Fear or Faith Which one is it going to Be?

 

I’m not saying there isn’t plenty to worry about these days. In the reading this morning, Abram is worrying that God won’t ever come through on his promise. He and his missus Sarai have been planning for and expecting a baby, but one just isn’t forthcoming. Abe’s getting discouraged, and his big fear is he will never achieve the desire of his heart—a son and heir. God reassures the old boy that he’ll get what he wants. It’s just not going to be right away. So Abe says, “Okay,” and the Lord reckons it to him as righteousness.

If you’re ever wondering what righteousness looks like, there it is. It’s faith. Not mere assent to a doctrine, but the living belief that it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give us what we need (although not always what we want!). Our baptism is a reminder of God’s grace and goodness. It’s the reminder that we matter to God so we can operate out of faith and not out of fear.

After all, there are really only two ways to live: by faith or by fear. Some may suggest there’s a third way—manly self-reliance. I’m not so sure that’s going to work when your company downsizes you or you or your family member gets a life-changing diagnosis. You’ll be looking to rely on something more than yourself. No. It’s pretty much faith or fear. And we have to decide how we’re going to live.

In our Gospel story, Jesus’ admonition to live fearlessly comes with a pretty scary suggestion. Who wants to sell everything they have and give the money to the poor? Shouldn’t you be saving a little something in case of a stock market collapse or a hurricane or the zombie apocalypse? I think what the Lord is really challenging us to do here is get outside of ourselves. Fear is the result of self-preoccupation Jesus is urging us to pull our heads out and be part of the world around us. His suggestion about selling our possessions and giving to the poor is a recipe for faithful living. When we transfer some of the blessings God gave us to others—be it through donation of our cash or the donation of our time as volunteers—we’re making two statements of faith. First, we’re saying that we’re going to get along just fine on what’s left over. If we give ten bucks to the Charotte Comfort Home (hospice in North Java), we won’t be ten bucks short at the end of the pay period. We made a choice to trust in God for our own preservation. Second, we’ve said through our gift or volunteering that what we’ve done will matter. We believe someone’s life is going to be just that much better because we’ve reallocated some of our own blessings for the benefit of others.

Another part of this Gospel lesson is a parable Jesus teaches about servants (that could be us) staying alert for the return of their master (that could be Jesus). There are two ways I think you could look at this. You could go the “end-of-the-world-is-coming-soon” rout and start interpreting every story you hear on the news as a harbinger of the Apocalypse, the Second Coming, the End Times, or whatever. That’s a sure-fire way to live in fear.

The other way to look at this is the Matthew 25 rout where Jesus tells us, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” What I mean is we should always be on the lookout for meeting Jesus. He could be present in a neighbor, a family member, someone in need, a panhandler on the street, or an immigrant behind the counter at Dunkin Donuts. Any chance encounter might be an opportunity to draw closer to God by drawing closer to the ones around us.

Finally, the last part of this Gospel lesson is a weird kind of warning. Yes, if the homeowner knew what hour the thief was coming, he’d have met the guy at the window with a loaded Smith & Wesson. The problem is, we don’t know when stuff is going to happen. Like the arrival of a baby, life-changing moments occur, and we can’t always control them. So, it’s not about what happens, but about how we react. You can live in fear and sit at home all night with your Smith & Wesson on your lap just in case a burglar should try to break in, or you can go out among fellow human beings, risk loving them, and find your purpose.

Fear? Faith? Which one is it going to be?

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we choose to live in faith and focus our resources on lifting a helping hand to anyone who needs our help today. Maybe you like to volunteer at an animal shelter or my wife Sue reported there are lots of kittens at the shelter who need a loving home. If interested in adopting a kitten contact: info@vol4animals.org –or call (585)343-6410 option 7

 

 

What's in Your Barn?

 

Once there was a man who was richly blessed by God. Everything he touched, it seemed, turned to gold. After receiving news of yet another incredible windfall, he said to himself, “What in the world am I going to do with all this money?” He thought long and hard about what he should do and he finally came up with how to invest his money in a way that would bring even more to his richly blessed life. He summoned his accountants and managers and said to them, “I have been blessed above most people I know and now I have more money than I ever dreamed of. I have decided how I want to invest this money to make even more. I want to put everything I own – except for enough to live on in a simple way – into a charitable foundation. Each year half this money is to be given to organizations that feed the hungry and the other half to assist prisoners who desire to transition to a life free from crime.”

Then the rich man who became poor to become rich said to himself, “I have been blessed beyond anything I ever imagined and now I am blessed even more.” And God said to him, “My son, you have many good things stored up, come now and rest in the joy of your God!”

A dad shared this story about his oldest son when he was just a young lad. His little boy enjoyed Saturday morning cartoons. This dad noticed that his son had a kind of mantra that he repeated during the commercials. He would watch commercials wide eyed and say, “I would like one of those.” He would repeat this many times during the morning and the result was a desire to “have stuff.” Dad and son would visit stores his son went for the toy aisle and said to his dad, “I would like one of those,” turned into, “I need one of those.” The thing just kept growing. “I want more of those… and those… and those…” Dad thought of an old line you likely know well, “The only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys.”

So what’s in your barn these days?” I am trying to make sure there is a bit more of a heart for the hungry and homeless, the poor and dispossessed in my barn. In this past month, donations have been forwarded to Volunteers4Animals, Mother Cabrini Food Cupboard, Bethany House, Charlotte Comfort Home Hospice, Mary Cariola, Holy Childhood, CDS Life Transitions, Holy Family, St Jude and Divine Mercy Churches.

I’m considering how we can practice Jesus’ caution about the desire for more which feeds the desire for even more. What a wonderful day when we can pass on a new notion. Instead of “I would like one of those,” I can hear our children saying, “I wonder who could use one of those!”

Have you inventoried your barn lately?

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are taking stock and looking at all the stuff they have accumulated in their attic, basement and rented storage pods. Give us the compassion and generosity to think “I wonder who could use one of these?” We have established a trust fund for our beautiful forest and streams that we call our home to be transferred to Brockport College as an environmental teaching nature center for future generations of faculty and students. We hope and pray that the college is willing to accept our gift and waiting for a positive response.

 

 

 

An Invitation

 

Don’t know your plans for this weekend, but I am inviting you to a special celebration. This Saturday morning at 11am, Robert Grizzell will be ordained a deacon at Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral located at 6298 Broadway Road In Lancaster, New York.

Robert is from San Antonia, Texas and he currently serves with Fr. Marcus the pastor at St. Jude’s National Catholic Church in San Antonia.

Robert is passionate about his full-time ministry as a hospice and hospital chaplain in Texas. He is wonderful model of a young person whose vocation is to serve the people of God and bring Our Lord’s healing.

Of course, his parishioners are not able to attend because of distance and expense. However, it would be a wonderful gesture of gratitude if the people of Buffalo came to attend this ceremony and congratulate this special man. 

In the Gospel, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Most likely, when we pray it’s about our need for healing or a prayer for someone we know who needs God’s healing.

In a Harvard study, 90% of doctors think faith has a healing effect. 90%. Yet only 70% of the population thinks that. In other words, more doctors than patients believe in the power of faith. And, Lord, do we need your healing? For a body riddled with cancer, Lord, we need your healing. For heart loaded with grief, Lord, we need your healing. For a mind addicted to prescription medication, Lord, we need your healing. For a soul attached to gambling and drinking, Lord, we need your healing. For a heart restless in life, seeking purpose, never finding it, Lord, we need your healing. For a relationship broken and torn apart, Lord, we need your healing. Lord, we need your healing. Say it with me, “Lord, we need your healing.”

How does God heal? Sometimes, God works through miracles. Sometimes God heals through the faith of family and friends like the deaf man brought by his friends who ask Jesus to heal him. He's healed because of them. Their faith. Sometimes God heals through the faith of the people around us. God heals through doctors and medicine. And of course, sometimes God heals through time.

Cleric Robert ministers daily with people in need of healing from their physical and emotional pain. No one fully understands how God heals or God's timing or even all of his ways. We don't always know how. We can't fully explain why. If something doesn't work right, if it's broken, you take it to the one who can fix it, right? Jesus is the Great Physician. The one who made you. The one who will make you whole. His name is Healer.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, help each person to identify an area of their life that needs healing, the healing touch of Jesus.

Yes, you have summer plans but if you like to experience a healing moment, I welcome you to join me to attend the ordination of Deacon Robert. There will be a reception in the parish hall following his ordination. See you Saturday, fr. matt

 

Hospitality

 

In the Gospel, Jesus is paying a little house call on the sisters Martha and Mary. Both ladies welcome him and his disciples, but Martha heads to the kitchen to prepare something for Jesus and his buddies to eat, while Mary keeps Jesus and the other guys company. Both are good hostesses, even if Martha gets a bit bent out of shape because she’s doing the work while Mary sits around. Jesus gently scolds Martha for picking on her sister. After all, haven’t we all been to a dinner party where the hostess was so busy preparing for her guests that she’s had no time to enjoy their company?

Hospitality is one of the key ingredients that keeps people coming back to church each week. I remember the annual parish picnics in North Java especially after the people built a new playground for the kids in town. Today’s Sonshine photo shows the proud parishioners, parents and their children smiling in front of the swings and slides.

Sadly, it appears hospitality in this country is slipping or better fallen off a cliff because of the current anti-immigrant “round ‘em up and ship ‘em out” attitude towards immigrants in the United States.

I read this week the statement by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski concerning the detention facility Homeland Security has constructed in the Florida Everglades known as Alligator Alcatraz. This is a facility designed with the purpose of detaining up to 5,000 individuals whose only crime may be that they entered this country illegally. The structures are overcrowded tents which provide little protection from the intense heat and mosquitoes and no protection at all from flooding rains or hurricanes. The facility opened on the third of this month and there have already been complaints about insufficient food, limited access to water, and restrictions against visiting clergy.

Archbishop Wenski noted on the archdiocese’s website:

"We have a detention center in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by snakes, alligators, mosquitoes, and more. It is an inhumane situation…It is insulting that those who should know better are mocking the misery of their brothers and sisters. We are all brothers and sisters, and no one should ridicule the suffering of other people. Even the name 'Alligator Alcatraz' is a cruel mockery of the pain those people endure.”

I can’t say I have the answer to America’s immigration problem, but I know indiscriminately arresting and incarcerating any or all undocumented individuals—especially in dangerous or unhealthy detention centers—is not the answer.

Jesus said. “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.” Martha shared what she had when thirteen hungry guests who showed up at her door. Mary gave them her loving attention. To dehumanize others cannot possibly be to our benefit and it certainly is not being the best Catholic we can be.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, keep safe and protect from harm all our Latino our brothers and sisters and their children. As Christians, we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves when, like Our Lord, we show them mercy.

 

Gratitude Letter

 

 

Dear Steve:

On July 16^th, I have been invited to give a presentation to the American Red Cross on the topic: “The Power of Gratitude.” One exercise includes writing a gratitude letter to focus attention on people in your life who have impacted your life in a positive way. This is my letter of thanks for a long-time Sonshine friend Steve.

 

Once again, I had another breakdown of equipment in our home. This time it was the water conditional system that purifies our water from sulfur and other harmful chemicals in the soil. And sure enough, a phone call to Steve from Total Water Care in Newark was the answer. It was on February 3, 2012 that I first contacted Steve to install a water system that continues to give us sparkling clean, tasty water from our well.

 

I enjoy listening to Steve about his family and work with his clients to keep their water safe from harmful chemicals. He is a man of integrity and deep faith in God. He has outstanding knowledge of water serving our country onboard submarines. I am grateful for his service to our country.  When he returned from service, he became an expert in water systems. But our real bond is our love for hockey. We still have hope that one day the Buffalo Sabres climb out of the cellar in their division and make the playoffs for a crack at the Stanley Cup.  

 

Your compassionate heart and prayerful spirit in working with all your clients is an inspiration to me and all your family and community. I am humbled by your generosity and admire your expertise to repair water systems and improve the quality of water to make it safe to drink in our homes.

 

You have taught this priest to be persistent, to be a compassionate mentor to all my family, community and Sonshine Friends. You are still teaching which includes myself to persevere in prayer and wisdom, and I am humbly grateful. Keep me always updated on how I can be of further support to you and all your family. 

 

May the Good Lord and Our Lady of Gaudeloupe protect you and your family and keep you healthy and safe,

Father Matt

 

Lord I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they know how grateful I am for their devotion to prayer and their loyality for the past 25 years in reviewing these reflections to be the best Christians they can be with the help of God. Why not write a Gratitude Letter to someone you know who has made a difference in your life.

 

 

 

 

 

Independence Reflection

 

I always love the Fourth of July. For me, fireworks never get old. They’re kind of like chocolate chip cookies. No matter how often I experience them, they always make me smile. And, like everybody else, I like a good celebration. As a kid, the Fourth was a time to eat hotdogs and gather in our backyard after dark and watch the fireworks that were set off from our local ballpark ten minutes from our home. Today I look at the Fourth a bit differently.

I rejoice for my country even as I mourn for her. I feel deeply for America on her birthday. I guess I rejoice we’ve made this experiment in democratic government work for 249 years. I rejoice that we’ve always had the ability to course correct. Those brave 18^th century gentlemen who fought our war of Revolution won independence but, when all the dust settled, found a new nation deeply in debt with farms and towns ruined and a diverse population which knew what form of government it didn’t want but wasn’t quite sure about the form it did want. Nevertheless, they rolled up their ragged sleeves and created a nation. Our ancestors formed an egalitarian government, established civil rights, abolished slavery (at a pretty high and bloody cost), built cities and infrastructure, created social safety nets, defeated fascism in Europe, and generously exported the produce of our God-given prosperity to people around the world.

And, of course, we’ve made a boatload of mistakes along the way. Some of them rather recently in my view.

I mourn when I consider wars we’ve engaged in which could and should have been avoided. I mourn for our veterans and pray they receive the care they deserve. I grieve to think of the vast and growing income inequality in our nation. I shake my uncomprehending head at the persistence of gun violence. I fret over our broken immigration system and our current epidemic of xenophobia. I sigh helplessly for those affected by climate disasters and I worry how we can continue to rebuild when floods, hurricanes, tornados and wildfires seem so relentless and so many in government seem so unconcerned about the causes of these tragedies.

But I really want to find reasons to celebrate.

When Jesus sent out his seventy-member advance team he sent them out on faith. They didn’t have a bankroll or a credit card. He knew—and they knew too—that the world was a dangerous place. They were sent out like lambs in the midst of wolves. Nevertheless, they went forward believing that God was with them. They went ahead trusting in both God’s providence and their mission as servants. They were commissioned by Jesus to bring tidings of peace to the poor and healing to the sick. They did what was asked of them, and they returned with joy.

As we observe this 249^th anniversary of America’s independence, how shall we go forward? I’d like to suggest a slight reimagining of the American Dream. So far, that dream has been to own a home and be financially better off than the previous generation. Maybe we need to think a little more like servants. Maybe we should dream that everyone in America has a roof over their heads, and those roofs will be secure from the ravages of a ungovernable nature. Everyone will have enough to eat. Everyone will be safe on the streets where they live. All the sick and elderly will have the care they need and deserve, and our nation will continue to work for peace and prosperity for all the families of the earth.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we may feel like sheep among wolves, but God is still on the throne, our nation and our democracy still exist, and our command from Christ to serve is still in force. There is still reason to celebrate.

 

Scattering the Seed

 

I was invited by Fr. Erick to zoom a nationwide monthly meeting with his brother Latino priests. He was most gracious sharing that I have supported him on numerous occasions during crises that recently included his recent surgery. This meeting was attended by Fr. Erick in Las Vegas, Fr Alfonso and Fr Gabriel in Denver, Fr. Marcus, Fr Edwin and Cleric Robert in San Antonia, and Fr.Jose in Chicago.

These holy men discussed the recent illness of Fr. Erick and how they had travelled to Vegas to celebrate Mass while he was recovering. However, the issue of medical insurance became a topic. Many of our Latino priests do not have medical coverage and wondered if the national church could help them get coverage for them and their families. Another topic was the sad reality that many of their parishioners are afraid that ICE agents may storm their church and deport family members to far away countries.  Thankfully this had not happened in any PNCC church, but the potential for danger exists and many families have chosen not to come to Mass. 

This Sunday, the RC church readings are about Jesus asking the question “Who do people say that I am?” However, the PNCC liturgy will reflect on the gospel story about the farmer scattering seeds on different soils.

What my brother Latino priests do not know is that Fr Matt is a farmer and knows something about seeds and soil. This Spring to put it bluntly has been “soggy.” The seeds I planted in the veggie garden never took root. Sadly, no plants grew because the soil was too saturated with water. 

In the gospel story, it does not take a genius to realize that no farmer would consciously sow seed where there is no hope of it yielding a harvest. However, this is not ordinary seed and it is not an ordinary farmer. We are talking about God who is sowing the seed of His word. The act of sowing seed by hand is called broadcasting. The seed is thrown by hand. God does not distinguish between the various types of soil that will receive the seed. In other words, God gives everyone a chance even if it is evident that there is little hope that the person will actually live God’s word. 

You might ask yourself what kind of seed are you? The seed of hope or despair, the seed of courage or fear, the seed of forgiveness or resentment, the seed of acceptance or skepticism. I like to think if my Latino brothers were the farmers, the seeds they would broadcast are a welcome to all cultures, genders, ages and traditions that Jesus Christ changes lives eternally and that the place to encounter him most fully is in their parish communities. I have no doubt the difficulty of getting people to return to church. My brothers might protest, “I tried it a few times and got nowhere. I just don’t have the personality, don’t have the gift.”

As a fellow farmer and shepherd, I recognize Jesus had both the personality and the gift.  Yet when He sowed seed, much of it still ended up as bird food. Consider the thousands he fed with loaves and fishes, the multitude that heard his sermon on the mount, the throngs that welcomed him on Palm Sunday.  Yet on the day of Pentecost, there were only 120 left in the cenacle, awaiting the Holy Spirit. Notice, though, that the fruit borne by these 120 plants eventually filled the whole world about 2.4 billion. 

To get the few that bear fruit, lots of seed must be sown by lots of people.  So regardless of whether or not you think you have green thumbs, my dear Latino brothers are being commanded through this parable to get the seed out there, sowing it everywhere we go, undeterred by the birds, the weeds, the scorching sun, drenching rains or ICE agents.

The parable of the sower has a twofold message: as seed, our job is to get busy growing.  As farmers, our job is to get busy sowing.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and especially my brother Latino priests (farmers) that humbled by our mission to spread the seed of compassion and hope. Instead of worrying about empty pews, with your grace focus our ministries to be the best of farmers and keep scattering the seeds wherever they may fall.