I realize that I have backed myself into somewhat of a corner after last week’s editorial.
While I took the chance and made my point about “too much talking” with as few words as possible, I left myself with two options — either saying less or going back to saying more.
I could go all-in and just give you a blank page and a headline, but, as the wise words from someone whom I respect said, “I doubt you will be able to play that card very often.”
He’s right, and here we are, back to a normal editorial again.
What’s the mood-swingy millennial going to talk about this time? Sports? Music? Video games?
I’d like to go back in time a little. I’d like to go back 83 years to October 1938, which should be no surprise because it says so in the headline.
Why that year? Even though I wouldn’t be born for 45 years, I consider this one of the most important months in my life.
Confused? Intrigued?
That’s what the rest of the page is for.
Looking back
Let’s get the obligatory “flashback sequence” out of the way. Here’s what the world was like in October 1938.
Shortly after “Munich,” German troops marched into the Sudetenland. Bing Crosby’s “I’ve Got A Pocket Full of Dreams” was a huge hit. Filming started on The Wizard of Oz. The Yankees beat the Cubs 4-0 in the World Series. The Packers were on their way to a Western Conference championship. The minimum wage was established by law in the United States. And, TV and film stars Christopher Lloyd and Dawn (“Mary Ann” from Gilligan’s Island) Wells were born.
Two more things happened that month.
These are the two events we’re going to focus on.
A saintly Sister dies
On October 5, 1938, St. Faustina died. The great saint of Divine Mercy passed on to her eternal reward.
She would be canonized a saint more than 60 years later.
The former Helena Kowalska would later be known for her diary, Divine Mercy in my Soul, in which she shared her mystical interactions with Christ.
These would lead to the devotion to Divine Mercy that includes the Feast of Divine Mercy, the image of Divine Mercy, the novena of Divine Mercy, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the 3 pm. hour of mercy.
On October 5, her earthly work was completed.
While we don’t know the exact day and time of her entrance into Heaven, we know that her mission of mercy continued after her death and she has not forgotten us, including the young man to be born in 1983.
About nine years ago, when I started reading more about her and this devotion (in the book Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Michael Gaitley), it felt like my faith life was coming together in a new, prayerful, and organized way.
There are many different and grace-filled ways in which to live out one’s faith, but for me, the devotion to Divine Mercy is what grounds everything and makes it all solid for me.
I’m not perfect at being a Divine Mercy devotee, but I try to get a little better each day.
‘War’ and panic
Not so much in the spiritual realm as St. Faustina, but later that month, in New York City, Orson Welles and his radio troupe of the Mercury Theater presented their version of “The War of the Worlds” on October 30.
Many have heard the legends of this broadcast.
Dramatized news bulletins described an invasion from Mars by men from outer space.
In less than an hour, listeners heard the world being destroyed and a debatable number of people took it seriously and ran away in a panic.
What does this have to do with anything?
Many years later, that same young man born in 1983 discovered this broadcast.
It got him interested in radio and broadcasting. That got him interested in a career in that field. That got him to college to study that field. That got him his first job after college in TV. Several years later, he, of course, got hired at the Catholic Herald and now sits in the corner office.
Thank you, October 1938.
Outside of time
We hear quite often that God works outside of time. It can become so easy for us to focus on our actions and how they’ll affect the immediate future.
But what if things we do now have effects that, even if they don’t last for decades, come to be many years later?
Did St. Faustina or Mr. Welles know in October 1938 how they’d both impact someone born in Wisconsin in 1983?
Well, St. Faustina might have, which is kind of cool, but nevertheless, God’s world and graces to us are beyond and outside of time. There are no limits.
Would I be where I am today without what happened in that month?
It’s hard to say, but it sure got me here, spiritually and career-ly.
This week, pray for those who will be blessed by your actions in 10, 20, 30, 40, or many years beyond today.
And give thanks to God for all of the people and actions that set your life in motion long before you were born.