Drop the Blanket

 

 

Linus loves his blanket, carries it everywhere, and is not embarrassed by it. He cannot survive without it and really suffers when it is being washed. However, in strips from the later years, Linus seems to want to get rid of it, even though he knows he is a mess without it.

 

In A Charlie Brown Christmas, there is one moment in this show that went seemingly unnoticed for 51 years.

 

When Linus is asked the meaning of Christmas, he memorized and recited Luke 2: 8-14.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid.' I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

But while Linus is reciting these verses, there is one important thing we might not have notice then. Right in the middle of speaking, Linus drops the blanket.

I believe that this is intentional and more profound, the specific moment he drops it is when he utters the words, “fear not.”

 

Looking at that scene, it is pretty clear what Charles Schultz was saying, and it’s so simple it’s brilliant.

 

The birth of Jesus separates us from our fears.

The birth of Jesus frees us from the habits we are unable (or unwilling) to break ourselves.

The birth of Jesus allows us to simply drop the false security we have been grasping so tightly, and learn to trust and cling to Jesus instead.

 

The world of 2021 can be a scary place. And most of us find ourselves grasping to something temporal for security, whatever that thing may be. Essentially, 2021 is a world in which it is very difficult for us to “fear not.”

 

But in the midst of our fear and insecurity, this simple “drop the blanket” moment can be an inspiration for us to seek true peace and true security in the one place it has always been and can always still be found, into the hands of Jesus.

 

However, after this blanket-dropping recitation of Scripture given by Linus in response to Charlie Brown’s quest for meaning, he picks the blanket back up.

 

Why would Linus pick that old security blanket up after so boldly proclaiming an end to fear? Why does he leave the stage with that security blanket still in his hand?

 

We first must admit that we all carry that same blanket.

Just like Linus, we may stand tall in a moment of faith, but out of habit, we reach down and pick that thing right back up. Faith, while powerful, is also delicate.

 

Linus clearly knows the truth, and clearly proclaims the truth. The knowledge is there and the wisdom is there and the passion is there. So why does he pick it back up?

 

It is because we all do the same thing. We gaze into our mirror in the morning to find that tattered old blanket draped over our shoulder yet again. And we realize that we have become so used to it being there that we hardly even noticed it.

 

But that is not where this blanket story ends.

 

The show ends with the Peanuts gang not just singing, but clearly and unquestionably singing in worship. The obvious song choice here could have been “O Christmas Tree,” the notes of which have already been playing gently in the background. But the focus is no longer the tree. The focus has become bigger than the tree. The focus is Jesus.

 

With this new focus, the kids sing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Glory to the Newborn King,” and what we are now witnessing is essentially an impromptu worship service.

 

But before any of this happens, Linus parts with that blanket yet again, and lays it down for good at the base of that beautiful Christmas tree, just as we should strive to not just lay our blanket down just anywhere, but leave it forever behind us at the foot of that cross, for our own good and the good of others.

 

It is here at the end of the show that Linus lays that blanket down yet again, and this time? He doesn’t look back.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who carry our blankets of fear and insecurity, draped in pride and selfishness. Give us Your gift of humility to drop the negative attitudes and never look back.

 

 

Fourth Sunday Advent Reflection by Fr. Nadeem

 

Good Day! Let us behold Jesus, the Word incarnate revealing himself to us in the Sunday readings. Today is the Forth Sunday of advent, only few days away from Christmas. Hopefully we can pause and reflect amidst the holidays rush.

 

How is your spiritual preparation for Jesus’ coming? We can learn from the Gospel, Mary Visits her kinswoman Elizabeth so that she could assist her in the demands of child birth at her advanced age. This event follows the evangelical nuncio that Mary would bear God’s Son. Bearing Jesus and serving others, especially the needy, is a powerful spiritual preparation for Christmas.

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

 

Christmas a season of goings and comings. This is what we want to reflect on. Very often we look at the Christmas decorations or even contemplate on the nativity scene, we are transfixed on the beauty of the depiction, of the birth of Christ, but very often it lacks movement. They are permanently in place but the original Christmas or preparation for the Christmas is a very dynamic event.

 

A small town of Bethlehem which could not boost any greatness was chosen by God to be the birth place of someone from the line of David. From that small town according to Micah, will come forth, will go forth, a ruler for whole Israel. A ruler coming from small town but will not stray in the small town, from that small town He and his reign will go forth to the whole Israel. The whole of Israel will experience righteousness, justice, and peace. The greatness of this ruler shall reach to the ends of the earth. You cannot control and keep the dynamism of Incarnation and salvation. It must come forth, go forth until the ends of the earth. This ruler, whose greatness reaches to the ends of the earth, who comes from above, is Jesus Christ. Jesus Comes from God the Father. Jesus comes to world with the body, so that in his body he could do the Will of the God. It is come from the God, coming to the world as a human being for a specific purpose: to do the Will of the God. By this Will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. in

 

Today’s gospel we continue the same theme Christmas a season of goings and comings. Yes, it is going forth, actually coming to come someone. Here we have Mary who was visited by the angel and through her fiat, the Word of God, the Son of God came in the flesh and took flesh in her womb.

 

The second reading happen actually in Mary’s body. Mary welcomes the Son of God and go forth. Mary could have used an excuse to say I am pregnant and I am the mother of the Son of God and I will stay home in Nazareth, but no, the very dynamism of the coming forth of the Son of God and coming to her impelled her to go. She goes forth to a town in Juda and meets there her kinswoman Elizabeth who was also with child, her six months even. Mary goes out, she goes out not alone but with the Son of God who came to her. She does not go out aimlessly but she goes out so that her Son comes out to another family. through her, Jesus, her Son could start his mission: to bring good news and joy. Vow, and that happened, Elizabeth filled with Holy Spirit and said, who am I to be visited by the mother of my Lord. So Mary’s going out is coming to someone. Going and coming but for a purpose: solidarity, service, communion, bringing joy, bringing salvation.

 

My dear brothers are sisters, where are you going on this Christmas? Where are you impelled to go? Will you be coming to families, persons so that people may say who am I to be visited by the Lord? Christmas is not to move aimlessly. Christmas should impel us to go so that many more people would experience the joy that was promised from of old. May God bless you all!

 

 

Make a Little Joy This Week

 

Wouldn't it be great if the first thing that popped into people's minds about Catholics they thought was joy. "Those are some seriously joyful people. I don't know if I like them or agree with them, but you can't deny those people got some joy." 

 

Have you ever noticed that Christmas is bubbling over with joy? Well, evidently a lot of us have missed that news because Catholics are not always associated with joy. More often than not, people think of us with long faces, furrowed brows, somber looks. But everywhere you turn in scripture, Christmas is bubbling over with joy. Zechariah, fulfilling his task as a priest in in the temple, an angel appears, says, "You and Elizabeth are going to have a son, and you're going to name him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth." Elizabeth receives a visit from her cousin Mary, who has conceived Jesus. And when Mary arrives, the baby leaps in Elizabeth's womb for joy.

 

Angels have the wonderful task of sharing the good news of Jesus' birth. God arrives with the shepherds and says, "I bring you good news of a great joy for all people." And then best of all, with the Wise Men, they arrive on the scene, they discover Jesus, and when they see the star, they rejoice with exceeding great joy. That's a lot of joy. Joy is everywhere. Christmas is dripping with it. 

 

Today’s Sonshine is a simple reminder that Christmas - Jesus Christ - is all about joy. Despite the latest news that we all have to start wearing masks again. No big deal. Jesus brings great joy. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing.” Shout it from the rooftop. Whisper it to a friend. Joy sustains you in the highest moments, perhaps at the birth of a new child or in your darkest moments of despair. We know the Lord, and nothing can change that or remove that. We have a joy that is contagious in a good way. Joy is at the center of God's heart. Joy makes us different because we have a joy that the world really doesn't understand.

 

A week ago I was asked to volunteer at the cathedral to help make pastries for a Christmas fund raiser. Imagine this, the bishop was mixing the dough, weighing it on a scale, proofing and I would take the round loaf and roll it into a 12 by 12 square, fill the pastry with cups of apple, apricote, or prune and carefully roll the pastry into a log, press the seams with a fork and hand it off to our bakers into the oven. 

 

Lots of fun and laughter as our the church ladies would asked me, where did you learn to roll out the dough so perfectly Fr. Matt? I shared with a grin that it is a dream of mind to open a pastry shoppe. By the way, I told them, don’t you remember every time I come to celebrate Mass and preach at your cathedral I always have some cookies to give away at the end of Mass. "Who made the snickerdoodles and peanut butter and chocolate chips cookies?" “Oh, yea,” they remembered. “But why did you do that?" My response, “to bring you joy.”

 

Christmas isn't so much about changing the world, changing other people. Christmas is really about God changing you. It's about Jesus. There is no greater joy than Jesus. If you want to raise your joy a little, here's two simple ways to grow in joy this week as you prepare for Christmas.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they take the time to spread a little joy,

 

First, either you are cooking or attending a Christmas meal with family and friends, maybe you could offer the Christmas blessing and say thank you to your host for their generous hospitality, and you could bring a little bouquet of flowers for their table (that’s my gift to make a floral piece for the sideboard). 

 

Second, this retired old priest has been invited to return to his former parish and cathedral to concelebrate their Childrens Christmas Mass. While we have been collecting names of your pets, please forward names of family and friends and I will gladly offer my Christmas Masses for your intention.

Forward your intentions to: drmattkawiak@gmail.com

Joy to you! fr. matt

 

Miss My Joe

 

Joe is dead. This weekend, turned out to be tough. On Friday, helped roll out 500 nut rolls for the cathedral to raise funds for ministry. On Saturday, while working on farm chores dumping kitty litter, Susan found Joe, our outdoor kitty, lying in the grass next to the sheds. Poor Mittens, his furry friend who would walk side by side for years in the meadow and come and eat and sleep together in their insulated kitty huts would now be alone.

 

 

 

We have a kitty cemetery and I got to work digging the grave while Susan gently brought Joe up from the sheds to his final resting place. Joe was abandoned by his previous owner and found his way to our farm where he met Mittens. Over time, the two fur balls became best of friends as you would always seem them walk side by side together on the farm. They would groom one another and at a recent pet photo contest I entered today’s photo thinking it would win which it did not. Some dog image won and Joe and Mittens should have won.

 

 

 

I was never a cat person, to be honest. However, Susan grew up with kitties and serves as the local Volunteer for Animals coordinator taking hundreds of requests for kitties, matching them with folks who want to offer their hearts and homes to these abandoned creatures.

 

All creatures great and small can cure our fears, with their purring, or desire to be scratched under their chin, or cuddled next to your pillow, or combed.  I now have one special kitty, Arthur who jumps up on my chest at 6am in the morning and wants his chin to be scratched. And his purr machine turns on. This is how these little critters nudge their way into your heart.

 

It’s really not the size of the pet, or the type of animal that defines the degree of our loss. It’s the impact that the pet has made on your life, the space you’ve given over to it within your heart. Joe’s death has reminded me that all our pets are a gift and that over time they each make a deep impression on our life. We become less selfish, more generous and more compassionate.

 

When the pet of your life dies, you just miss them. We loved Joe, and now he’s gone. And getting over that is going to take some time. When you’ve invested time and energy into an animal, been their primary caregiver and the recipient of its affection for any length of time, it doesn’t matter how great or small that pet was, the loss is still profound.

 

Despite the grief we may feel, I know Joe was worth it.  Every second of it. And I know that I will always remember and forever miss this beautiful furry creature who humbled me at 5am in the morning when I would bring him warm water, kibble and his food next to his hut in the middle of winter.

 

When the death of our pet saddens us, it’s a good time to turn to God. Offering our sadness to God can in itself be a sincere prayer that reaches heaven.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends whose pets have died. With St. Francis, I pray:
Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures. Every creature is the object of your tenderness, Father, and you give each being its place in the world. Even the fleeting life of the least of your beings is the object of your love, and in its brief time of existence, you enfold it with affection. Our affection for (pet’s name) reminds us of You.  Thank you for the time that we have had with them. Thank you for making us the steward of their existence. Thank you for the joy that they have brought us. May all of creation always lead us to peace.

 

 

To Miss the Mark

 

The spirit had come to John and said, "All right, John. You've being prepared. You've done your apprenticeship. We'll send you out." And he goes out. And he speaks to the people. And he baptized the people. He talks to them about repentance, which is what? 

 

To turn back to God. In what area of your life do you need to turn back to God? We all do. Maybe we just sort of turned our back a little bit on him. Maybe we walked away completely in some area of our lives. We have not been to Mass in awhile. Or, we continue to complain that the church is not perfect with all its imperfections. 

 

But this is an invitation for you to turn back to God. And then, John has another very unpopular phrase and idea in that relativistic culture. And that is, the forgiveness of sins. 

 

What is sin? The actual definition is to miss the mark. It's like the archer that misses the mark. We miss the mark all the time, right? We miss the mark every day in dozens of ways. What is it? It’s not having the patience to put up with a little annoyance of life. Holding a fussy kitty while my partner inserts pills to help them cope with their irritable bowel disease. Or, you may have to take your pre-school child to get tested for Covid for the fifth time this month because they were sent home from school with a cough. it's to be less than who you are. In one way, it's to abandon your deepest, truest best version of yourself.

 

That is to miss the mark. And we all do it every day, and you don't need me to give you a list of things. You could ask your partner for this list, but I assume you have a good idea what you need to work on. These are all the ways you can miss the mark, because you know them. You know them when you see them, you know them when you're participating in them, you don't need me to tell you, and I don't need you to tell me because I know them. 

 

What we do need is what John had. And it's that humility and submissiveness to the spirit of God. It's to allow the spirit of God to lead us. But in order to do that, we have to be aware of God's presence. We have to be aware of the spirit moving in our lives. We have to learn to listen to the spirit in our lives, which takes time. And like anything else, we get best at it, if we do it, if we practice it every single day with unerring and relentless consistency so that the spirit can lead us wherever the spirit wants to lead us. 

 

Because, what you really want deep down inside will only come from following the path, the call, the spirit, the destiny that God has created you for.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we take a moment to humbly listen to your spirit that simply wants us to be the best version of ourself.

 

Time to Clean Up Our House

 

Black Friday and today its Cyber Monday and either you are exhausted searching for deals on the internet or simply exhausted looking at your screen. However, the greatest gift in the past 72 hours is not found on your screen and it may surprise you because it doesn't come in a goody box. 

 

It's the gift of repentance. Just a reminder, but this past Sunday was the beginning of Advent and we hit the ground by stating its starts with repentance, to turn around, to change one's mind, to feel sorrow for sin. A complete turning around. Repentance means I stop moving my way, I turn around, I express regret and remorse, and I move forward on God's way. 

 

It's important to get clear on what matters most and what matters least. That's what repentance does. It brings clarity, self-awareness, and humility because we each have a tendency to turn away from God by the choices we make when we decide to nudge God aside and put ourselves at the center of the universe. And that part of us that thinks that we don't need God, we put ourselves where God alone should be, in the center. The part of us that causes us to resist or even reject what is right, even to reject God himself. Sometimes it's our pride. We think so much of ourselves that other people just aren't as significant as we are. We love to think about ourselves. We love to compare ourselves to other people. And spiritual arrogance is probably the worst sin of all because instead of having God at the center of our lives, we replace him with self. Or maybe what you and I need to repent of is anger, or impatience, or an uncontrollable passion that just gets away from us. It happens to all of us. Or maybe it's lust, or alcohol, or gambling passions that have become uncontrollable that they govern our lives. 

 

When asked what his message was, Jesus said, "Repent, the kingdom of God is here." That was it. In Luke 5, he says, "I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance." In Luke 13, he says, "Unless you repent, you will perish." In Luke 15, he says, "There's more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 righteous people with no need to repent." Repent, to stop, to turnaround, to express remorse to God, and to move forward on God's way. The first Sunday of Advent is very clear: The Lord is coming. It is time to get ready. Repent, tell God you're sorry for the ways that you've placed anything or anyone, even yourself before him in your life. Be honest with yourself. Take time to look at your life, how you invest your life. It's time to clean up your house, repent and ask for forgiveness.

 

One way to do that is to do some things that humbles you, to serve somebody who needs your help, to serve someone maybe you don't even like, to serve. This Friday, I have volunteered to help make 500 nut rolls to raise funds to support Fr, Nadeem’s ministry. This young man and his spouse have won of hearts of people by inviting them back to church in Lancaster and North Java and make God the center of their farms and homes. We are humbled to have them serve our community.

 

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was asked, "What are the keys to the Christian faith?" He says, "There's four: humility, humility, humility, and humility." He's right. Take some time to get ready, to clean up your house right here. 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are either burned out from work, worried about a new variant or frantic about what goodies to buy for Christmas. Help us to get off this treadmill and put You back in the center of our lives. Call the cathedral at 716-685-5766 and order your nut rolls for the holidays to support Fr, Nadeem and Rebecca’s ministry.

 

Ask for Eyes as God Sees Us

  

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected when received with thanksgiving. -- 1 Timothy 4:4 

 

I am still bathing in the experience of celebrating the birth of a new Catholic parish called Divine Mercy in Las Vegas. The faith and enthusiasm of the people and their love for God are an inspiration. Yet, I was sad to learn that some people stay away from receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion because they think they are not worthy.

 

Let me help you with that kind of thinking by saying it is simply not true. Why do I say that because my experience of God is that He is a God of love. It is impossible for God, whose essence is love, to create anything that is not good.

 

Sometimes, our own labels of "good" and "bad" get in the way of our ability to see the goodness of God in its fullness. Paul challenges Timothy, and us, to renegotiate our categories and to simply receive all that God creates with thanksgiving. We believe that God created us and loved us into being.

 

How many times have we heard phrases such as “We are created in God’s image and likeness” or “God doesn’t make junk”? I cannot count the number of times I heard these words! Why then, is this basic principle of our creation so hard to understand about ourselves and about other people?

 

Why is it so hard for us to believe that God is still part of our ongoing creation, that God is awakening goodness in us, that God is calling goodness out of us, and that God is birthing goodness into the world through us?

 

Regretfully, we priests are guilty because we have preached from the pulpit that we are not perfect and therefore sinful and not worthy to come to the altar to receive the God of life. We preach the need for confession and trust in the mercy of God. Forgive us Lord for being so brutal that people stay away from this beautiful sacrament in which you simply want to give us a hug that says “I love you—for you are the best of My creation.”

 

Perhaps, it's life’s events, which at times bring anger, worry, sadness, or tiredness into our hearts, and block our ability to understand that all that God created is good and that includes ourselves. Sometimes, it might be our own sinful choices that block our ability to see our own goodness or the goodness in others. God grant us the serenity to have the courage to accept our weaknesses and yet, come to the communion rail knowing you want to bathe us again in your love.

 

How can we combat our ability to not see God’s goodness at work in ourselves?

 

We can ask for eyes to see as God does, and we can daily review our day, offering prayers of thanksgiving for the gifts of our lives. This simple practice of offering God thanks every day for the gifts of our lives fosters awareness of God’s abundant goodness in all that God creates.

 

For what did I give thanks on Thanksgiving Day.  today. At the top of the list, Divine Mercy where I witnessed lots of smiling faces filled with love of family and love for one another, plus an off key enthusiastic pastor who inspires his people with lots of “Polish smiles.”

 

Next time you come to church, don’t hesitate when Fr. Adam invites you to receive Holy Communion. Come, see and taste the goodness of the Lord, for He sees the good in all of us.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, and new Friends at Divine Mercy that they come to your altar and receive your scared Body and Blood for you want them to be close to you always. Open our eyes to see that all you create is good.

 

THE DAWN OF A NEW FAITH COMMUNITY

 

Just returned from a “God moment” where Bishop John and myself had the humble privilege of dedicating Fr. Adam’s Divine Mercy Catholic Parish in Las Vegas. Over 400 families from many ethnic groups that include Anglo, Czech, Polish, Italian, Filipino, Japanese, Hawaiian, Chinese came to celebrate and give honor to Jesus and his mother Mary.

 

To express my gratitude to God, I had the opportunity to photograph the sunrise and valleys in this beautiful southwest. I added some inspiration for your prayerful reflection. Kindly, remember Divine Mercy at your Thanksgiving table for they have suffered abuse by their local clergy. This community is a blessing because this is a sacred home where you will find the heart of Jesus. To Fr. Adam, Cleric Dan, Caryn and all your generous volunteers, May the Mother of God protect you and keep you safe. fr. matt

 

FYI, I have two websites that you might want to forward to your Facebook Friends.

Father Matt’s Photography: : http://fathermatt.picfair.com/

Father’s Matt Sonshine reflections: http://fathermatt.blogspot.com/

 

THE DAWN OF A NEW FAITH COMMUNITY

 

 

 FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST’S LOVE FOR ALL PEOPLE

 

 

IN THIS VALLEY, HEARTS SOAR WITH PRAISE TO GOD WHO HAS BROUGHT US TOGETHER

 

 

 OUR FAITH WILL SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE LAND THAT ALL ARE WELCOME TO FIND THE LORD AT DIVINE MERCY

 

 

WE ARE A PEOPLE WITH ONE PURPOSE, TO BRING JESUS HEALING LOVE TO ALL WHO HAVE BEEN PRICKED IN LIFE.

 

 

WE ARE WILLING TO SACRIFICE AND BRING HOPE TO THOSE WHO ARE LOST AND AFRAID.

 

 

WITH JESUS OUR LIGHT LEADING OUR WAY, MAY ALL OUR HEARTS AT DIVINE MERCY BRING JOY AND PEACE TO ALL TO JOIN US IN PRAYER

 

 

THE PEOPLE WHO SAT IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT, AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SAT IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH, A LIGHT HAS DAWN.

 

 

What is Hope?

 

Nothing like hearing Jesus predicting “the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, stars will be falling from the sky, powers in the heavens will be shaken” when we’re coming to Mass.  Over the centuries, this has been used to inspire fear.  It was (still is) the basis for doomsday preachers who would utilize this text with the ending of it saying that the “day or hour” all of this will finally occur “no one knows…” except God “the Father.”  The point was get right with Jesus before the end times – or else.  

 

I think that for many of us though, we treat these scriptures as something we just have to “get through.”  They don’t seem to resonate.  We hear these predictions which seem so distant and removed.  They haven’t happened yet and in some ways they kind of pale in comparison to so much of what we see going on around us.  We see wildfires raging, tempers and anxieties and tensions and atrocities too numerous to list in the news.  We know of the brokenness in the world, as much as the brokenness in our own lives.

 

And I’m sure that all of us have our own stories of things that anger, upset, unsettle, depress, frighten or fear us.  So much so that we probably couldn’t notice stars falling or whether the sun or moon were out at all.  We come to Mass not to feel worse about things.  Where is the Hope? Maybe the better question is what is Hope?

           

My mentors in life are folks in there 80’s. Why, because they have had many experiences of dark nights. One wisdom senior told me: “I’ve learned the big difference between optimism and hope. Optimism is ‘Annie’ (you know, the annoying kid from the musical with the curly red hair) belting out, ‘The sun’ll come out tomorrow! Bet yer bottom dollar there’ll be sun.’ My old mentor would say: “Good luck, kid. The forecast says snow for the rest of the week.”

 

He continued though – Hope’s different. Hope says, ‘Okay, so it’s gonna snow. We’ll get the job done anyway.’ Hope says, ‘It’s the last inning, and we’re down by three, but let’s go out swinging!’ Unlike optimism, hope knows that quite often nice guys do finish last, but that it’s a helluva lot better to be a nice guy than to be first.”

 

Jesus is our Hope.  In following Him, the one who has endured loneliness, abandonment; the one who was rejected and betrayed; the one who was tortured and killed – In following the one who knows personally every physical, emotional, pain as he experienced life and death on the Cross and then conquers the grave in being risen from the dead, Jesus is our Hope. 

 

So this Gospel story isn’t about inspiring us to obey him out of fear.  Nor is it about patiently enduring suffering and pain knowing that one day things will really get bad (you think these are the end times, wait).  Jesus is reminding us as we endure things that may feel like, may look like the end times – of what is most important.  What is most important is our souls.  That our souls are fixed on the things that are eternal.  That we don’t allow the tribulations, the trials, the struggles to deflect us from those eternal things. 

 

Jesus invites us to let go of the anger, the cynicism, the disillusionment – and when we do , we see the reality that thousands of people every day are moved to be compassionate to people they had never met.  Something resonates in the hearts of strangers to be generous – to be selfless.  They choose Hope.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have endured dark times during these past two years. Let our hope be You alone, for You are the love that brings compassion to hurting hearts and the promise of eternal life.

 

How Generous Are You?

 

I had spent the day working with a group of customer service staff, the manager had driven from Charleston, South Carolina to fill in for three months while new staff could be trained. This was the busiest store in the city and these “baristas” were bouncing from counter to counter filling cups of coffee into exotic blends for morning commuters and people in need of their caffeine fix.

 

 

However, at the end of my 12-hour shift listening to their concerns and connecting people with helpful resources, I got into my car to drive home, turned the ignition and heard only a clicking sound. The engine would not start, a dead battery. Yes, I have AAA, but I decided to go back to the store and ask: “does anyone have jumper cables to charge a dead battery?”  Henry, a University of Buffalo student, smiled and said “let me check.” Outside in the dark and cold, he checks his truck and “voila” out comes the cables and he is connecting the cables to positive and negative, I turn the ignition key and “Yes, God there are guardian angels” the engine starts with no problem. That’s generosity and much appreciated by this shepherd.

 

 

There’s another story when, "Jesus sat down opposite the Treasury and watched the multitude putting money into the Treasury." He says, "Many rich people put in large sums and a poor widow came and put in two copper coins which make a penny." Then what happens? It says, "And he called his disciples to him." Check out this widow. Truly, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those together who had contributed to the Treasury," and then the lesson, "For they contributed out of their abundance. But she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had her whole living."

 

 

I think most of us like to be generous. I like to think when I offered Henry some money for his help that was being generous. But the reality is I can be very generous and it absolutely does not impact my lifestyle at all. And I suspect that's true for many of us. We can be very generous and it doesn't impact our lifestyle, and that's what we're seeing here in this reading. We're seeing a woman, widow, doesn't say how old, but what is a widow? A widow is socially vulnerable, she's financially vulnerable. She's vulnerable. There's a great trust that God will provide. 

 

 

I think how I was in a jam, dead, battery, in a strange city, far from home and in need of a jump start and Henry came to my rescue. How generous are we? How generous do we think we are? How generous are we actually? And how do we close the gap and go beyond the gap and live lives of staggering generosity?

 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we are often invited to show generosity in many forms. Yes, financially to give to a cause, but another form of generosity is sharing our time, or simply listening to someone fears and concerns and yes, maybe helping someone carry a heavy load. And when we give like that widow may we have the same trust that God will provide.

 

 

 

 

Be Generous

 

 

A young man was searching for a vocation in life and thought about the priesthood. He went to talk to an old parish priest who was loved by his community for his spiritual life. Our young person asked father: “How does a person know if they want to serve God?”  The old friar looked into his eyes and with a loving, tender gaze said: “Are you generous?”

 

This shepherd when given a gift by a parishioner would give it away. If someone dropped off some food at the rectory, he would take it to the shelter. Someone donates some money to be used for a good cause, he would immediately give it to a family struggling to pay their bills.

 

Sometimes generosity not only comes with a check, but with how we spend time with one another. During this pandemic, people are under more stress than ever, from working extra hours to make up for shortages, to making the decision to be vaccinated to keep their neighbor and themselves safe. However, when we have a moment for ourselves, what would be helpful is an empathic ear, someone who knows “how to listen.”

 

This mentor, our best friend, a sister or brother, a buddy is where to whom we pour out our soul, our worries, our fears, the past bumps and bruises that we keep inside until we are ready to explode, or back down on our knees sobbing in tears with all the pain.

 

At that moment, I want you to listen to what God is saying to you. “The Father Loves You. The Father Loves You. The Father Loves You. Be Safe. All Will Be Well.” Then imagine God Our Father holding you in His Arms and saying: “Daddy Loves You.”

 

I listen everyday to the pain of others whose best friend committed suicide and they couldn’t convince their buddy not to go through this. The pain of parents whose young adult child overdosed from drugs. The pain of trying to juggle crazy work schedules, parenting kids and keeping our homes and spouses in check.

 

Exhausted from all the tension of the past two years, no time for church or prayer, let me suggest a simple prayer that takes a few second and listen to His Words: “The Father Loves You… The Father Loves You… The Father Loves You... Be Safe. All Will Be Well.” Then imagine God Our Father holding you in His Arms and saying: “Daddy Loves You.”

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they know this “shepherd” loves them all very much. God is listening and knows all your creaks and rattles and at this very moment close your eyes and imagine this. Our Heavenly Father is holding you in His arms and saying very tenderly: “Daddy Loves You…Daddy Loves You…Daddy Loves You…Be safe…All will be well.”