Emily of Grover’s Corners
A lighted monstrance at the monastery of Bidaurreta, Spain
I find spending time in front of the Lord brings clarity of thought – I enjoy Adoration every day in our chapel
Photo by Zarateman, via Wikipedia
We are all familiar with the famous theatrical play, “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. The action takes place in a small town, Grover’s Corner, and concerns a young girl Emily, a lifelong resident of the community. Emily dies in giving birth to her child and is buried in the local cemetery. The Third Act shows Emily sitting on a tomb stone, conversing with her mother-in-law, Mother Gibbs.
Emily muses, “I would like to go back to town and live again!” She talks to the stage manager who permits her to go. Mother Gibbs had tried to dissuade her from going back. “You’ll be hurt.” So, Emily returns to Grover’s Corners to the day of her 12th birthday. All things are as they were then.
The table holds many presents for her, but now she is not interested in them. She tries to slow her mother down so that they can share each other for a time, have a chance to communicate. Sadly, mother is busy with many things that occupy her. Emily wants to share the smell of the coffee and the bacon coming from the kitchen, the tick tock of the clock, the moments of falling off to sleep and the fragrance and the beauty of a sunflower.
However, these people are so busy living that they don’t have time for any of these things. In dismay, Emily asks the stage manager to take her back up the hill to the cemetery. “O’ Earth, how wonderful you are! Is there anyone who really lives each minute of the day?” The stage manager answers, “No! Saints and poets perhaps yes, to some extent.”
This would be the same story of people who come back and take up their place with us again. They would try to stop us from these hurried frenzied lives we lead. “Stop”, they would say. “You are missing the real joys of living with that kind of life style you have.”
At the beginning of the day, the week or the month – really anytime, is a good opportunity to take time out to reassess our lives and the direction we are going in. Is it necessary to lead a life of quiet desperation? We only have this one life. No more will come our way. Am I really enjoying the style of life I am leading or not? Take some time to reflect, to pray, to listen, and then to act!
Fr. George Mc Kenna
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About
Fr. George P. McKenna
Born July 12, 1919
Entered Eternal Life January 25, 2019
The son of Patrick and Mary (O’Malley) McKenna, Fr. George was a graduate of St. Theodore Grammar School, Quigley Seminary North, and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary. On May 6, 1944, he was ordained by Samuel Cardinal Stritch and faithfully served the Archdiocese of Chicago for 75 years.
His assignments included: Maryville Academy (1944-1949), Teacher at Quigley Seminary North and South (1949-1968), Christ the King (1963-1968), Pastor of St. Barnabas Parish (1970-1976), Missionary at Fairbanks Diocese in Northern Alaska (1976-1977), Pastor of St. Catherine of Alexandria (1978-1982), Associate Pastor of Our Lady of the Snows (1982-1989).
While assigned to Our Lady of the Snows, he would walk around Midway Airport for exercise and would stop in there to warm up. When he realized there was no Chapel at Midway, he knew his next calling and he founded Chicago Midway Airport Chapel on July 24, 1988 and served as the Chaplain until 2011.
His life long quest was to know and love Jesus of Nazareth, and Fr. George traveled to The Holy Land 27 times during his life, to walk in His footsteps and grow in his love an understanding of Our Lord.
Fr. McKenna wrote four books: A trilogy titled “I’ll Only Speak for 3 Minutes” and his last work, “Wisdom From the Pulpit“. After his retirement as Chaplain in 2011 he started this Blog and began sharing old and new messages of faith, hope and love that he had written as homilies over the years. This Blog will remain active until his treasure trove of messages is exhausted.
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Thank you Fr. McKenna. Each day is a gift to be treasured and remembered. It is good to be reminded. God bless you. Pam Gervais
Beautiful reminder of the sacredness of each moment! A lifetime is such a short time when measured within the eternal perspective. God Bless you Fr. George!
Blessings & Gratitude, marianne
This is really timely advice for today when everyone is walking down the street or sitting in restaurants and paying attention to their IPhones instead of the people who are there with them. Attention is so necessary for all of us. Thank you for this timely advice, Fr. McKenna. Hop you are well.
For whatever reason, your words,”I find spending time in front of the Lord brings clarity of thought” and “Take some time to reflect, to pray, to listen, and then to act” mingled or joined in my imagination. They reminded me of a book by Fr. Boylan, a Cistercian Monk, who wrote Difficulties in Mental Prayer in 1943. In it he shares how one’s prayer life may increase the growth of Christ in our soul. The Christ, as a man, was keenly observant. He saw the impoverished widow giving her last coin, His Mother at the foot of the cross, the two thieves beside him on Calvary etc, etc. To be observant is living in the present moment. To do that consistently is more doable if one has a purpose and has habits that foster seeing and listening. It seems that action, for me, comes easiest when done in response to what I observe. I see an angry child. I see shame in the eyes of a dog. I see a smile. I hear a laugh. Or a moan. Whenever my actions flow in response to what I am observing– motivated by the compelling love of Christ, I feel deep meaning and value. Thanks for sharing. It helped me clarify some thought.