A Final Performance

'If I take a lamp and shine it toward the wall, a bright spot will appear on the wall. The lamp is our search for truth... for understanding. Too often, we assume that the light on the wall is God, but the light is not the goal of the search, it is the result of the search. The more intense the search, the brighter the light on the wall. The brighter the light on the wall, the greater the sense of revelation upon seeing it. Similarly, someone who does not search - who does not bring a lantern - sees nothing. What we perceive as God is the by-product of our search for God. It may simply be an appreciation of the light... pure and unblemished... not understanding that it comes from us. Sometimes we stand in front of the light and assume that we are the center of the universe - God looks astonishingly like we do - or we turn to look at our shadow and assume that all is darkness. If we allow ourselves to get in the way, we defeat the purpose, which is to use the light of our search to illuminate the wall in all its beauty and in all its flaws; and in so doing, better understand the world around us.'

These are not my words. They are the words of a screenwriter. Words that I heard performed by an actor that I greatly respected and loved to watch work. I had the luck to meet him once and hear him speak on his craft and on life. He was quite successful and had been in several movies and on many television shows. Yet, he was very humble and I believe, very wise. I found out just today that he is now gone. I am saddened to know that I have seen his last performance.

Andrew C. "Andreas" Katsulas (May 18, 1946 – February 13, 2006)

Andreas requested that memorials be made to:
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
4967 Forest Park Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63108