Jesuit Journeys
Summer 1999

Dear Friends,

My father was a dentist by profession and a deeply caring man by nature. He taught us by example the importance of finding ways to help others. Sometimes he would even barter with patients who were short of money.

One day I came home and found stacks of sod outside our house. I'm not certain the lawn needed resodding. No doubt, however, a man with some sod needed dental care for his family.

Then there was Sparky, a Japanese electrician. In the years after World War II, when anti-Japanese sentiment was strong, the aptly named Sparky seemed to be doing quite a bit of work around our house.

Our yard was greener and our electrical circuits were newer than they needed to be, because my father was willing to work things out when people needed help.

Pope John Paul II is calling us all to work things out together as we prepare for the Great Jubilee 2000. With the new millennium fast approaching, the pope is urging us all to be agents of Christ's loving values.

Imagine how much "greener" and "newer" our world would be if we helped one another, if we combined the potential of our intellect with the loving desire to meet the needs of others that Christ teaches and that I witnessed in my father.

In the months and years ahead, know that your generosity and compassion help the Jesuits of the upper Midwest and Great Plains spread the good news of God's love. We are grateful to you and keep you always in our prayers.

Return to Winter 1999 issue

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