Wonderfully Suspicious

The church year begins with the First Sunday of Advent. However, you probably never noticed that we imitate the noise of New Year’s Eve when we blow those whistles, sound the horn, shout the countdown and wildly throw confetti. We symbolically explode the old, as it were, obligate the past, so we can make a new, fresh beginning.

The church year is no different. It too always ends and begins in chaos. Recall those terrible apocalyptic images: the sun, moon and stars will implode. There will be roaring of seas and waves. Yes, the very powers of heaven, like a nuclear blast, will be shaken and people will die of fright. Quite a scenario. But the function of these dire images, like the ones of New Year’s is meant to obliterate our selfish past and prepare us to make a new spiritual beginning.

That’s what the gospel sound and fury are about. It’s about thrashing the old and preparing for the new. Only for us, it is not resolutions to lose weight or be nicer to our mother-in-law. It is the challenge to live the spiritual life better than we did last year.

I hesitate to use the term “spiritual life,” as accurate as it is. The reason is that the term “spiritual life” tends to conjure up floating in la la land, talking to animals, or pausing to have visions. Or, at least fleeing to the convent or monastery. But the spiritual life is quite realistic, robust and challenging, and while it is for everybody, it is not for sissies.

How do I know if I am a spiritual person or not? How can I tell? Well, it’s really not hard to figure out. In fact, there are five quite sensible and infallible signs that I will explore with you during this Advent Season.

On a Monday morning after turkey day, think for a moment that you are a spiritual person if you have the capacity for transcendence. Simply put, it means that you are aware that there’s something more than meets the eye. You are always “wonderfully suspicious” that something more is going on. This is a contradiction to the secularists whose opinions say quite loudly that there is no God, no afterlife, no meaning, no purpose to life. Life is fundamentally absurd, a cosmic joke. What you see is what you get.

But not so the spiritual person. He or she sniffs hidden presences. They sense something in ever try flower, in beauty, in art, in friendship, in kindness, something that hints at something more to life. In fact, such things hint of Some One more. This morning I was humbled by an "old, trusted friend" who reminded me how much inspiration he receives by the Sonshine notes. He felt something was missing if he did not find them in his email, it was the mystery and a Presence.

This morning's image did not win any national awards, but it inspires me to take a time out during my hectic day to imagine myself walking along a stream and suddenly feel a sensation of peace and calm. The spiritual person notices. The spiritual person has the capacity to perceive beyond and behind. It could be the moment while you were basking the turkey, or rolling out the cookie dough or witnessing your first grandchild being baptized. I believe there is Some One more.

God prays for us as we reflect: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence…” (Psalm 16:11).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they discover the spiritual life that leads to the Presence in Bethlehem.

Together in Kindness

Thanksgiving is a time when we traditionally reflect on our blessings, Blessings. It’s a word we trip off our tongues easily enough: “Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts…” We bless ourselves with the sign of the cross, and say “God bless you” when someone sneezes. But this thanksgiving I want to turn your minds and hearts to see blessing differently. I want you to see blessing not as words that we say or something that one person gives another. Rather, I ask you to think of blessing as “being together in kindness.” Yes, I want you to see that blessing is not something you do, but as something you are to one another. I want you to see that blessing is a moment of meeting, a relationship that acknowledges one’s worth, it is being together in kindness.

For decades, a nationwide company had the tradition to handout to their employees $25 food vouchers to buy the family turkey for Thanksgiving. The company was looking for ways to cut benefits to improve their bottom line. They agreed to eliminate the Thanksgiving food voucher when one member’s of the leadership team shared: “You guys are not in touch.”

Our loyal people have been working for this company for decades, They work long hours in a cold warehouse for $7.50 and hour. Then they go home to take care of their children and pay their bills. When they get that food voucher, it’s like gold. This means they can go and buy a turkey and enjoy a warm meal with their family. You don’t see the smile on their faces when they get that letter. I know for a fact that one of the best things we do in this company for our people is show our appreciation to those who give us their best throughout the year. So despite our need to cut costs this year, I say we need to keep this benefit.

The other executives might have felt uncomfortable, but no one voted to discontinue the benefit. So the smiles will continue for one more year because this kind leader understood the meaning of gratitude and what it can do for the hearts of people who feel special and appreciated for their hard work.

Yes, people are treasures to us, are blessings to us. So this Thanksgiving is a good time to remember and cherish the people in our lives who, in need and in deed, in sickness and in health, were with us in kindness and let us know we count.

Thanksgiving is a time to remember those who have attached words to us, words like “May I help” “And I’m right here,” and “Blessed are you”; and labels like friend, beloved, special, lover, the best, treasure, one in a million, heart of my heart. We may have been, and maybe are “just old school friends,” but from those who have been together with us in kindness we learned that we each are a special indeed.

Today, then, while we will thank God for many things, let us remember people, especially those who have been with us in kindness and who, in that encounter, have blessed us.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends on this Thanksgiving Day that they realize how special they are in my daily life. Please share the following table blessing with your family and friends. Blessings to All, Fr, Matt

To our friends who have become family and our family who have become friends. God of joy and happiness, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Thank you for our family, our friends, our pets, and for every other living creature we meet along our journey.

Thank you for giving us hope for an end to world suffering, pain, and war, for a beginning of a world filled with light and everlasting love. And for the kindness of an unexpected dinner invitation, for a letter unforeseen, for the sunlight bursting through thick clouds, for a request to "come along,” for all the wonderful surprises of life we give you thanks, O God of joy. Amen.

We All Get Lost Sometimes

Turbo is the name of the inside lead horse in this championship Belgian six-horse hitch. You are witnessing his last performance since his owner plans to retire this trusted friend after the show. Turbo was abandoned and discovered in a pasture on a farm in Caledonia, New York. With lots of patience, plenty of food and excellent training this abandoned horse later became the number one lead horse of a six-horse hitch in the country.

The story of any rescue horse is very sad. In many cases, the horse is emaciated, covered in rain rot, and worst, their sensitive hooves are cracked straight through the top, making it almost impossible for them to walk. The horse wants nothing to do with humans who have caused their pain by neglect and they are quite content to stay where they are, cracked hooves and all. Their eyes show not only fear but also a strong dislike for the people inspecting them and their skin tensed under a human hand at each touch. The creature is an impossible mess but at that grace-filled moment, our farmer never imagined that Turbo would look as glorious as he appears in our photo leading his team to another championship.

We all get lost sometimes. The stories represent the messes of our lives. A single mom raising her children after being abandoned by her partner. The despair of a young teen whose best friend committed suicide. A man in his 60’s prefers to cry in the rain because her has no job. A young adult is told that his friend no longer needs him. Then, there’s the family provider who suddenly feels a shark pain and discovers that he has a mass that requires surgery. Finally, there are the million of unemployed workers who have been searching for months, even years for employment and after each rejection they sink deeper into depression.

Yes, we all get lost sometimes. The trick is to believe that we’re worth finding. Turbo was found with the hands of a loving farmer who saw the potential of this wonderful horse. When we are confronted by a situation beyond our control, it is time to pray to God who sees our desperate faces and looks into our hearts and promises to free us from our frustrations, from our fears and find strength in his grace and power.

God prays for us as we reflect: “May Your unfailing love be our comfort…” (Psalm 119:76).

Lord, I pray for all my Sunshine Friends who rescue horses in abandoned fields, or stray kitties and doggies. I pray when we notice our neighbor suffering the pain of feeling abandoned and we offer a healing touch, a comforting word and a gesture of hope. Bless the horse lover’s in the fields who bring comfort to rescue horses. May these magnificent creatures find a comfortable stall to lay their heads tonight with lots of hay and water.

Breaking Through Red Tape

Whenever I celebrate a wedding, I find myself seated at the parent’s table for the reception. This means eating with strangers who have come a long distance to celebrate in the festivities. While we engage in small talk, serenpidity brought me in contact with a highly educated, thoughtful young professional. This young person was most insightful as they shared the trials of their new job. Early in their career, they had experienced corporate life in a large company, but their creative juices led them to explore other opportunities to better use their talents.

Part of their job required campaigning for the local elected officials. While making house calls, this professional knocked on a door of a resident who asked the question why should they vote for their candidate. Our campaigner had their facts ready citing a significant reduction in crime and an increase in better education.

Despite these successes, this resident shared the nightmare of “red tape” encountered in getting services for his family. He’s called six times to get his food stamps and no reply. He was behind on his mortgage and the agency that offered help was to complicated to negotiate a reduce loan. He needed medical insurance for the family but all he got was a busy signal. Our young professional simply said: “Here, take my card and call me on Monday.” This act of kindness mirrors an attitude that Jesus practiced with such great finesse and flair.

A bit of wisdom that he practiced and preached: “Love God with everything you got” and secondly, “love your neighbor.” Simply put, when the opportunity presents itself, get rid of that “red tape” that hurts His “little ones” that refers to anyone who feels abandoned and neglected.

Let me further add my version of this profound wisdom to love neighbor: “Do ordinary things in extraordinary ways.” It’s the moment our young professional listened to the voice of this desperate resident. This man struggled with a inept system muddled in bureaucratic “red tape” and our young prophet promised to break the bonds that prevented this man from feeding, caring and sheltering his family.

God prays for us as we reflect: “The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. (Psalm 145:9).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are willing to seek out the right when so many things go wrong—like the massive red tape in our government, willing to carry each other’s burdens, willing to do the ordinary things in extraordinary ways, you become the sacrament, an outward sign of the way God loves us. We are invited to be a living sacrament, living vessels that mirror compassion, understanding, patience and love despite, all the glitches in government policies. In that moment, we catch a glimpse of how much God must forgive, persevere and love us? As St. Paul said, it’s a great mystery, your ability to mirror and reveal God.

So, let your revelation begin…

Reflections

I was greatly humbled when a stranger came up to me in church to say that they appreciate all the beautiful images I have shared in the Sonshine reflections. Rarely, do I hear a comment about a story or photo, but my purpose is simply to open your hearts to the beauty that God surrounds us each day. One of those magical moments is the ordinary people who cross our path in our worse moments to give us strength and courage.

Once upon a time, there was this forty-six-year-old, divorced woman, with three grown children. After several months of chemotherapy following a mastectomy for breast cancer, she was starting to put her life back together when her doctor called with the results of her last checkup. They had found more cancer, and she was devastated. Her relatives had not been supportive. She was the first person in the family to have cancer and they didn’t know how to behave toward her. They tried to be kind, but she had the feeling they were afraid it was contagious. They called on the phone to see how she was doing, but they kept their distance. That really hurt.

On Saturday, she headed out for the laundromat. You see the same people there almost every week. They exchange greetings and made small talk. So when she pulled into the parking lot, she was determined not to look depressed but her spirits were really low. While taking her laundry out of the car, she look up and saw a man, one of the regulars, leaving with his bundle. He smiled and said, “Good morning. How are you today?” Suddenly she lost control of herself and blurted out. “This is the worst day of my life! I have more cancer.” Then she began to cry. He put his arms around her and just let her sob. Then he said, I understand. My wife has been through it, too. After a few minutes she felt better. stammered out her thanks, and proceeded on with her laundry.

About fifteen minutes; later, here he comes back with his wife. Without saying a word, she walked over and hugged her. I know what you’re going through. This woman can’t tell you how much that kindness meant to her. Here was this total stranger, taking her time to give this woman emotional support and courage to face the future at a time when she was ready to give up.

The two great commandments have their challenges: “You shall love your God with everything you got” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

What is a saint? When we ‘re ready to give up when you hear the news: “Your cancer has come back, you haven’t found a job since January, your soldier has been killed in action, your child died in an auto accident due to drugs, your child was sentenced to eight years in jail, your best friend left you for whatever.”

Just how does any saintly soul manage these miserable moments, these insane happenings that have no purpose, no sense of love and more profoundly how are we suppose to love God and our dumb, stupid relatives who don’t know how to talk to us.

A saint learns with lots of practice that while on this earth, we are put to the trial, we must give triple thanks to the Almighty: first for giving us the strength to endure the trial, second for bringing the trial to an end, and third for the trial itself. For suffering contains the secret of creation and its dimension of eternity; it can be pierced only from the inside. Suffering betters some people and transfigures others. At the end of suffering, of mystery, God awaits us...

God’s prays for us as we reflect upon our suffering: “God does notice our miserable moments and listens to our cries for help.” (Psalm 22:24).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who feel under the weather to remember an old Persian proverb: I sought my God, My God I could not see. I sought my soul, My soul eluded me. I sought my neighbor and I found all three.