A Pastoral Message - July / August / September 2021
A friend of mine sent me a quote
from Pope Francis that impressed very
much. It reminds us how we are all
connected and how we need each other
in order to have life as God intended.
Here is the quote that I want to share
with you:
Rivers do not drink their own water;
trees do not eat their own fruit.
The sun does not shine on itself and
flowers do not spread their fragrance
for themselves.
Living for others is a rule of nature.
No matter how difficult it is…
Life is good when you are happy,
but much better when others are
Happy because of you.
The Rev. Mihee Kim-Kort is co-minister at
the First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis
in Maryland. In an opinion piece in The
New York Times she expressed her
feelings about the recent violence toward
Asian Americans in our country. In that
article she goes on to tell how in Korea,
people don’t usually call each other by
given names. She writes:
“As I’m the eldest child in the
family, for as long as I can remember my
mother and father have called each other
‘mi-appa’ (Mihee’s father) and ‘miomma’ (Mihee’s mother). As a child I
asked my parents why we did this. They
explained that who we are is inseparable
from who loves us and whom we love.”
This statement is so true, and
echoes the thoughts of Pope Francis in his
words about how our lives are based on
relationships. All living things exist in
relation to other living things. It is, as he
says, a rule of nature. Once we recognize
this truth, we begin to realize the
importance of family, friends, community,
relationships to all people, as well as our
natural environment—and ultimately to
God.
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,
Rev. Leigh Pezet, Pastor
E-mail: lepez100@gmail.com
