Dear Parishioners,
When I was a young Navy Chaplain serving with the Marines at Camp Lejeune, a gruff, older priest who served a number of tours with the Marines, gave me some good advice. He said, “Just remember two things. First, don’t sweat the small stuff… Second, it’s all small stuff.” How often do we worry and worry about some problem or difficulty looming on the horizon only to discover afterwards that it wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought. Mark Twain once said, “I’ve had thousands of worries in my life, but just a few real problems.” In the gospel (Matthew 6:24-34), Jesus tells us not to worry so much. He’s with us, wants what is best for us, and will look out for our welfare. As long as we are with Him, everything will turn out just fine in the end, because heaven is the end. All the problems and difficulties, no matter how serious or worrisome, are just “small stuff” in comparison to the end.
- Fr. Carl
Rev. Stephen Hook is Pastor of the Pastorate of the Visitation which includes the Catholic Churches of Pasadena, Maryland: St. Jane Frances de Chantal (Riviera Beach) and Our Lady of the Chesapeake (Lakeshore). He is assisted by Associate Pastor Rev. John Belinki, Deacon Howard Klohr, and Deacon Rick Clemens. To learn more about our pastorate, please visit www.catholicpasadena.org.
