A couple of our Religious Education students had some questions for me. This week’s are from Karsten Davis.
Question: Where’s your favorite place to pray?
I’m fortunate enough to have a small prayer room, called a chapel, in my house. I can go down there at any time and pray before Jesus without being interrupted or disturbing others.
A lot of people can’t take a whole room and turn it into a prayer place, but we all need a quiet place to pray. Whether it’s our bedroom, a small corner of a guest room or living room, having a place set aside for prayer helps us focus on Jesus a little each day.
Question: Where is the farthest place you have gone on Easter? Where is the farthest church you have ever gone?
The farthest place I’ve ever gone on Easter was during my time in the US Air Force. I spent one winter deployed to an Air Force Base right outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This meant I spent both Christmas and Easter there. This is about 7000 miles from here!
The farthest church, however, isn’t quite as far. Before I was ordained as a priest, I studied in a seminary, which is school for men considering the priesthood. My seminary sent me and my classmates to the Holy Land, where Jesus lived. We visited a large number of churches during our time there. That was “only” 6600 miles away.
Question: Do you have a tradition on Easter?
A lot of families have interesting traditions on Easter, don’t they? Whether a big meal, or Easter egg hunt, or dying eggs, or making Easter baskets, there are a lot of things people like to do each Easter.
As a kid, my family would do a lot of those kind of things. My parents would make Easter baskets full of candy, and we’d color the Easter eggs, and have a big meal. Now, as an adult and priest, I don’t do a lot of those things. Easter is a very busy time for me, and is very tiring, so I don’t do a lot.
The week after Easter, though, I like to go home and visit my parents. They live a little over 700 miles away, so it’s a long drive! I’m always glad to see them when I get there, though.
