January 25, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

I was pretty sad this past week over the Bears’ loss. I imagine most of Chicago was too. So, I asked the school children to give me some words to cheer me up. “What would you say to Fr. James to make him less sad about the Bears?” Here were some of their responses:

There’s always next year.

We were so close.

It was a great season.

We’ll win next year.

It’s okay. We’re sad too. We’ll be fine.

The Rams will get killed by the Seahawks.

Here, Fr. James, you can have this sticker.

The Cubs season starts in a few weeks.

You still have us.

This brought me out of my depression. Truly the Spirit was speaking through these children. Maybe their words will comfort you too.

And that, right there, is a quick lesson. When you’re sad, reach out to someone, especially someone holy and innocent. Don’t turn inward on your sadness and don’t seek comfort in something not of God. The people were in darkness. Jesus, the pure Light of the world, went to them. They were given peace. “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Allow me to explore a few of the above responses, for I feel there is something profound about them. It goes without saying that I mean this whole reflection as a metaphor. This is about more than football.

There’s always next year. Ah, the old Chicago adage: ‘“wait ‘til next year.” The slogan of a perennial loser? Not from the perspective of someone with faith. This is about hope. There is always another season. Even if we had won the game and won the Super Bowl, there’d still be another season next year. We are on a path and the “Super Bowl” isn’t just one game or moment, but the entry into Heaven. We fail often in our moral and spiritual lives, but we get back up and continue on the path forward. Only with God can “next season” give us comfort. Because only with God is Heaven our victory.

We were so close. This is a positive way of looking at suffering. Instead of saying, “We blew it” or “We should have won,” which makes it sting all the more, to say “we were so close” makes us appreciate how near we were to the goal. Not everyone makes it to the goal or even makes it close. We are not entitled to victory. All is gift. When we are close to receiving the gift, falling back on gratitude, as opposed to resentment, can save our soul. And the season was fun. When we experience a loss of a loved one, it can help to look back on all the great experiences we had with that person; what a gift they were to us. That will lead us to praise and glorify God, not curse him.

The Rams will get killed by the Seahawks. I don’t take this as unkind or being a sore loser. Sometimes a healthy anger towards the opponent is necessary. Jesus didn’t go around Galilee constantly feeling pity and sorrow. He was fired up to defeat the Enemy. He looked forward to the next exorcism, the next miracle, the next opportunity to challenge the Pharisees. Passion is about seeing the injustice eradicated, not just seeing righteousness reign.

Here, Fr. James, you can have this sticker. There are moments where it’s not words we are looking for to comfort us, but acts of love and kindness. Talk can be cheap at times. Someone giving us a hug or spending time listening to us or making us a meal can take the sting out of the pain. I always think of St. Mary Magdalene di Pazzi, the 16th Century Italian Carmelite, who once dropped a statue of Jesus accidentally, picked it up and kissed it, then said, “There! Had I not dropped you would not have received that kiss.” The cross in our life can be a great blessing. It provides an opportunity for others to love us (and for us to love others).

You still have us. The greatest consolation of all. Yes, it’s not about Bears wins or the spilled milk or whatever else it is we’re upset about. It’s about having each other. And there is no better bonding agent than suffering. I’d rather have communion with someone and share my heart on account of suffering and defeat than be alone in triumph. So, know this too. Whatever you are grieving about, I am with you, others are with you, and, most importantly, Jesus is with you.

Go Bears.

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This is Catholic Schools Week. Our school will have a special open house on Sunday along with other festivities throughout the week. Congratulations to St. Paul of the Cross School for over 101 years of excellence. Our school will also hold its annual Celebrate the Spirit Gala this Friday, January 30th at the Park Ridge Country Club. Thank you to the event’s co-chairs, Kelly Bontempo, Caitlin Brown, Megan Webber, as well as Mary Ploen and Mr. White. Blessings upon our teachers, students, and parents.

There will be a Candlelight Rosary this Thursday, January 29th at 7:30pm. This special edition Candlelight Rosary will feature the teens from our CRUX teen group. We are excited to have our teens praying the rosary with us and hope you all can join.

We are happy to be hosting a Young Adult Retreat this Saturday, January 31st in the Holy Family Chapel. A special thank you to Beshar Bahjat, his young adult team, and to our speakers.

I mentioned last week in my bulletin letter how we are moving our parish’s Sharing Parish to Mother of Mercy Parish in Mobile, Alabama, as many people have asked about this. In two weeks Fr. Victor Ingalls and Fr. Pat Arensberg from Alabama will be back here, as they were last year, to speak about their parish experiences. We look forward to welcoming them back and establishing a partnership with our brothers and sisters from the South.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Wallace