Letter from the Clergy – April 15th

Dear People of St. David’s,

My great hope for you – indeed for us all – is that Easter is bringing to us again a new insight for our living. When that occurs, we often come to understand that life is a gift of partnership from and with God … an active partnership.

All of us, on occasion, are subject to discouragement and despair. Such sometimes seems to be inseparable parts of our lives. Our hopes often do not come to fruition. Try as we might, our best efforts seem at times to be doomed to failure. If others only realized how much we hoped for success and how hard we have struggled to make it all come true! If only my life could match my dreams. If only events would turn out better. If only I could choose fate’s destiny for you, for me, and for the world.

In this time of the pandemic and physical separation – often perceived as unique isolation – the disappointments can grow worse. For those who have seen loved ones suffer illness and even death, the struggle at times seems unbearable. As one earnest friend recently said, “It is such a lonely time.”

Sometimes the hardest realization we encounter is our own sense of separation. Such is at times our overriding sense of truth. Easter, however, can bring to us an important understanding: we are not alone. Indeed – and in truth – we are never alone. This is a faith-assertion worth considering.

Jesus Christ had spent his ministry connecting with all sorts of people in his earthly life, regardless of their beliefs, wealth, positions, or success. In faith, therefore, we can understand that the God of life is the bearer of love for every child of God. The one we claim to be “The Son of God” has been raised from the confines of the tomb. God is thus now with us through all of life … and beyond those earthly limits we too often imagine are real. Our basic problem is one of exclusion. We too often refuse to belong to that which we cannot understand.

Who understands this truth? A young boy and an old man understand it well. They encountered each other in the park one day. Each noticed the other staring at the pigeons. The man threw out some crumbs for the pigeons to eat .… so the boy reached in his lunch bag for some crackers to offer the pigeons. The man and the boy started trading thoughts about the pigeons. It was an imaginative and endearing time for both. Finally the boy reluctantly said he had to go home. The two friends parted. When the boy reached home, his mother asked where he had been. “I fed the pigeons with God. He smiles a lot.” When the old man got home, his wife asked him about his afternoon. “I fed the pigeons with God. He’s a lot younger than I imagined.”

God is with us. Your doubt may interfere with that awareness. Consider which one you choose to dismiss.