to exhibit an ex- troverted flare for life rather than a reflective? Does American society laud a “show-me” mentality? In Europe, Americans are often seen as loud, constantly talking and have the cor- rect opinion on everything. So, is American society more ac- cepting of the confident extravert rather than the thoughtful introvert? What about Jesus? Was he an extrovert or an introvert? He was a comfortable home boy for thirty years. Working in the shadows of Joseph; yet, for three years, He kept the crowds spellbound of His preaching, teaching and stories? Still, He often went off to secluded places to pray and reflect. How about the Prophets of the Old Testament? Were they all confident, self-made, leaders who didn’t court acceptance but embraced the challenged offered them by the Lord? Were not some like Isaiah who was self-conscious and felt he would be laughed at became of his stammer; or, Jeremiah, who, as a teenager, was called to be a prophet and felt no one would listen to him because of his immaturity. What about Moses and Aaron who led the people out of Egypt? Was Moses not the reluctant one at the burning bush who complained that he wasn’t the right one to go and ask Pharaoh to release the people? Did not the final leadership part of the journey fall on Aaron’s shoulders instead? I will be travelling to the States soon with my niece. The Airbus plane we are booked on has rows of three seats. Up to now for such trips, I have allowed my niece to have the window seat. There she tucks in her travel pillow, puts on her air pods and listens to some music. Obviously, I will default to the middle seat. On the second leg of the journey, the window row will be just two seats. Again, I will defer the window seat to her and take the aisle seat myself. As we play musical seats, it should be an interesting jour- ney. Father Michael Tracey is retired and lives in Ireland. He can be contacted by email at mtracey1@bellsouth.net. His website is www.michaeltracey.net Sitting next to me Across the Pond Father Tracey One of the great joys of working with The Christo- phers is hearing from people from all walks of life who share their stories of faith. For instance, we recently heard from a man who has been a Christopher since he read one of our News Notes as a young man and was touched by its message. Now in his mid-70s and a widower, he shared a beautiful story about his grandson that reminds us that God works in amazing and unexpected ways. After his wife passed away, this man’s six-year-old grandson came to him and asked if all his grandparents were going to die. At this point, the man asked his daugh- ter if he could bring the boy to a faith formation group at the Catholic church to comfort him. The man’s daugh- ter had married a good man, but one who wasn’t Catholic and so they weren’t practicing the faith. Nevertheless, she agreed to her father’s request to help her son find answers to his questions and cope with his emotions. After only a few visits to the faith formation group, the man’s grandson asked to be baptized and brought to Mass on Sundays. The child’s faith moved his mother to return to church as well. The boy has even convinced his father to make sacrifices during Lent as a way to test the waters of the faith. Now eight years old, the boy has con- fided in his grandfather that he wishes to attend a Catholic college so he can learn more about God every day and not just on Sundays. He even started saving money to pay for it himself. We can only imagine the joy our longtime Christopher supporter must have experienced in seeing his fam- ily draw closer to Christ through the faith of his beloved grandchild, and it goes to show that we never can predict what God has in store for us and for those we love. In grieving the loss of his grandmother, the child was awakened to a need that could only be answered in Christ. The child’s grandfather, who had been left alone after losing his wife, was called upon to lead his grandson in the direction that only he could. In essence, he was able to find purpose, even amid the pain of his loss. This is so often how God works. He brings us together in our pain to discover one another’s needs and to respond to those needs in a way that draws all involved closer to Christ. Mother Theresa once said, “Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus -- a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.” These profound words remind us that Christ will al- ways meet us in our suffering. We must also remember that He will transform our suffering to joy. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul writes, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” So, we must always be prepared to discover the purpose God has in store for us, even amid life’s trials. Faith enabled the man in our story to see that purpose and turn from his own sorrow to ease the sorrow of his grandson. What an amazing reward he discovered in see- ing a child touched by the light of faith and sharing the message of Christ with their entire family. Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M., serves on The Christo- phers’Board of Directors. For a free copy of the Chris- topher News Note, GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP, write: The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org . The faith of a child Light One Candle Fr. Dougherty Pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood, to the diaconate, and to the religious life, especially in the Diocese of Biloxi