We get letters....

When I was discerning whether to seek a commission as an Army Chaplain at such and advanced age, among the myriad concerns which beset me was the fear that my background and experience would be so foreign to that of the people I would attempting to serve that they'd not find my presence and ministry helpful.

I recently received a note from a Field Grade Office who's still Down Range, in which he addressed those fears precisely:

One will always wonder what was your calling to join when you did, but I have little doubt you were told and moved out with vigor once you realized it was your calling. St Martin would be happy you did what you did - as would St Loyola himself. Somewhere along your tour here - you became a career warrior as well, and I think you will find it even more so when you are in Kosovo and your experiences are needed to be drawn upon. I think you proved to yourself in this outing that you can do just about anything. With the scope of the mission in Kosovo - I am pretty sure you are going to figure a way to challenge yourself there - and with good results coming from it.

If there was ever any doubt about your connecting with your parish - go figure that when you have a Army PSYOP officer and a Marine Infantry Colonel debating the points you brought up in a homily the day afterward - that is a sign that you connected to your audience. It does not get more diverse than that - unless you factor in you also connected to the Filipinos, NATO, and the police in there as well! That is a pretty good mark in any book - and a challenge and a half for some.

As I look back on the experience of the past year, it's good to get some unsolicited feedback from someone I respect.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been of service, and glad to see that I actually may have done some good over there.

Hooray for the Higher Power!

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

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