St. Lawrence Parish

• May 30, 2010

  "THE FINAL WRAP-UP"

  By Mary C. Weisenburger  

  "So," the Deacon says as we relax Wednesday morning, our day off, "that lady lawyer What’s-Her-Name says she’ll defend Jethro Gibbs if his case goes to trial because he shot that scum who murdered his wife and daughter –"  

  "And," I add, "I hope Ziva gets hold of the scum’s drug-dealing daughter who wants to subvert Gibbs to the Dark Side! Of course Di Nozzo and Mike might get to them first – "  

  "Don’t," my husband says, "count out Tim, Ducky, or Abby! There’s always an ace up their sleeves!"  

  We are not talking about relatives. Maybe we are! We’re talking about this season’s Final Wrap-Up of "N.C.I.S" which the Deacon watches so religiously (sorry!) that he watches all the re-runs for the last few years when he’s not watching "MASH" re-runs. Of course we also watched the Final Wrap-Up of "The Mentalist" and hope fervently that Patrick Jane finally catches "Red John" next year – you know, the Scum who murdered HIS wife and daughter…. And that the Ghost Whisperer’s psychic little boy is o.k.... Maybe you watched THE VERY FINAL WRAP-UP of "LOST" and are still debating the ending!  

  Human beings are total suckers for stories – we love them! We never want them to end! That’s why this Summer a lot of us will go to see "Iron Man II" and is it "Shrek 4"? I’ve bridged the Generation Gap with my eleven year old grand-daughter Claire by reading the "Twilight" series with her and enjoying the movies together as they appear, even though she’s "TEAM EDWARD" and I’m "TEAM JACOB."  

  We love stories, I think, because they help us to make sense of our own life story. So often we see ourselves and those we love mirrored in these characters, and we can even gain insight in to our own relationships and dilemmas by observing how these so –real "people" deal with theirs. We can watch Harry Potter grow from a frightened, self-doubting little boy into a self-sacrificing, courageous young man. We can root for Scarlet O’Hara as she struggles to survive the destruction of the Civil War. Often we can relax at the end of a well-loved novel or movie because there is indeed a satisfying Ending.  

  Our greatest frustration with our own story is that we DON’T know the Ending, the Final Wrap-Up. There are so many unanswered questions: why did this relative or friend die so young? Why did this dear friend’s marriage break up? Why did this much-loved Father commit suicide?  

  The Bible has survived thousands of years because it is a collection of much-loved stories that have helped generations of seekers make sense of their lives. These stories give us great hope because they tell us about the Final Wrap- Up of all humanity’s stories: new and glorious life with God – a life that answers all the questions, ties up all the loose ends, brings reconciliation to destroyed relationships, ends tears and loneliness.  

  Why? Because the Author of our stories is God, Who is Perfect Love, Wisdom, Peace, Joy, and, as Trinity, lives in Total, life-giving Relationship, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

  We can trust a Father Who has individually created us to be little less than the angels, a Son Who is our Brother and died for us, and a mysterious Holy Spirit Who lives within us and reminds us that hope does not disappoint, that we are destined to share in the Resurrection of Jesus. Our story is a Love Story – with a Perfect Final Wrap-Up!  

Peace & Love in Christ,

Mary Weisenburger

St. Lawrence Parish Co-Administrator