On January 17, 2017, while driving home from work, I received a
text from Steve, our volunteer custodian, that the rectory had experienced severe
water damage. He had trouble getting into the front door, and when he entered,
he was shocked to see all the ceiling tiles were floating on the floor. Every
room in the house was a foot deep in water including the basement.
In times of darkness, it is easy to despair and throw up our hands
towards heaven and scream, “why me, Lord.” This is why it is so important to be
reminded that even in times of darkness there is light and that we need to look
for it.
I contacted the bishop and shared the news that the rectory has
suffered severe damage. He was most sympathetic and shared that the community
was responsible to work together to find the best solution for repairs. There
were no special funds for this kind of disaster, no experts in the PNCC to help
and we could not count on Rome or Scranton to bail us out.
What happened next was a “God moment.” Corey, Harry, Karen, Tina,
Brandon and Larry and members of our parish committee immediately contacted the
insurance company to begin the restoration process. No one panic, rather, each person
rolled up their sleeves to mop the floors, contact the insurance, deigned new plans,
tear down the walls, install the furnace, rewire the walls, paint the walls,
lay the floors, and do whatever it took for the next three years to give this
home a new purpose, a comfort home for the dying. From the darkness of despair
came the light of generosity and compassion.
Every one of us has something that we are fighting or facing –
whether it’s broken water pipes, or something else that can feel equally as
devastating: a loss, a setback, a failure. Whenever we’re in the midst of those
dark nights, when we feel completely alone, or overwhelmed… When we think no
one understands or cares.
...someone reaches out to you
after you’ve experienced a loss;
an unexpected friend stops
by to see how you’re doing when you’ve been ill and laid up;
...volunteers from this parish
and the community step up to the plate to tear down and rebuild, raise funds, and
volunteer to work with residents.
This is Our Lord’s spirit
alive and thriving in a community that can change many lives. It is Jesus saying: you’re not alone, you’re noticed, you’re
cared for, you matter, and never forget that. You are my daughter and son.
When Jesus came to the
river Jordan to be baptized by his cousin John it was not for the forgiveness
of his sins. Folks were going out to John the Baptist for his baptism of
repentance because they knew how messed up the world was, how messed up their
lives were. They knew they themselves had not been “without sin”- doing things
they shouldn’t have – not doing things they should.
Jesus
gets in line with the sinners. He enters the waters of repentance that He doesn’t need – but,
he wants to be near to meet us in our brokenness, in our guilt and shame. He’s
right here with you now in your lowliness. In other words, Jesus is saying: you’re not alone, you’re noticed, you’re
cared for, you matter.
Lord, I pray for all my
Sonshine Friends who are experiencing some darkness, poor health, poor
decisions and embrace the thought that at this moment the light is shining a
path in which you hear the Our Lord’s voice, as He looks at each one of you,
saying “This is my beloved daughter, This is my beloved son with whom I am well
pleased.”
