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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"Making A Statement"
February 24, 2009
Imagine that you had twenty seconds to get your message across and only
one shot at getting it right. How would you do? This past week I went to
the studios at WICH to record a public service announcement. I was told
before I got there that I had twenty seconds to say my piece. No problem!
All I wanted to do was invite the listeners to participate in the annual Way of
the Cross celebration on Good Friday.
I came up with a speech that was both witty and thoughtful. I was pretty
happy with it until I timed it. The message was only four short paragraphs
but it was a minute and a half long. I went back over it and tried to be more
focused in my thoughts. I dropped a whole paragraph and it was still over
a minute long.
The third time around I began cutting out the cute and witty phrases and
tried to get straight to the point. Even when I read it as fast as I could it
was still thirty seconds long. I concluded that it was hard to make a
statement in twenty seconds unless you said exactly what you needed to
say. I rewrote it with that thought in mind. When I got to the studio and
made the recording with Dave Elder, I had it down to twenty seconds. It
wasn’t fancy but it did what it was supposed to do.
It made me think about the statement we make with our lives. Most of us
tend to think more is better. Just look at the people we admire in Hollywood
or in the world of sports. The people that get noticed are frequently pictured
living outlandish lifestyles. They are caught up in glamorous scenes living
life to the excess. Who wouldn’t want to be like Tiger Woods driving his
Cadillac Escalade or Kelly Rippa doing laundry and baking cookies with a
smile while wearing high heel shoes.
The truth is that most of us will never be rich and famous. Yet our lives will
still make a statement. I was saddened to hear of the passing of Father
Philip Pusateri this week. He was the Pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish
in Norwich. He was a good and generous man. He wasn’t flashy or
flamboyant but he made a difference in the lives of many people. I met him
soon after he arrived in Norwich and came to know his generous and loving
heart. He loved the Lord and served him by putting people first.
Those of us involved with Hospice of Southeastern Connecticut will always
remember the part he played in making a dream become a reality with a gift
of land given by his parish. He was so gracious and even when he was
asked to step into the limelight, he deferred to others. While some people
make speeches and grab the headlines, Father Pusateri made his statement
through simple acts of love and kindness.
Less is more. St. Francis is credited with saying.” Preach the Gospel at all
times. When necessary, use words.” So go Ahead and make your
statement. Don’t worry about the words.
God Bless. See you in church. Cal.
February 24, 2009
Imagine that you had twenty seconds to get your message across and only
one shot at getting it right. How would you do? This past week I went to
the studios at WICH to record a public service announcement. I was told
before I got there that I had twenty seconds to say my piece. No problem!
All I wanted to do was invite the listeners to participate in the annual Way of
the Cross celebration on Good Friday.
I came up with a speech that was both witty and thoughtful. I was pretty
happy with it until I timed it. The message was only four short paragraphs
but it was a minute and a half long. I went back over it and tried to be more
focused in my thoughts. I dropped a whole paragraph and it was still over
a minute long.
The third time around I began cutting out the cute and witty phrases and
tried to get straight to the point. Even when I read it as fast as I could it
was still thirty seconds long. I concluded that it was hard to make a
statement in twenty seconds unless you said exactly what you needed to
say. I rewrote it with that thought in mind. When I got to the studio and
made the recording with Dave Elder, I had it down to twenty seconds. It
wasn’t fancy but it did what it was supposed to do.
It made me think about the statement we make with our lives. Most of us
tend to think more is better. Just look at the people we admire in Hollywood
or in the world of sports. The people that get noticed are frequently pictured
living outlandish lifestyles. They are caught up in glamorous scenes living
life to the excess. Who wouldn’t want to be like Tiger Woods driving his
Cadillac Escalade or Kelly Rippa doing laundry and baking cookies with a
smile while wearing high heel shoes.
The truth is that most of us will never be rich and famous. Yet our lives will
still make a statement. I was saddened to hear of the passing of Father
Philip Pusateri this week. He was the Pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish
in Norwich. He was a good and generous man. He wasn’t flashy or
flamboyant but he made a difference in the lives of many people. I met him
soon after he arrived in Norwich and came to know his generous and loving
heart. He loved the Lord and served him by putting people first.
Those of us involved with Hospice of Southeastern Connecticut will always
remember the part he played in making a dream become a reality with a gift
of land given by his parish. He was so gracious and even when he was
asked to step into the limelight, he deferred to others. While some people
make speeches and grab the headlines, Father Pusateri made his statement
through simple acts of love and kindness.
Less is more. St. Francis is credited with saying.” Preach the Gospel at all
times. When necessary, use words.” So go Ahead and make your
statement. Don’t worry about the words.
God Bless. See you in church. Cal.
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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