Dear Oran,
You have inquired about the ministry.
I need not describe the perils, since you have observed the staring into space, heard the late-night calls for help, read the cranky letters, and been affected by a thousand funerals. I thank you for never complaining.
Oran, I imagine you are considering the ministry because you know my secret. Yes, I love it.
I love the church with the scent of the ages in the air, with the light filtering through colored windows, with the music and the mystery of eternity echoing off the stone walls.
I love the challenge of going deep down into the cave of the heart, of soaring above the obvious, of stretching every nerve and fiber for truth and understanding.
I love the people, as they are the source of religious inspiration, as they are the mentors of human courage, as they are the bearers of joy and forgiveness. The saints are in the pews.
Yes, I love the ministry.
But whatever you choose as a career, it will be a form of ministry, sicne you have been blessed with a sensitive spirit. In the end, we are all minisers to each other, witnessing in our won ways to the ties that bind. Every task is holy when the heart is employed.
In the meantime, For God's sake, get a haircut.
Sincerely,
Dad
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