Breath of Spring

What a day, this mom thought to myself. With two of her young children in the hospital, she was spread thin. She had passed the infant CPR exam required before she could take her eight-week-old Joel home from the hospital. Would she remember how to perform CPR in a moment of crisis?

Exhausted, she reached for her grocery list that resembled more of a scientific equation than the food for the week. For the past several days, she had been learning the facts about juvenile diabetes and trying to accept Jenna, her six-year-old daughter's, diagnosis. In addition to the CPR exam she spent the day reviewing how to test Jenna's blood and give her insulin shots. Now she was buying the needed food to balance the insulin that would sustain Jenna's life.

This mom’s panic turned into a prayer. “God, I am so scared! What if I make a mistake and give Jenna too much insulin, or what if I measure her food wrong, or what if she does the unmentionable--and sneaks a treat? What if Joel's monitor goes off? What if he turns blue and I panic? What if?”

With a shiver, she tried to redirect her mind away from the what ifs. She gave myself an emergency pep talk and recited what she knew to be true, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do all things...."

She held a can of apple juice and began to read the label. Jenna will need fifteen carbohydrates of juice when her sugar drops. But this can has thirty-two. Immediately, she felt tears leave her eyes and make their way down the sides of her face. Not knowing what to do, she grabbed a couple six-packs of apple juice and placed them in her cart. Frustrated by feelings of total inadequacy, she crumpled up her grocery list, covered her face in her hands and cried.

"Honey, are you all right?" She heard a gentle voice ask. She had been so engrossed in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the woman who was shopping along side of her. Suddenly she felt her hand as she reached toward her and rested it upon her shoulder. "Are you all right? Honey, are you a little short of cash? Why don't you just let me…?"

She slowly dropped her hands from her face and looked into the eyes of the silvery haired woman who waited for her answer. "Oh, no, thank you ma'am." She said while wiping her tears, trying to gather my composure. "I have enough money." "It's just that I'm kind of overwhelmed. I'm here shopping for groceries so that I can bring my children home from the hospital tomorrow."

"Home from the hospital! What a celebration that shall be. Why, you should have a party!"

Within minutes this stranger had befriended her. She took her crumpled up grocery list, smoothed it out, and became her personal shopper. She stayed by her side until each item on her list was checked off. She even walked her to her car helping her as she placed the groceries in her trunk. Then with a hug and a smile, she sent this mom on her way.

It was shortly after midnight, while lugging the groceries into her house, that this mom realized the lesson this woman had taught me. "My kids are coming home from the hospital! Joel is off life support and functioning on a monitor. Jenna and I can learn how to manage her diabetes and give her shots properly. And just as God met my needs in a grocery store, He will meet each and every need we have. "I have a reason to celebrate!" She shouted for joy in her empty house. "Why you should have a party," the woman had exclaimed. And a party there would be!

God prays for us as we reflect: “I love you, O Lord, my strength.” (Psalm 18:1).

Lord. I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are feeling exhausted after the holidays. Let the true celebration begin when we realize that we are NEVER alone but the presence of God watches over our concerns and gives us reason to celebrate.

Mystery of Crumbfest

This is the story of a very great mystery; a mystery which all the mice talked about, but which was never solved until the day Eckhart set off on his great adventure. It was the day he discovered the true meaning of Crumbfest.

For Eckhart and the other mice, every year was divided into two parts: the Outside part, and the Inside part. During the long warm days they lived in a snug burrow beneath a spruce tree in the corner of a field, next to the woods. But when the days became shorter, and the great snows came, they left Outside and moved Inside, between the walls of the big white farmhouse where the people lived. The mice, of course, didn't refer to them as people. They called them "the straight ones" because of the way they walked.

Eckhart didn't like going Inside. None of the mice did. The narrow space between the walls, where they spent the winter, was a cold, dismal place. There was no grass there, or trees, or flowers; and no sunshine.

The Inside was also a hungry place. There was plenty of food in the house, but it was always shut up in the little pantry off the kitchen - in jars, or in tins with tight covers. The only spot the mice could find food was on the kitchen floor, underneath the big wooden table where the people ate. There would usually be a few crumbs there, tiny bits of bread that had tumbled down from above.

But there was one time of the year when all that changed.

Every year, in late December, just a few weeks after the mice had moved Inside, a most astonishing thing happened. Suddenly, there were crumbs everywhere. For several days the mice feasted, not just on bread but also on cake, and cookies, and piecrust.

The mice had a name for this time of abundance. They called it Crumbfest, and over the years it had became the most important celebration in mouse society. "Merry Crumbfest", they would call out to one another as they scurried in and out of their hole in the wall, bringing back load after load of tasty morsels.

The truth is, Eckhart had some doubts about Crumbfest. He started thinking about the reason for this most mysterious event. He decided that he must solve the riddle and go exploring.

He passed beneath the great wooden table. He looked across the room and saw a door leading into a hallway. Beyond that was the unknown, and, perhaps, the secret of Crumbfest. He knew that was where he must go. And that's when he saw it!

Eckhart could scarcely believe his eyes. He looked again, it was a tree. A fir tree. A beautiful tree from the Outside was right there in front of him - on the Inside.

Eckhart ran over quickly and looked up into the branches. There, on the tree, were other things from the Outside. There was a long string of red berries - the kind that grow on the rose bushes along the fence - and some birds. They didn't look exactly like the birds he had seen Outside, but they were definitely birds, sitting very still in the branches.

There was a small table beside the tree and Eckhart ran quickly up one of the legs to get a better view. When he came up over the top there was another great surprise waiting for him. There, gathered together in a circle, were tiny animals from the Outside.

There were two cows, a horse with long ears and several sheep. There were also some tiny people there, and right in the middle a little box, with a baby sleeping in some straw. Eckhart walked over slowly and stood beside one of the sheep, which was exactly the same size as he was. He remained there quietly for a few moments, standing just as still as the other animals.

And that's when it happened!

Eckhart felt something he had never felt before. It started somewhere inside of him, and spread right out to the very tips of all his whiskers, and to the end of his extra-long tail. It wasn’t exactly astonishment, and it wasn't exactly joy. It was wonder - that's what it was. Eckhart felt wonder-full.

It only lasted a short time, but Eckhart knew that in that moment he had discovered the meaning of Crumbfest. It came to him in a flash, and he knew his journey was over.

When he arrived back between the walls, Eckhart told them the story of his journey. He told them about the big room, the tree, the berries and the birds. And when he got to the part about the animals he lowered his head, straightened his tail, and said softly, "The mystery of Crumbfest is the mystery of the Outside and the Inside. When the Outside comes Inside it is a special time, for when the Outside and the Inside are together, Crumbfest happens."

For a moment no one spoke. Most of the mice looked puzzled. But there were a few whose eyes opened very wide, as through they had just heard a secret, which they already knew.

God prays for us as we reflect: “Consider the mice: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than all creatures great and small.” Luke 12:24.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that like Eckhart they experience for themselves the mystery of Crumbfest and the wonder of a place where the Inside and the Outside are together. A Blessed Christmas Season to all my wonder-full Sonshine Friends, Fr. Matt

Cutting Down the Christmas Tree

My best holiday stress tip includes this motto targeted for Sonshine moms. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service to others. But that doesn’t mean holding a soup ladle. Although, my sincere congratulations to the woman and men cooks who served over 300 Brockport students during exam week. As one student wrote on their comment card: “MMM…MMM…GOOD.”

For the rest of the holidays, I like to take your name and the word “kitchen” and file a restraining order; since I believe there are a variety of other ways you can serve others. Let me complete the list of commandments for forgiveness.

The Eight Commandment: Forgiveness recognizes the humanness of the person who has wronged us and also recognizes our contributions to what went wrong. Simply put, it takes two and a little humility to fest up that sometimes we have a whiny attitude that needs an adjustment.

The Ninth Commandment: Forgiveness surrenders the right to get even. It’s not “I’m going to get you back…Payback time! Revenge!” It means letting go of that and embracing the spirit of wisdom that forgiveness surrenders the right to get even.

And finally, the Tenth Commandment: Forgiveness means we wish the person who hurt us, or the group (like our family and the in-laws), we wish them well. In fact, we wish them the best. That’s tough, but we let God be the final judge. We wish them to God’s mercy.

So here are the Ten Commandments of Forgiveness.
1. Forgiveness is not easy.
2. Forgiveness is not forgetting.
3. Forgiveness does not overlook evil.
4. Forgiveness is not indifference.
5. Forgiveness is not the same thing as approval.
6. Forgiveness recognizes that people are bigger than their faults.
7. Forgiveness allows a person to start all over again.
8. Forgiveness recognizes the humanness of the wrongdoer.
9. Forgiveness surrenders the right to get even.
10. Forgiveness wishes the offender well.

Taking our spouse to her favorite Christmas tree farm to cut down the family tree and dragging the ten-foot sucker over half a mile is one kind of service. For me, helping my buddy unload their Douglas fir and putting it up in a tiny living room, or saying a rosary at 7:30 in my office for my patients and friends, or visiting a priest-friend who needs encouragement and support, or helping a talented actress get the part in a play, or taking pictures of awesome landscapes to inspire your day. I'd like to think this is service, too, because if those people are empowered by my actions, then I've contributed to a better world just as much as if I had dished out mashed potatoes to a homeless person at a shelter. In other words, start with the things you like to do.

God prays for us as we reflect: "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt 6:21).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who bring the Christmas spirit into the homes and hearts of their friends and neighbors. Help us to be people of mercy, with gentle spirits to heal those who complain, shoulders to hold those in pain and the cup of our hands to catch the tears that bring your healing.

You Have Found Favor

Today, in our tradition, the angel Gabriel comes to Mary with an invitation. The messenger angel tells Mary what a wonderful young woman she has been in the eyes of God that He has special plans for her. However, Mary in her humanness reveals her fear, doubt, confusion and finally acceptance of this invitation to serve the blessed role as the mother of God.

You might ask yourself what is your vocation at this stage in life. To lead a spiritual life means to develop a sense of vocation. Such people tend to see their work not just as a job, but as a calling. Spiritual folks feel that they are a part of a higher purpose, that their life however unfamous, counts, that they were put here for a reason. God has created me to do him some definite service. He has committed some work to me. Which he has not committed to another? He has not created me to bring on chaos and despair, I shall do his work; I shall be an angel of peace. One way to be an angel of peace is to practice the following commandments of forgiveness.

The Fourth Commandment: Forgiveness is not indifference. What that means is where things are harmful and wrong, we don’t just go back to “business as usual,” and let the hurt and damage go on. Forgiveness is not indifference, and we should do what we can to make sure the evil won’t happen again.

The Fifth Commandment: Forgiveness is not the same thing as approval. We can be forgiving and, at the same time, express our disagreement, express our disapproval of harmful behavior. The next commandments are more positive and deeper.

The Sixth Commandment: Forgiveness is based on recognizing and admitting that people are always bigger than their faults. People are always larger than, and they are more than, their mistakes or their wrongdoings. In other words, we don’t define somebody and who they are by something they said to us or the way they hurt us. They are bigger than that. Forgiveness is based on recognizing and admitting that people are always bigger and more than their faults and their mistakes.

The Seventh Commandment: Forgiveness is willing to allow a person who has offended us to start over again. You know, the more common thing is saying, “Never again! No way! I will never let that happen again. I will never have anything to do with him again. No way!” Forgiveness means letting go of that. Forgiveness means allowing another person to start all over again.

God prays for us as we reflect: “Then the angel said, Do not fear (insert your name here), for you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:30).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine friends who are suspicious and sometimes doubt God’s is calling out to them. Despite our doubts, our sins, our reluctance to believe, all are welcomed to come and adore him. In his divine eyes: “We are ALL perfect.” Children created in the image and likeness of God.