Editor ’ s Notes
All That Matters by Fr . Richard Bayuk , c . pp . s ., Editor
In this issue , there is some looking back as we remember with gratitude the life and service of one of our members , Fr . Al Herber . There is also much looking forward in the articles that reflect on the recent gathering of our two American provinces , and the decisions that resulted . And yet we live in the present . The land of hope or a place of fear , perhaps .
During the funeral Mass this week for Fr . Herber we heard the familiar words , “ Life is changed , not ended .” That is always a reminder to me of the call to hold firm in faith in the midst of loss and saying goodbye to something or someone — and having gratitude for the change which leads us forward , even if sometimes painfully .
According to the author Margaret Wheatley , in the Buddhist tradition , there is an understanding that fear and hope arise from looking backward or forward , and the present moment is the only place where one can see clearly , unclouded by either hope or fear . She writes : “ In reflecting on the reality of fear and hope , it takes enormous effort and discipline to keep calling ourselves back to the present moment , especially when we see that decisions being made in the present are harming people or will have disastrous impacts in the future . Yet only in the present moment , free from hope and fear , do we receive the gifts of clarity and resolve . This clarity reveals ‘ right action ’— those actions that feel genuinely appropriate in this moment without any concern about whether they will succeed or not …. It isn ’ t outcomes that matter . it ’ s people , our relationships , that give meaning to our struggles . If we free ourselves from hope and fear , from having to succeed , we discover that it becomes easier to love . We stop scapegoating , we stop blaming , and we stop being disappointed in each other . We realize that we truly are in this together , and that ’ s all that matters .”
Ten years ago , as our province was then already grappling with the challenge and promise of change moving into the future , I wrote , “ This time of discernment and decision places before us our diminishment , our enthusiasm , our hope , our letting go and hanging on , our opportunities , and our care for each other and God ’ s people .” This is still true today .
One of my favorite poets , Kathleen Norris , describes giving birth as “ beginning the long good-bye .” Bringing someone or something new to life is often a painful process , and involves “ saying good-bye .” To give birth to anything , to create something new , whether that be a child , an idea , a dream , or a vision for the present and future , is to prepare to let go . And to remember that being together in this is all that matters . �
2 • The New Wine Press • November 2017