It happens whenever someone dies. After the initial shock passes, you start thinking about when the wake and funeral will take place — and whether it will get in the way of your work-family-entertainment plans. It’s a sucky way to be, but it’s human nature.
Today’s mood music is very appropriate:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2FX4aYo3dE&fs=1&hl=en_US]
My great-grandmother died hours before my 25th birthday. Her daughter — my Nana — died on Columbus Day weekend in 2003. Papa died the day before a major relaunch of the newspaper I was working for at the time. So yes, I’m one of those jerks who got caught up in the inconvenience of death.
Sometimes, I grin as I think of how the granparents were probably getting back at me for not visiting them often enough. They could be deliciously devious that way.
So here I am again thinking about the inconvenience of death. Poor stupid me.
This time the inconvenience is the death of my pastor, Father Nason. He didn’t have a devious bone in his body, so I know he didn’t pick his time of death to mess with my head. He was one of the greatest men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I’m down about his passing, as is EVERYONE in All Saints Parish.
My former employer, The Eagle-Tribune, has this very well-done report on Father Nason today. Thanks for the write-up, Mike LaBella.
So here’s the inconvenience: His funeral is this weekend, when I will be away on a Cursillo retreat, a leader on the team. Saturday morning I’m scheduled to give a talk. So the conflict in the brain goes something like this: Do I duck out of the Cursillo and pay my respects, or stay at St. Basil’s and put my full soul into the proceedings? 
On the advice of Father Martin, leader of St. Basil’s, I’m doing the latter because, as he put it, that is where Father Nason would want me to be, doing God’s work.
Father Nason’s big question to everyone was always about how we get more people to come to church. Cursillo is one of the answers.
I hope the rest of the parish will understand.
Fr. Nason knows where your heart is & I agree with Fr. Martin. Pour your soul into Cursillo & the men around you.
I agree with Fr. Martin and Linda. I didn’t know Fr. Nason, but he sounds like a man who would want you to be where the Lord called you to be. If that is Cursillo, that is where you should be.
I must say that I do feel your torment. I myself was sitting right where you are not too long ago. However, after intense thought and much prayer God has a funny way of leading you in the direction which you knew was the best path in the first place. I think Bill you know what Father Dennis would say to you and what would do the most “good” not only for yourself but for others. You are a special person whose heart is too big not to share. You are with Fr. Nason because he loves you as he does all in his flock. Your love for him in return will show brighter not because you paid your respects and bid him farewell but because you will be where God calls you to be. Fr. is a wonderful teacher and has taught you well. May God bless you abundantly and always my friend.