I would venture to guess that very few of you, if any, know who Peter Ostrum is. Heck, I knew his history but had to look up his name in order to tell his story. While you may not know the name Peter Ostrum, I bet most of you know the movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The 1971 version starring Gene Wilder. Elise and I will often quote Veruca Salt from the movie when one of us is acting somewhat selfishly by directing Veruca’s line, ” I want it NOW, Daddy” at whoever is being particularly demanding that particular day. Yes, the majority of the time I am the recipient of Elise’s pointed, but necessary, correction.
But it is Ostrum who is the actor that I will focus on here. He was the 12 year old child actor making his debut into acting by playing Charlie Bucket in the movie. His very first film and it was not only a blockbuster but a film that has been remembered over generations. But why is it that an actor who made such a stunning splash in his first film is not on the tips of tongues of millions today? Because Willy Wonka was not only Peter’s first film…it was his only film! After making Willy Wonka, Ostrum returned to his home in Dallas to find that his family had purchased a horse. He became fascinated with its care, but he particularly gained interest in the career of veterinary medicine when he observed his family’s vet doing his rounds and caring for their horse. He realized that this guy got to earn a living from something that he enjoyed doing every day. He was hooked. He eventually received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Cornell University in 1984 (same year Elise and I earned our degrees, coincidently) and cared for dairy cows and horses in New York State until his retirement in 2023. He married and has two children with one pursuing acting. And his film career? For the most part, he never looked back on what could have been.
In today’s first reading from the first book of Kings, we see the prophet Elijah. This major figure from the Old Testament was a heavy hitter when it came to prophets. He had defeated the false prophets who worshiped the false god, Baal, He cured illness. He raised the dead and, when he was at the end of his life, rode a fiery chariot to heaven. But before that ride, reminiscent of Nicholas Cage riding his flaming motorcycle in Ghost Rider, Elijah appointed his successor. Wandering out into a field he placed his mantle, his cloak, over the shoulder of a hard working farmer plowing his field with oxen. Immediately the farmer, Elisha, knew that God had chosen him to follow Him by being Elijah’s apprentice and the heir apparent. Did he hesitate when faced with the choice of staying on his original path or following Elijah into this new life? Maybe this passage will give you a clue:
Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;
he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,
and gave it to his people to eat.
Then he left and followed Elijah as his attendant.
Now I am guessing that Peter Ostrum did not slaughter and boil the flesh of any oxen when he decided to leave show business. And I am also fairly sure that his veterinary clients who not have appreciated this approach to treating their livestock. But for Elisha it seemed to work. Essentially he was closing the door on his old life and removed any doubt Elijah may have had in his choice of a successor by burning the bridges, and the Oxen, that led back to his former life.
I would guess that all of us have moments when we look back at our lives where we made a choice on a path and left a previous path behind. My decision to leave New Jersey to go to school in Illinois. To ask Elise out on a date. When I was accepted to veterinary school. Having children. The decision to retire and to return to Pennsylvania where our veterinary careers began back in 1984.
But it are the choices in our faith lives that I think have the biggest impact. For me, they included a brief foray into the evangelical Christian world before returning to Catholicism. To marrying a Jewish woman, opening up a broader understanding of my own faith. Going on a Cursillo weekend. These were some of the sign post moments that have brought me to this point in my life. I have not burned any farm equipment in order to feed my family. Though I have had my share of BBQ grill fires creating some hockey pucks that some might call hamburgers.
The point being that life consists of a series of decisions that lead us down a new path, leaving a previous life in the rear view mirror. Not that we turn our backs on people who have shaped us. But we must, I believe, move forward looking squarely in front of us when choosing a new direction and maybe briefly testing that decision. Peter Ostrum? He did make a brief foray back into acting his senior year of college by auditioning for several Broadway roles, but landed none. But in the end, it was his choice to be a veterinarian that gave him direction. By God’s grace may each of us recognize the cloak of Elijah when it is presented to us as we travel the paths of our lives. And then follow the Holy Spirit’s call to eternity.
