I Got Too Much Stuff

 

Appetite, The gospel story this Sunday was about appetite. Appetites are a great thing. The problem is how quickly they grow. No matter how much we add, we always typically want a little more. How much is enough. The answer is usually just a wee bit more. The evidence is all around us. Almost half of American families spend more than they earn. And the average American family carries $6000 of credit card debt. Look at our houses. Somebody says we probably need a little more room. Look at our garages, they look bigger than our houses use to be.

 

Our appetites grow and grow and never really realize that they are out of control until it’s too late. I got lots of stuff. The older I get the more stuff I get. When your parents pass away, we get some of their stuff. Your kids keep giving you stuff and your grandkids give you even more stuff. I’m not jealous about my stuff or jealous about your stuff. I’m not one of those guys who wants your stuff. I don’t need your stuff. I’m happy you have your stuff. I’m happy that you have even better stuff. Just keep your hands off of my stuff. This is my stuff. You got your own stuff.

 

One day I was thinking what would happen it a tree fell on my stuff. So I call my insurance agent to learn how much it would cost to protect my stuff. He said lots of money. He advised to take an inventory of my stuff. Write down everything you have so if something does happen we know what you have. You won’t tell us that you got something better.

 

Make an Excel spread sheet keep it on google dock. If you have an IPhone take pictures of all your stuff. Be sure you get the manufacturer and serial number so we know clearly what kind of stuff you got.

 

So I did all that, I got so much stuff. I look at my wife Sue and say, “we got too much stuff” and she says, “you know just when you get rid of it then you need it.”  

 

Then it came to me like a revelation from God. I can rent one of those self-storage units to store my extra stuff. Not my good stuff that stays in my house, but my OK stuff. My good stuff stays in my house, my OK stuff is in my mini storage and includes the seasonal stuff like easter bunny stuff and my Santa stuff. I don’t want to give away stuff, because it’s my stuff.

 

I got too much stuff. However, I’m not alone. I read in the United States that there are three billion square feet of mini storage. We love our stuff. Maybe that’s why Jesus talks about greed and money. He talks about money 20 time more than about sex and lust. In confession, I heard folks confess to things they done in life but never heard anyone says “I love stuff.”: Father what my problem is: “I love stuff way too much.” I think my problem is greed.

 

Greed is one deadly sin that nobody thinks they’re guilty of. Greed the inordinate desire for stuff, not wanting it but wanting it too much, excessive worry and concern about where to store it, let’s just think for a moment.

 

On one hand Jesus talks about greed twenty times more than he talks about sex and lust. On the other hand, none of us think that we are guilty of greed.,

 

So if Jesus talks about greed that much and none of us think we are guilt of greed, then maybe, He’s right. It’s the one sin that we probably are not aware of.

 

Why did Jesus come into our world, you were the one thing that he didn’t have. He gave up his glory, His glory to purchase you. You are more valuable to him than anything. Anything. He will do anything to purchase you. Anything for us.

 

I wonder if you ever realized that you are Jesus’ ultimate treasure. It’s a wonderful thought that I think melts your heart. It changes you on the inside. It changes everything about you and everything else becomes just stuff.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we realize that we are Our Lord’s greatest treasure. With this revelation, may we be free to use our life and our stuff to help heal the world.

When we Go Mad

 

In the movie based upon Jane Austen’s classic novel, Sense and Sensibility, there’s a very poignant scene where one of her young heroines, suffering from acute pneumonia, is lying in bed hovering between life and death. A young man, very much in love with her, is pacing back and forth, highly agitated, frustrated by his helplessness to do anything of use, and jumping out of his skin. Unable to contain his agitation any longer, he goes to the girl’s mother and asks what he might do to be helpful. She replies that there’s nothing he can do, the situation is beyond them. Unable to live with that response her says to her: “Give me some task to do, or I shall go mad!”

 

We’ve all had the feeling at times when in the face of a dire situation we need to do something, but there’s nothing we can do, no magic wand we can wave to make things better.

 

But there is something we can do.

 

I recall an event in my own life several years ago: I was the Newman chaplain at Brockport College and had many parishioners who were retired professors coming to Mass. Late one evening, I received a phone call that Professor Walt, my spiritual mentor, was in the burn unit at Strong Hospital after a flash accident in his apartment. I immediately got in my car and drove to emergency. He was already transferred to the burn unit and when the nurse showed me his room, poor Walt’s had a healing salve applied to his face and head and looked red as a beet. However, in a whisper he said, “don’t worry I am with the Lord.” I felt helpless like that young man in the movie. I said the prayers for the Sacrament of the Sick and together I could see his lips move when we prayed the Our Father together. On my way home, I wanted to do more to relieve him of his pain and suffering.

Yes, there are those horrible moments when we feel alone, agitated, panicked, and desperately needing to do something but being absolutely helpless to do anything, We are driven to our knees. Not being able to do anything else, I started praying the rosary. When I’d finished, my sorrow hadn’t gone away, my friend Walt was still in the burn unit, but my panic had subsided, as had my desperate need to do something (when there was nothing I could do).

 

My prayer on the drive home gave me some sense that my friend who was suffering would be alright, his faith when he whispered those words, “don’t worry” also relieved me of the agitation and panicked pressure of needing to do something in the face of agitated helplessness. I’d done the only thing I could do, the thing that’s been done in the face of helplessness and death since the beginning of time; I’d given myself over to prayer and to the rituals of the community and the faith of the community.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who find themselves at this stage in life desperate from symptoms of Covid, or in fear of violence going to the work or the store or sending their kids to school or exhausted from working extra shifts because of the labor shortage. In these moments, prayer and ritual are at our disposal when like that man in Sense and Sensibility, we need to do something or we will go mad.  Ritual: it’s what we have to do. It’s all we can do! It’s the right thing.

 

 

Are You Too Busy?

 

Are you too busy? My morning started with a text message from Las Vegas at 3:30am their time from a seminarian who simply text “please call back.” It’s 7 in the morning and I listened as Dan shared that his grandmother in Hawaii went home to God about twenty minutes ago and he just wanted to chat about her life. He shared that in his Hawaiian tradition, folks who die always leave a sign. Before the phone call from his dad about her passing, he had dreamed about his grandma and all the joyful times they had spent together. His sadness was about losing a friend, but the stories about her love for her first grandson were a source of comfort. So begins another busy day.

 

I next had scheduled a meeting with an Apple sales rep for breakfast. I was desperately searching for a mentor to upgrade our Apple computers and phones. During my briefing at the diner, learning about the latest and expensive gadgets, a gentleman from another table compliments the rep’s 60’s T-shirt and asked for my opinion about eating healthy foods. I was eating oatmeal with raisins so I guess I stood out from his multi-calorie omelet.

 

This briefing ended with the rep’s promise to help in the transition and this brought me great peace of mind. I next moved on to make a hospital visit to bless a 90-year-old mom diagnosed with cancer. She was going home but sadly her neighbor was in the ICU in the same hospital on a vent and the family was preparing to withdraw life support and send their daughter home to Jesus.

 

After this pastoral call, I visited my favorite camera shop who cleaned the sensor on my Nikon and suggested a new wide angle lens that would add detail to my landscape photos. From the camera store, it was time to go grocery shopping reviewing my plant-based recipes to buy zucchini, avocado, mushrooms, garlic and beans.

 

When I got home it was time to prep the potatoes to roast in the oven, then make the marinade for the chicken thighs and cut the onions and mushrooms. It was a Mediterranean recipe that got compliments before. While food was marinating, I reviewed my emails and one message that stood out came from Kari, the Executive Director at Charlotte House. Her message was a plea for donations since the Buffalo Bills Foundation were willing to double all donations to local non-profit agencies in the next 48 hours. In addition, there would be an hourly drawing and three agencies would receive an additional $500 if your agency was picked from a random drawing. The trick was to donate at a time when few donations would be made, Best time to donate would be at two or three in the morning.

 

Exhausted, I am sitting down eating dinner in front of the TV split screen that details the news of the day from around the world. Most of it pretty darn depressing. Yes, we are over connected. We are distracted with so much information that we have no time for formation.

 

Too often we are spiritually empty because we keep ourselves distracted with too much information, busier and fuller. Only to discover that the busier we get the more frantic and empty we feel. Why, because being hurried and busy may be the most dangerous enemy to our spiritual life.

 

Too busy, we have no time to love God. To love God takes time. It takes energy, It takes passion. It takes stillness.

 

Allow me to share one practical way to discover Jesus in the middle of your busyness. Spontaneous prayer. Talk to Jesus, talk to Jesus about the events of your day. Pick a moment away from your busyness and enter in the presence of God.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are too busy and that includes me. My spontaneous prayer today: "thank you Lord that when I donated to Charlotte House at three am in the morning, they were picked to win another $500. Big thank you, Lord."

 

 

 

 

 

Root Beer Neighbor

 

Grandpa Ted wanted to teach his grandson Henry the story about the Good Samaritan. But he knew Henry had no idea what a Samaritan is so he borrowed a story from one of Henry’s favorite story books from Dr. Suess.

 

Of all the wonderful characters Dr. Seuss has created, my very favorite is Horton the Elephant. Horton is such a kind and compassionate character. I think we all could learn a lot from Horton.

 

The book I want to read to you is called "Horton Hears a Who!" At the beginning of the story, Horton was splashing around in a cool jungle pool when he heard a small voice crying for help. He looked all around, but he did not see anyone. All he saw was a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Horton realized that there was someone on that speck of dust who was calling for help. As it turned out, there was a whole town of people on that little speck of dust. They were calling out for help because they were afraid that the speck of dust would fall into the pool of water and they would drown. Even though they were so small that he couldn't even see them, Horton made up his mind that he was going to help them. "After all," he said, "A person's a person, no matter how small."

 

All of the other animals in the jungle thought Horton was crazy. First, a kangaroo, then some monkeys, and finally an eagle all made fun of Horton for wanting to help the people on the speck of dust. Why, they even tried to put Horton in a cage.

 

Even though none of the other animals would help him, Horton refused to give up. He remained faithful to the task of saving the tiny people who needed his help. Because of his faithfulness, the tiny people were saved and finally, the other animals realized that just as Horton had said, "A person's a person, no matter how small."

 

Jesus has told us to love our neighbor. If you have trouble knowing who your neighbor is, just remember the story of "Horton Hears a Who!" and the story of the Good Samaritan -- then you will know that every person is your neighbor and "A neighbor's a neighbor, no matter how small!"

 

An example of a neighbor, no matter how small is my next door neighbor, Maggie. She called last night and asked if we could pick up some chocolate milk and root beer barrels candies, these are her favorite treats. Yes, she has Medicaid that provides transportation, yes RTS in Genesee County provides transportation if you call a day ahead by 6am. You can get a ride for three dollars one way, and yes there Susan and Fr. Matt who she will call “first” when in need of groceries or a ride to her doctor’s office. What does it mean to be neighbor, our response is always: “when do you want us to come.”

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are caregivers to the “little ones.” The world needs more Good Samaritans. I pray that the Lord will inspire you to love and live differently and be a Good Samaritan to all your neighbors.

 

 

 

 

Stuff

 

There once lived a peasant in Crete who deeply loved his life. He enjoyed tilling the soil, feeling the warm sun on his naked back as he worked the fields, and feeling the soil under his feet. He loved the planting, the harvesting, and the very smell of nature. He loved his wife and his family and his friends, and he enjoyed being with them, eating with them, drinking wine, talking, and making love. And he loved especially Crete, his tiny, beautiful country! The earth, the sky, the sea, it was his! This was his home.

 

One day he sensed that death was near. What he feared was not what lay beyond, for he knew God’s goodness and had lived a good life. No, he feared leaving Crete, his wife, his children, his friends, his home, and his land. Thus, as he prepared to die, he grasped in his right hand a few grams of soil from his beloved Crete and he told his loved ones to bury him with it.

 

He died, awoke, and found himself at heaven’s gates, the soil still in his hand, and heaven’s gate firmly barred against him. Eventually St. Peter emerged through the gates and spoke to him: “you’ve lived a good life, and we’ve a place for you inside, but you cannot enter unless you drop that handful of soil. You cannot enter as you are now!”

 

The man was reluctant to drop the soil and protested: “why? Why must I let go of this soil? Indeed, I cannot! What’s inside of those gates, I have no knowledge of. But this soil, I know, …  it’s my life, my work, my wife and kids, it’s what I know and love, it’s Crete! Why should I let it go for something I know nothing about?”

Peter answered: “When you get to heaven you will know why. It’s too difficult to explain. I am asking you to trust, trust that God can give you something better than a few grains of soil.”

 

But the man refused. In the end, silent and seemingly defeated, Peter left him, closing the large gates behind. Several minutes later, the gates opened a second time and this time, from them, emerged a young child. She did not try to coax the man into letting go of the soil in his hand. She simply took his hand and, as she did, it opened and the soil of Crete spilled to the ground. She then led him through the gates. A shock awaited him as he entered heaven … there, before him, lay all of Crete!

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that are still holding tight to the things that make us less like You. Help us to let go of our pride or selfish need to be right, and think more about sharing your love with other. Buddhism suggests that everything that is wrong the world can be explained in one image, that of the group photo. Whenever anyone looks at a group photo, he or she always first looks how he or she turned out and, only afterwards, considers whether or not it is a good picture of the group.