Wonderfully Made

One of the hottest YouTube videos is one where evangelist Louie Giglio introduces the molecular cellular structure called "laminin." Giglio uses laminin to show how we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." I want to use laminin to challenge you with a fearful and wonderful choice. It's a choice that determines how you go through life: trying to hold yourself together, or being held in the hands of a loving God.

Are you trying to hold the whole world in your hands? Or have you let God hold the whole world in God's hands? Every year or so a flurry of activity on eBay indicates the discovery of a new "relic." In the first thousand years of the church, "relics" surfaced at regular intervals. Splinters off the original cross. Fingers of the saints. Locks of hair from the apostles. Tiny bits of this and that from the "saints," preserved in "reliquaries" with handwritten explanations called "authentics," were the basis for church dedications and commissionings. Relics were supposed to "prove" the realness and relevance of faith. Nowadays we settle for somewhat more mundane proofs.

A tortilla is flipped and the scorch mark on it is the face of Jesus. A potato, cursed with the scourge of the 19th-century Irish famine, reveals a rotten center …aaaah, but look carefully . . . that rotten bruise is in the shape of the Virgin Mary. Pretzels, potato chips, spaghetti, snack foods, are suddenly given sacred stature because someone can make out some holy portrait in the fry-marks, burned bits, or organic wrinkles.

Some of my favorites: the "grilled cheese sandwich Jesus," the "Jesus Flapjack," the "Jesus on Toast" (a.k.a. "the Holy Toast"), and the twenty-first century version of the feeding of the five thousand, "Jesus on the Frozen Fish Filet" (the "Lord of the Fish Stick"). Can't we all agree that these are just plain silly?

Yet they show how easily we are swayed by what we think we see. They show how quickly we judge based on what's on the outside, not the inside. We all judge based on exteriors rather than interiors. Social scientists have repeatedly demonstrated that individuals recognized as "pretty" or "handsome" are also automatically accorded other traits. We assume those who are good looking are also "nicer." They are perceived as smarter, harder working, more energetic, even more trustworthy. Those who do not measure up are politely called "plain," but we really think they are odd, goofy, nerdy, ugly. In scripture, Jesus exposes this kind of rush to judgment as fatally flawed.

God prays for us as we reflect: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.” (Psalm 139:14)

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends whose lives are spinning out of control. We are a hurting people who need to be reminded that God will always hold us together.

Loaves and Fishes

Who cleans the kitchen stove in your home? It’s Monday night at 7:30, Richard and I took over finishing the dishes and pots and pans after feeding a record number of hungry college students. I overheard Joan, Richard’s beloved spouse, shout: “honey, whose going to clean the stove?” Now imagine this scene, God the Father saying this to the Holy Spirit, “honey, whose going to clean the heavenly stove?” Of course, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit look over to Jesus as he rolls up his sleeves and starts scrubbing! Does this not explain the deepest mystery in our Catholic faith?

John the evangelist tells us “God is love.” However, sometimes our images of God can lead us astray. For many young people, religion has only given them a God to fear, a thundering Jehovah, an all-seeing eye. It is not a reverential fear but God in a vindictive role, someone we had better appease.

A better example of God’s love was the miracle of “loaves and fishes” when the Neumann community fed a thousand students during exam week. You could help to notice that the kids were happy, sharing life, listening to one another, and glad for the gift of companionship. It is at moments like this that we find a way to start thinking about what God is really like. There was no mystery where God was to be found on three nights during exam week. While parishioners served and washed, cooked more pasta (they were running low), they were inviting God into the very hearts of these young students and celebrating his love.

“Born again” means to be “reborn in the spirit” a spiritual birth where a person becomes aware that they are more than concerned about self-preservation, reproduction, pleasure, hording of possessions, and struggles for power and status. It is the recognition that we have higher aims and values than these. It is when we are able to view ourselves as one with our God, the Trinity and consequently with all other people, leading us to act with practical compassion toward others. As Christians we call it being one with Christ. We see the world as Christ sees the world. We hear the cries for help as Christ hears our cries for help. The Neumann community knew the students were low on cash, but something even more profound, they were “low on examples of unselfish love”—Trinity love.

God prays for us as we reflect: “Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:13.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends whose daily gestures of unselfish love go unnoticed. Let them know that the God who “sees all” will never forget your acts of compassion and kindness. In the words of our Brockport students: "You guys ROCK!! You are all awesome!”

Where Are You Looking

If you enjoy bird watching, then you would be awe struck by Ted who is the editor of the American Bird Association. He led a group of enthusiastic bird watchers on a walk into Fry’s Landing on Presque Island in Erie, PA. In three hours he identified over 65 birds simply by listening to their calls and watching the birds behavior. Warblers were the main creatures that were most prominent on this trail. What’s most fascinating is the behavior of the bird watchers themselves. Packed with their binoculars or “scopes,” these people get very serious as they slowly stake out the trail. You hear shouts like “what’d you see” or “over there” then the infamous “WHERE?”

Ted pointed out warblers with names like magnolia, Nashville and yellow rumped.” Then he spotted cedar waxwing, American redstart, chestnut sided, eastern towhee, swamp sparrows and a Baltimore oriole. The group was fascinated by his skill to simply listen and look into the trees or bush and point out each bird.

Sadly, I had come with my camera to take a National Geographic shot of the birds. “Come over here” or “look up there” was a lesson that taught me that something was lacking in my skills. In life, we often are too busy running around from one spot to another and not accomplishing much despite all our efforts. On this morning, all my shots were specks in the distance. I later learned that if you really want to take photos of birds you let them come to you.

Unless, you spend $15,000 on telephoto lens, the next best way to take photos of these feathered friends is to find a log and sit and wait for them to come to you. In many ways, our search to find God is simply His desire that we become more dependent upon Him for every step. That’s because He wants to take us places we have never been. To heights we cannot even imagine. In order to do that, we have to go through those low valleys, treacherous mountains, rough terrain and narrow paths of life-places where we could easily get lost or off the track.

Walking in a strange woods, there is definitely no way we can just head off on our own and expect to arrive safely in the place God has planned for us. We will never know the joy of true freedom until we learn that we cannot take a single step without His help.

God prays for us as we reflect: “Come and let us walk in the light of the Lord.” Isaiah 2:5.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they learn to take a breath and allow your Spirit to guide us on a path that calms our fears and soothes our sorrows. Guide our path this summer as we see the beauty of your creation and hear the sound of your call in the woods, along the streams, from a robin in our backyard, and in the arms of our “loved ones.”

Smooth As A Fanny

This rather “crude” remark literally came from an expert who knows his trade. The basement was flooded after a tremendous downpour. Despite walking in an inch of water, nothing valuable was damaged. However, the search to find a plumber who knows what needed to be done can be a headache in itself.

The “Yellow Pages” in Rochester list 113 plumbing contractors from Dyna-Mode to Roto-Rooter. Who do you call? My limited sources suggested no one by name but call the Better Business Bureau first to learn the worst of the lot. I blindly called Mr Rooter for an estimate. Then came a surprise cell phone ring from “Bob” who simply said: “go get your estimate, and call me back and I will come right by.”

It seems that this “pipe angel” knew me by some strange coincidence, but I had no clue that he was also an experienced plumber. Bob came with his helper, Pueblo who literally was his other arm. To my surprise, Bob has only one arm due to an accident, but he works like a surgeon.

The source of the problem was a “plugged drain” which happens in all homes from time to time. It was an easy fix working with the right “snakes.” As he worked, I wondered how many times we feel ”plugged” with survival issues and no one to turn to. We might be ankle deep in water or worse if the sewer backed up. We cry out for help but no one seems to understand the “sledge” we are wading in. This might be a good time to pray as we bail more water out of the basement and “call God and he’ll come right by.”

God does listen to our dilemma and frustration and it was his spirit that clearly sent this plumber who was not intimidated by any clogged drains, nasty roots or cemented drain value. Literally, with a tap of his hammer, he unscrewed the cemented drain cap, ran his “snakes” out to the street and announced with cheer: it (the drain) runs like a fanny.” Needless to say, his bill was 200% less than the other plumbing company. His confidence in diagnosing and curing the problem made him the hero of my day.

After he left, I was quietly sweeping water in the basement back into the open drain thanking God for people like Bob who are not afraid to tackle the messes of life and put things right. Faith in God means despite the “clogged” parts of our day, help from above comes when we know whom to call and trust in His wisdom and strength.

God prays for us as we reflect; “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Drains, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. (Isaiah 58:12).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who feel like they are drowning in sorrow and pain. Bring them a “pipe angel” who knows how to drain our fears and make our lines run “smooth as a fanny.”