14
The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana
Living in the present
By CHARLIE MARTIN
Catholic News Service
I DON'T WANT TO WAIT
So open up your morning light,lAnd say a little
prayer for I./You know that if we are to stay
alive./Then see the peace in every eye.
She had two babies./One was 6 months, one was
3/In the war of '44./Every telephone rinD/Every
heartbeat stinging/When she thought/It was God
calling her./Oh, would her son grow/To know his
father?
REFRAIN
I don't want to wait/For our lives to be over,/I want
to know right now/What will it be./I don't want to
wait/For our lives to be over,/Will it be yes/Or will it
be sorry?
He showed up all wet/On the rainy front
step,/Wearing shrapnel in his skin./And the war he
saw/Lives inside him still,/It's so hard/To be gentle
and warmdThe years pass by/And now he has
granddaughters.
(REPEAT REFRAIN)
You look at me/From across the room/You're wear-
ing/Your anguish again./Believe me I know the feel-
ing/It sucks you into/The jaws of anger./So breathe
a little more deeply/My love./All we have is this
very moment./And I don't want to do/What his
father,/And his father,/And his father did,/I want to
be here now.
So open up your morning light,/And say a little
prayer for I/You know that if we are to stay
alive,/Then see the love in every eye.
Written by Paula Cole
Sung by Paula Cole
Copyright 7/8 1996 by Warner Bros. Records Inc.
The senior composition class of Saratoga Central
Catholic High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., con-
tacted me to collaborate on writing song commen-
taries. They picked songs and wrote their reflections
for their class work.
One of their selections was Paula Cole's smash "I
Don't Want to Wait" off her chart-topping CD "This
Fire." In the students' words, "The lyrics convey a
simple yet powerful message by telling a story from
the perspective of a young wife waiting for the return
of her husband from World War II."
When he does return he is "wearing shrapnel in
his skin, and the war he saw lives inside him still."
He clearly is not the same man his wife thought
would come home to her and their "two babies."
The chorus expresses the wife's frustration. "I
don't want to wait for our lives to be over; I want to
know right now what will it be." She faces a difficult
time of grieving her lost hopes and expectations.
COMMUNICATION
NEW YORK (CNS) -- The fol-
lowing are capsule reviews of
movies recently reviewed by the
Uq. Catholic Conference 0dSCC)
Office for F'n and Broadcasting.
Ratings are also given by the
Motion Picture Association of
America (MPAA).
"Lethal Weapon 4"
(Warner Bros.)
Mel Gibson and Danny
Glover reteam as L.A. detectives
pursuing a ring of Chinese
counterfeiters__ while each copes
with the imminent prospect of
becoming a father and a grand-
father, respectively. Despite the
cops" appealing camaraderie,
director Richard Donner relies
on the fired action formula of
constant jokey violence and
deadly mayhem masquerading
as exciting fun. Excessive vio-
lence and brutality, occasional
profanity and much rough lan-
guage. The USCC classification
is O -- morally offensive. The
MPAA rating is R -- restricted.
fanity and occasional rough lan-
guage. The USCC classification
is A-IV -- adults, with reserva-
tions. The MPAA rating is PG-
13 -- parents are strongly cau-
tioned that some material may
be inappropriate for children
under 13.
"Polish Wedding" (Fox
Searchlight)
Muddled tale of a Polish-
American family headed by a
baker (Gabriel Byrne) who
works nights, his wife (Lena
Olin) who's having an affair
with a businessman, their
unwed pregnant daughter
(Claire Danes), her cop lover
(Adam Trese) and assorted
other family members. Writer-
director Theresa Connelly's thin
script focuses on the wife's pre-
occupation with love, sex and
motherhood as mirrored in the
experiences of her daughter,
with the rest of the clan serving
mainly as comic relief and the
ribald treatment of sexual
scenes laboriously overdone.
Numerous sexual situations,
ethnic stereotyping, some pro-
"There's Something About
Mary" (20th Century Fox)
Crude screwball comedy in
which an ordinary guy (Ben
Stiller), a sneaky private eye
(Matt Dillon) and assorted mis-
fits all compete for the affec-
tions of an incredibly naive but
attractive young surgeon
(Cameron Diaz). Directed by
Peter and Bobby Farrelly, its
sense of humor runs the gamut
from dopey to outrageous to
offensively vulgar in a goofy
romantic comedy whose basi-
cally sentimental center pre-
vents it from becoming thor-
oughly repulsive. Some comic
violence, gross sexual innuen-
do, fleeting nudity, intermit-
tent profanity and much rough
language. The USCC classifi-
cation is A-IV m adults, with
Casting the Net
A Web-review guide to surfing the lntemet
BY MICHAEL H. EPPLER
Director, Office of Youth and
Young Adult Formation
The Catholic Education Forum
http://www.avenue.com/v /
cef/index.html
This is an interesting little
site that conversahonal
Catholics might want to visit.
The site is organized to allow
the visitor to read and respond
to a variety of Catholic dog-
mas, traditions, pieties, prac-
tices, and dishiplines. The web-
site is created by visitor
responses and is posted in a
chronological order.
Visitor beware! This site has
material that is controversial
and inflammatory. Many of the
discussions in this site draw
from all aspects of CatholiciSm:
traditionalists, liberals, conser-
vatives, Papal maximalists (and
so forth) and the discussions do
get heated!
There are few graphics, so
the load time is quite quick. It is
a very text-heavy site. I would
recommend this site to some-
one who wants to read and
argue with the "best" about
Catholic thought and life.
Rating: ** 1/2 out of *****
Jul
€ ;
While there is much to be said and learned flora
this song, the Saratoga Springs students focused 0n this
idea: "The frustration of feeling dissatisfaction wi tb
present and longing for what is past can be self-defeat"
ing. If we spend our time waiting for the impossible €
at the least, the improbable to happen, whole
precious moments may pass by." They stress Cole's
words, "All we have is this very moment."
Many spiritual traditions emphasize the same
point. If we focus only on the past or only on the
future, we may overlook all the opportunities to
grow today, to show respect and care for God, our- :
selves and others right now.
At times we do need to accept the sadness, the
frustration and maybe even the despair of a
loss. Such is the situation for the woman in
Living with such hurt becomes possible when g i
also experience the loving concern of others. Every
loss has its own unique loneliness. Yet grief can be
faced when we ask others to journey with
the time of loss and letting go.
The students add, "Our realization that life is
invaluable, that time passes in the wink of an eye,:
that the most important things in life may
front of us -- all these are heard in the plaintive
of 'I Don't Want to Wait."'
Certainly, I agree. God's presence is the
" ' " e
needed to help us face hfe s pare, and onc
enter into each present moment with as much faith,
hope and love as possible.
Your comments are always welcome. Please addreSS:
Charlie Martin, 7125 W 200S, Rockport, Ind. 47635.
reservations. The MPAA rating
is R " restricted.
"The Thief" (Stratosphere)
Bittersweet drama set in 1952
Stalinist Russia where a vulner-
able war widow (Ekaterina
Rednikova) and her 6-year-old
son (Misha Philipchuk) become
involved with a con man
(Vladimir Mashkov) who pass-
es them off as his family to win
the trust of unsuspecting vic-
tims. Writer-director
Chukhrai's skillfully
unfolds from the
the child whose
father-figure ultimately!
violent when mother
feel betrayed. SubtitleS.
instances of
sexual encounters,
nudity
guage. The USCC
is A-III adults. The
rating is R restricted¶
Odyssey to share time
EWTN in Vanderburgh C
Odyssey offers
entertainment
Beginning Sept. 1, the cable
company serving Evansville
and Vanderburgh County will
offer Odyssey Channel on a
shared-fime basis with EWTN
Odyssey from 8 p.m. to 8
a.m.; EWTN, from 8 a.m. to 8
p.m., local time.
This change in schedule
affects only cable viewers in
Evansville and Vanderburgh
County, who are served by TCI
of Evansville.
A formal annoucement will
be made at a "Breakfast Forum"
for clergy or their represen-
tatives at the River House in
Evansville on Wednesday, Aug.
26. Included will be a breakfast
buffet, a video presentation and
speakers from Odyssey Chan-
nel and TCI of Evansville. RSVP
to the Evansville Community of
Churches (812) 425-3524 by
Aug. 19.
i HAUBSTADT
ELECTRIC
Licensed • Bonded • Insured
Industrial, Commeroal and Residential
P,O. Box 405
TONY NAZARIO Haubstadt, IN 47639
812.768.5207 1.800*766-2787
i i i i i
"Family
"Christopher Closeup ,'
English and Spanish
for families entitled
ily/Nuestra
On July 9, Odyssey
that The Jim Henson
and Hallmark
were investing
become partners
promising
oriented programming
faith-based
Odyssey
subsidiaries of the
faith Cable Coalition,
for-profit 501t
and Liberty
National Interfaith
tion is a consortium oft
tant, Jewish,
Eastern Orthodox
and evangelical
FOR COM
ELECTRICAL
FISCHER
SCHNELt
