Do Not Be Afraid

 

“Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.”

Joseph has to make a choice. He has the weight of religious law pressing down on his shoulders. You have the whispers that would surely come, the sideways glances, the judgment of neighbors who would count the months between wedding and birth. Any one of these could have driven Joseph to harsh action.

But in that one little word – yet – we hear the beating of Joseph’s broken heart. All those concerns were real, were justified, were true. Yet – Joseph loves Mary. Joseph loves God. And in that love, he searches for a solution that will protect her dignity even as his dreams crumble to dust.

And then – God intervenes.

As Joseph lies in the darkness, his heart heavy with the loss of the future he had imagined, God speaks. Through an angel in a dream, God confirms Mary’s incredible story and reveals something even more astounding – Joseph isn’t being written out of the story; he’s being written into the greatest story ever told. All he needs to do is trust those four powerful words: “Do not be afraid.”

Two thousand years later, God is still writing stories. Still looking for men and women willing to say “yes” when everything logical says “no.” Sometimes it’s in life’s small moments – when we’re too busy, too tired, too stressed to help someone in need. Sometimes it’s in those crossroad moments when God asks us to completely rewrite the script of our lives.

But here’s the truth that Joseph’s story echoes across the centuries: When God interrupts our plans, it’s not to use us – it’s to transform us. When our carefully constructed dreams shatter, it’s because God is building something far more beautiful than we could imagine. When the ground crumbles beneath our feet, it’s because God is teaching us to fly.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, in this moment, what dream is God asking you to surrender? What impossible situation is He asking you to face? What angel is whispering “do not be afraid” to your doubting heart?

Everything in your life may be saying no… yet God is calling.
Everything may seem impossible… yet God is waiting.
Everything may feel broken… yet God is ready.

And you? You may feel unprepared, unworthy, unable… yet God has chosen you.

 

Dripping with Joy

 

"What's the first thing you think of when you think of Catholics?" What do you think the response would be? I can tell you what I would like the response to be, one word, joy. 

 

Wouldn't it be great if the first thing that popped into people's minds when they thought of you and me was 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 have got some joy.

 

So important to Advent, it even has its own color, the rose-colored candle for joy. Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. Rejoice. Have you ever noticed that Christmas is bubbling over with joy? 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, Christmas is bubbling over with joy from the very start. Zechariah, fulfilling his task as a priest in Luke 1 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, in Luke 1, receives a visit from her cousin Mary, who has conceived Jesus. And when Mary arrives, the baby leaps in Elizabeth's womb for joy. Luke 2, 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, in Matthew 2, with the wise men, they arrive on the scene, they discover Jesus, and when they see the star, they rejoice with exceeding great joy. It's a lot of joy. Joy is everywhere. Christmas is dripping with it.

 

I was invited to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with a parish community that had suffered some dark moments in its past. Their church committee and pastor had planned the traditional services that included Mexican food, mariachi music, crowning of Our Lady, but despite their preparations they feared the worst that their neighbors and friends would not return to their new location.

 

At the crowning service, I brought my puppet Spinach to share the story of Juan Diego and miracle meeting Our Lady on the hill in Tepeyac in Mexico. A dozen children and 50 adults attended the service. The following morning 25 faithful came at 5am to celebrate with the sound of mariachi music followed by Mass at 6am, Then, a miracle took place, not in Mexico City but on Smoke Ranch Road in a mall that has the words Divine Mercy printed on its windows. That evening the church was standing room only overflowing into the adjacent room with hundreds of people and children. Best of all, their was joy, hugs and kisses, smiles and greetings, parents and grandparents, friends and neighbors, who had returned to church to share their devotion to the Mother of God Guadalupe and restore their joy in one another. The mariachi band played, the people were swaying their arms high above their heads in praise of God and celebrating the joy of the Lord.

 

Jesus Christ is all about joy. Jesus brings a great joy. Joy to the world, the Lord has 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, 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 inextinguishable. Joy is at the center of God's heart. Christmas is really about God changing you. It's about Jesus. There is no greater joy than Jesus. 

 

Lord I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and my special Friends at Divine Mercy in Las Vegas. You turned their fear that no one would come to their new home into a joyful celebration of life and love for one another. I shared in my greeting to the people to literally go out and ask everyone they meet “Would you like to come to my church?” And when someone would respond: “Why?” You simply reply: “At Divine Mercy, we are dripping with joy!”

 

 

Feast of Gaudaloupe

 

In my mail, I received a special delivery from Fr. Erick, pastor Divine Mercy Catholic parish in Las Vegas. I was humbled to receive a gift of a chasable with the image of the Our Lady of Gaudalupe. In April during Holy Week, Fr Erick had invited me to return to his parish to celebrate this beautiful feast with his parishioners. December 12^th is the Feast of Gaudalupe and my wonderful friend and brother priest Fr Don plans to broadcast the services via You Tube from Las Vegas for your prayerful reflection. Services will include children crowning of Our Lady, special Masses and mariachi band playing music at all the services. Join me from Las Vegas next week.

Fr Don will record services and post on following ZOOM link below”

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/4530357915?pwd=Y0s5WUlyYTJnbUQ4ZW1SR1BxalpxQT09

 

Who is Our Lady of Guadalupe? Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic title of the Virgin Mary, harkening back to the Marian apparition to St. Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill (now outside of México City). 

 

What does “Our Lady of Guadalupe” mean? In Spanish, she is known as Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or La Virgen de Guadalupe. “Our Lady” is a title given to Mary, signifying respect and recognition of her as our Mother. “Guadalupe” refers to the place in México in which Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego.

 

What is Our Lady of Guadalupe the patron saint of? Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron saint of México, as well as the “Patroness of the Americas.”

 

When did Our Lady of Guadalupe appear to St. Juan Diego? Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531 on Tepeyac Hill (now México City). 

 

What did Our Lady of Guadalupe say to St. Juan Diego? Mary famously told St. Juan Diego in his native language of Nahuatl (the language of the Aztec empire),
“Listen, put it into your heart, most little of my sons: let nothing frighten or grieve you, let not your heart be disturbed, do not fear any sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who am your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within the folds of my mantle, held safely in my arms? Do you need anything more? Let nothing else worry you or disturb you.”

What does Our Lady of Guadalupe represent? Our Lady of Guadalupe represents hope, a renewal of faith, God’s acceptance of all people, and His preferential option for the poor.

A little history…When the bishop asked St. Juan Diego for a “sign” of Mary’s appearance, Mary sent St. Juan Diego to the bishop with roses in his tilma (cloak). Then, when St. Juan Diego opened his tilma to present them to the bishop, his tilma had been miraculously imprinted with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

 

Where is St. Juan Diego’s tilma today? St. Juan Diego’s original tilma hangs in la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in México City. Around 20 million pilgrims journey to see and pray alongside the tilma annually, making the Basilica the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that our devotion to Our Lady becomes a source of strength during difficult times. I look forward to seeing you next week as I join Fr. Erick to celebrate the Feast of Gaudaloupe.

 

My Best Friend Left for Heaven

 

With deep sadness, my best friend died suddenly of a massive heart attack last Sunday.  This afternoon, his family has asked me to celebrate his life for a funeral service. Let me share one memory of this amazing man.

 

In 2017, we traveled together on a Road Scholar trip to Acadia National Park in Maine. We began our walking tour with a group of twenty people from around the country. We hiked the trails about 5-9 miles each day. During the tour, you had free time to do your own thing. That was Ken’s opportunity to explore new adventures not in the itinerary and this would get very interesting for you never knew what he was thinking or where we would end up. So off we are driving from Acadia to Quebec for our afternoon and free evening. Ken would be the pilot and I was his navigator recommending landscape sites to stop along the way. Our destination was a lighthouse claimed to be the most photographed in the world. It is located on Campobello Island that can only be reached at low tide. 

 

It is known as the Head Harbor Lighthouse on Campobello Island. I do remember that in order to take the shot, I was crawling into the woods, being eaten alive by the mosquitoes, but my goal was a composition that included the lighthouse with the coastline in the foreground. Ken’s goal was exploring the rocky shoreline before the tide would take him out to sea.

 

Then he surprised me with this crazy idea. He wanted to find a local Canadian grocery store searching for some unique candies that could only be bought in Canada. I had no idea what he was plotting, but I got the shot of that lighthouse that he has enlarged and hung behind his desk in his office. We are now searching for a local grocery store in Quebec, nobody speaks English, but he is determined to find this candy called “Smarties” that can only be found in Canada.  

 

It's a candy like M&M, however different in that they have a coloring/sweet flavor from the coating, followed by an almost hot-chocolate-powder chocolate taste. Ken buys 20 boxes of Smarties, puts them in his backpack and we drive back over the border back to our motel for the night.

 

The following morning, we rejoin our group and we are back on the trail hiking Cadillac mountain. Our group leader stops us for lunch high above the valley where you could see the coastline below for a magnificent view. As people are getting their box lunches out of their backpacks, Ken starts passing out the Smarties boxes to all our fellow hikers. They were surprised and delighted to learn that this was a unique treat for them to enjoy. He shared the story about this candy coming from Canada, but I can only admire his desire to surprise and bring joy to our fellow hikers. Ken’s generosity and spontaneity to do these crazy acts of kindness made me smile to know such a wonderful friend. 

 

On Tuesday, I had the privilege to meet his three precious grandchildren for the first time. I knelt next to 8 year old Ryan and asked him what he enjoyed most about his grandpa. He said that he liked going to LegoLand. There were rides like the roller coaster and games to play. Did grandpa go on the roller coaster and he said sometimes. I next met Ben age 11 and asked, what do you remember about grandpa? He immediately shared that “things have to go his way and he is a man of his word. Everything has to be perfect.” Sounds like a message that tries to inspire you to be the best person you can be. The adventure he enjoyed most was going to Alleghany Park during Memorial Day weekend. Going on hikes with grand-dad in the woods most likely looking for wildlife. Well, I was pretty close, because now I am listening to Stella age 9 and her response about what she liked most about grand-dad was spot on. She remembered that “he would do things nobody else would do.” Like what?

 

She immediately shared that he would climb up this rocky, mossy mountain, something that no one else would try, but for him this was fun. And yes, she remembered going out at night into the woods because he was looking for bears. She wasn’t scared because grand-dad would protect her.

 

I asked her where do you thing grand-dad is now? She shyly said “in the sky.’” In that God moment, I replied that grand-dad is with someone very special whom he very much imitated in his time with you. He is a person we call Jesus and when we leave this earth, Jesus has a special place that we call heaven. Just like grand-dad liked to wander and explore in the woods and take you to new places like Yellowstone and Zion National Park, Jesus has always been a close friend of grandpa and now they are together exploring another beautiful place that we call paradise. Grandpa is just fine and most likely taking the angels in heaven on adventures throughout the universe.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and especially Ryan, Ben and Stella and all kids whose parents and grandparents have died unexpectedly. Give these children the strength and faith to know that their loved ones are in the hands of a loving God. During the service, I found Smarties from Canada and asked the grandkids to hand them out to everyone who attended the service in memory of their grandfather. I am still in disbelief and miss my hockey buddy and pilot very much. Give him peace Lord.

 

 

Jesus Lost the Popular Vote

 

In the gospel for the Feast of Christ the King, Jesus tells Pilate he’s come to bear witness to the truth, and I can just imagine the look on the Pilate’s face.

 

Can’t you see this cynical politician listening to this silly, pathetic Jewish rabbi whom, he’s told, is claiming to be a king? Pilate must’ve been shaking his head and asking himself, “What are these Jews wasting my time with now? Look at this dirty peasant standing here! This guy couldn’t rule over a room full of toddlers let alone rule this nation of relentlessly rebellious, superstitious barbarians. What’s all this jazz about a kingdom not of this world? The kingdom of this world is the only one that counts. And he claims he’s come to tell the truth? This crazy fool doesn’t know what truth is.”

 

If you’re Pontius Pilate, truth is whatever the Emperor Tiberius says it is. That’s how you get along. If the emperor says the Jews are better off under Roman occupation, then that’s the truth. Rome builds roads and aqueducts and provides soldiers for protection. That’s the truth. Anyone who disagrees and wants self-determination is a criminal and will have a date with a cross. That’s the truth. If the emperor says he’s divine and should be worshiped as a god, that’s the truth.

 

King, emperor, sultan, calif, whatever. There’s only one way royal power works—by declaring how things are going to be and demanding that everyone goes along with that declaration. Power demands obedience.

 

Strangely, we humans always seem to be attracted to that idea.

Just to throw the troublesome Jews a little bone, Pilate gave them a gift at the Passover. They could pick one condemned criminal to be set free, and he gave them the choice between Barabbas, a bandit and insurrectionist, and Jesus. But the folks who sang “Hosanna!” the previous Sunday cheered louder on Friday for the man who wanted to take control by violent overthrow than for the one who came preaching love of enemies and forgiveness. Jesus lost the popular vote.

 

We get what we ask for, and we pay the consequences. There are myriad examples throughout history, from ancient Rome to our present day, of people being enamored of earthly power and praying for some super mortal to come along and lead them to glory and dominion. That’s what Jesus’ disciples wanted from him right up to the moment he was nailed to the cross. But glory, power, and dominion as the world sees them are false gods.

 

Unfortunately, there are still those—especially here in the United Sates—who misunderstand that power. They’d love to turn America into a “Christian nation,” but they forget Christ’s kingdom is not the political or social structures of this world.

 

Christ the King does not mean that Christians rule. It means that we are to be ruled. We are to submit ourselves lovingly to the service of one another. It means we are to practice kindness and be true neighbors. We are to listen to one another. We are to refrain from judgment because judgment belongs to God alone. We are to proclaim a non-judgmental compassion for those in need, and we are to assist the needy whenever and however we can.

 

You almost have to feel sorry for old Pontius Pilate. He put his faith in earthly power and, for the sake of maintaining it, he was willing to overlook the truth that the man who stood accused before him was guilty of nothing but loving, healing, teaching, accepting, and forgiving people. For the sake of imperial control, he condemned a man he knew to be innocent. Where is the truth in that?

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are living in a time when we have some serious disagreements about what is true and what is right. Our only response is to be honest with ourselves and keep asking: what would our King have us do?

 

Are You Happy?

 

“Are you happy?” How would you answer that honestly?

 

My suspicion is that, for most of us, this would be a painful question which, given our fantasy of what happiness should be, we would tend to answer in the negative: “no, I don’t think I’m happy. I would like to be, but there are too many frustrations in my life which block happiness.”

 

For a Christian, there is a better question. The essential question should not be, “Am I happy”? but rather, “is my life meaningful?” That is a different question, one which can help our perspective on things.

 

What God has promised us in Christ is not, as is unfortunately so often preached and believed, a life free from pain, sickness, loneliness, oppression, and death. The preacher who tells you that you will have less pain in life if you take Jesus seriously is not in touch with the gospel. What the incarnation promises is not that Christ will do away with our pain, but that God will be with us in that pain.

 

Faith in God does not, in this world, save one from pain, misunderstanding, loneliness, and death. Faith does not offer a life free of pain. What God does promise is to be with us in that pain. That is why our Savior’s name is Emmanuel, a name which means God-is-with-us.

.

The Incarnation does not provide us with a ladder by which to escape from the ambiguities of this life and scale the heights of heaven. Rather it enables us to burrow deep into the heart of the planet earth and find it shimmering with divinity.

 

For the Christian, then, the important question is not: “Am I happy?” but “Is my life meaningful?” By asking the latter question rather than the former one, I do not torture myself with some unattainable romantic ideal and, more importantly, I do not ask God to exempt me from the human condition. My life is meaningful precisely when I sense God’s presence in the midst of my suffering, sicknesses, loneliness, and pain.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we realize our happiness no longer depends upon never getting sick, or never getting lonely, or never being misunderstood, or never making wrong choices, or being exempt from death. Life can be frustrating and still be very meaningful. We can be lonely, sick, sorrowful about wrong choices, over-worked and unappreciated, staring old age and death in the face and still experience deep meaning. Happiness will be a by-product of that.

 

Today’s photo was a “happy moment” for me when I met a couple from London Ontario taking pictures on the shoreline and they pointed out this sunset photo taken in Coos Bay, Oregon.

 

 

We Can't Be Led Astray

 

So we easily can let ourselves be led astray. It’s so easy to give way to anger or despair and forget to seek the way of Christ.

 

There are, no doubt, some Christians who will see the recent political events of our country as part of a countdown to the end of the world. Don’t be fooled. Jesus has already told us these things will always be happening. In our most dire moments God’s will for us is still life.

 

It is easy to give way to fear and anger, and easier still to give way to despair and apathy.  Yes, the temple was destroyed and very few stones were left on stones. But what happened afterwards was the flourishing of new kinds of faith which didn’t depend on geography or architecture. Christians and Jews discovered—the real dwelling place of God—is within us.

 

We can’t be led astray. We must believe that every ending is a beginning. If every church in America were to close tomorrow, Christ would still live within the hearts of the faithful. Polling statistics and punditry to the contrary, I don’t believe the American church is dying. It is being resurrected in a new form. I just hope I live long enough to see it.

 

As we look around at this crazy world let’s not look for signs of the end. Jesus didn’t come to snatch us out of our troubles. Jesus came to walk with us and be within us through all our conflicts, doubts, fears, elections and earthquakes. Jesus wants us to know that on the other side of terrifying change there is hope and possibility. So, let’s not be led astray. Let’s continue to practice kindness.

 

My wife is attending a shower event for her niece who is expecting her first child. Most interesting, the new mom already knows she will give birth to a healthy baby girl when the time comes. She and her husband have chosen the name “Callie.” Most unusual, but the origin of Callie is from the Greek and means “beautiful.’

 

It is interesting that despite the messes of our life, the way we are feeling after the election, the doubts and fears we are stressing about. This couple has chosen life and to give this new life a home in their hearts. Yes, there will be lots of trails and fears to raise a baby girl in a society that looks down on women and treats them with disrespect. This little baby girl is born of love and the love of her parents will teach her about God’s love for all genders. Even in the worse of times, the love of God will prevail. My blessing to Caitlin and Bobby the parents of Callie that their little one brings them much joy and happiness.

A Confirmation student recently said the most remarkable thing about waiting for the end times: “We should make the world such a great place that when Jesus comes back, he’ll be happy to be here.”

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are feeling doubts or fears in our country to remember “In God We Trust.” I couldn’t agree more, Let’s practice kindness.

 

Immigrant Story

 

 

I am at the hotel desk in Mississauga, and De the manager, shows me how to connect to the Wi Fi so that I can contact an Uber driver to take us to the horse show in Toronto. Sue, my wife, started attending 60 years ago with her sisters and the family tradition continues. However, what was once a country drive through farmland is a nightmare driving in an asphalt jungle.

 

So we connect with UberX to drive to Exhibition Place in the heart of downtown to the 102^nd Toronto Horse Show. Our driver has a Mediterranean accent. Mounir shared that he left his home in Egypt when he only 18 and immigrated to Canada.

 

On our journey, he shared that he has a wife who is a dental assistant and a son named Matthew. He noted that when he got the message, my name was Matthew. I shared that the name Matthew in Hebrew means “gift from God.”  Mounir proudly old me that his son’s name is Matthew and in Arabic Matthew means “beautiful sunshine.” Literally in Arabic it means “you are the light of my life.”

 

Our guardian angels were watching over us because Mounir lives in Mississauga and most of his fares come from travelers going to Hamilton, or London, Ontario or the Toronto airport but not downtown Toronto. Fares are much more frequent avoiding the congestion of downtown traffic. Mounir shared many homeless are living along the highway in Hamilton and he has often gives them sandwiches when driving after a fare.

 

This immigrant dad works hard till 3am in the morning to avoid the congestion in traffic. However, his skills also include remodeling and installing kitchens. He likes being busy for this is how he is able to make a living and support the family.

 

His parents live in Egypt and this year he took his son and wife back to Egypt to visit his family. His son asked why spend so much money to travel back home? This dad answer was profound. Mounir told Matthew what matters most in life is not how much money you have or accumulate but it’s your family.

 

Our Uber immigrant values most is his family, his faith and being generous to the people who are in need of help. Little did I realize that this Uber ride was going to be a God moment and lesson to learn that God created us all with a purpose. We are the “light of our life and beautiful sunshine” when we bring hope, compassion and love to our homeless, widows, immigrant sisters and brothers. Listening to Mounir, our Egyptian Uber driver, was the best homily I heard in a long time.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we know that yes, the nuns were right again. God is watching us. However, not to scold or condemn but inspire us to be the best Christians we can be by honoring our parents, caring for our children and modeling respect for all races, creeds, gender identity, and immigrants in our world. No exceptions and no excuses. Sister says so…and she is right again!

 

 

Lose the Cape

 

I went back into my photo gallery and found a God moment when we invited the children in the parish to wear their Halloween costumes for Mass on Sunday. It reminded me of the following movie and the message of Jesus in the gospel to “lose the cape.”

 

In the movie, “The Incredibles” a family of superheroes try to save the world from destruction. In Bob Goff's book "Love Does," he writes about the superhero dad in the movie. He is an insurance claims adjustor, but he really wants to use his superhero powers. He begins drawing pictures of the superhero suits he wants to wear. Of course, all the suits he draws include capes.

 

The dad has a friend named Edna who makes superhero suits and she keeps telling him that he needs to lose the cape. She mentions how capes cause big problems for super heroes. They get caught on things like fences or jet engines. Edna is famous for saying, "No capes!" You get a lot more stuff done if you lose the cape.

 

Bob Goff thinks Jesus agrees and so do I!

 

You know what I think will draw the world to Christ? When Christians lose the cape. So many of us who follow Christ do it with a cape representing something - an issue we are against, our opinions or judgments - a cape symbolizing our denomination or political views or how we interpret Scripture. Soon we become known by our capes and not by Jesus. Our capes hide our light.

 

Another problem is that if we go around serving Jesus with capes, they eventually get snagged on something - our pride, other people's feelings, people's perceptions of Christians. Our capes get in the way.

 

Goff reminds us that Jesus never wore a cape. Jesus hardly ever talked to anyone about what he had done, the way he loved people. He just did it. And all that mattered to him was that God knew it. When we lose the cape, we don't get confused about what our purpose is, which is to love. We don't forget that it is God who is making things happen. All our energy is channeled into doing great things for God and loving the world like crazy.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends.. Let's lose the cape as Christians and just go out and share the light and love of Jesus. When we serve Jesus without a cape, people will want to know more about Jesus. If you prefer, "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me!" Lose the cape and let your light shine!

 

Open Our Eyes

 

 If Jesus showed up in your life today and just got in your face and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" What would you ask him for?

 

I had returned from a trauma response and bought a new toilet seat. The instructions showed how to install but nothing about how to replace the old seat. I’m crawling under the porcelain and trying to turn the plastic knob to unbolt the metal screw when the knob breaks apart. You Tube has no online instructions on what to do next. I struggle with a socket racket, then a crescent wrench and no luck removing this bolt. What I want Jesus to do is find someone who laughs at my dilemma and says, “no problem father, piece of cake.”

 

So Bartimaeus is this blind man. He's on the side of the road. Everyone tell him to shut up, be quiet, leave Jesus alone. But he persists. Do you have that persistence? Sure, yeah, we come to God and we say, "Hey God, we need this," or cry out to God for this or that. But do we have the persistence to keep coming back and saying, "Help me; help me.” I am on my back trying to maneuver the crescent wrench around the broken plastic knob and crying in despair, “help me.”

 

Bartimaeus was not confused about what Jesus could do for him. He knew it. He trusted it. He believed it. Are we confused about what God can do for us? I think sometimes we are.

 

Jesus takes people in the scriptures from the fringes of society, places them right at the center of the gospel. And what is the lesson? I think one lesson is that how a community treats its most vulnerable members says everything about that community. And that is true if that community is a family. It's true if that community is a neighborhood or a school community or a church community or a business community. How a community treats its most vulnerable members tells us almost everything about that community.

 

Jesus constantly takes these people from the fringes and places them at the center of the gospel, isn't he also asking us to do that? Isn't he also asking us to take people from the fringes of society and place them, in some way, at the center of our lives? And it's all too easy to stay in our spiritual blindness and pretend they don't exist and carry on with our lives. Lord, open my eyes so that I may see.

 

Lord I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that You open our eyes to sees the needs in our family, in our community and respond with your love and compassion. Oh yes, I texted my Lutheran builder and his kind and generous reply, “don’t worry, we will take care of this.” I cried in gratitude, bloodied and bruised from crawling around the tank and thanked the Lord.

 

 

Call me Crazy

 

On my recent photo trip to Oregon, my goal was to compose a few stunning images of the beautiful landscape that people want to hang up in their home or give as gifts. In reality, there are over a million photos posted everyday on the internet. It is my illusion to imagine that people believe my photos have any artistic value. I humbly have come to accept that I am no Peter Lik, the famous Las Vegas landscape photographer.

 

The problem is all of us can become slightly delusional at times. When we’ve made up our minds to a position or an idea that comforts us, we’re going to hang on to it like a deer tick on a fat man’s thigh. We’ll argue to the death for something that’s completely insane to others but gives us the sense of security or righteousness we our insecurities crave.

 

Case in point: the belief held by Jesus’ disciples that their rabbi and leader will one day start a revolution which will overthrow the oppressive occupation of the Roman Empire, elevate the suffering peasants, and put Jesus on the governing throne of Israel where a son of David ought to be. James and John are convinced that Jesus will enter into glory, and they’ll both get cabinet positions in the new administration in recognition of their faithful service to the Messiah. They seem to have missed the point.

 

An earthly kingdom based on earthly power is not what Jesus is all about. If you worship victory, you are, in some sense, worshiping oppression. If you’re the winner, someone else has to be the loser. If you are dominant, someone else must be subservient. Jesus is pretty clear and he spells it out: “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

 

You’d think James and John would’ve figured that out by this time. At this point in Mark’s gospel, Jesus has told these boys no less than four times what his intentions are and how this story is going to play out. Did they get the message? Nope. I don’t think they wanted to get it. The idea of a magnificent earthly kingdom and a fat, juicy reward for the sacrifices they’d made was just too tempting an idea to let go.

 

Jesus is calling us to deny ourselves and embrace a spirit of love through servanthood. And this servanthood will not carry a guarantee of any earthly reward. Indeed, obedience to Christ and love of our neighbor will be its own reward. 

 

We are called to find a need and fill it, to find a wound and heal it. We are called to follow as Jesus led the way. Think, for example, of the home caregiver who looks after an elderly dementia patient. They do what they do out of love and compassion, even though the object of that love may never recognize the sacrifice or give the slightest hint of gratitude. 

 

These are the things which make us great in the way of Christ: the willingness to see ourselves as vessels of God’s love, and a willingness to relinquish our insane, selfish desire to be dominant. Such a desire only leads us to frustration, anger, and ultimate disappointment.

 

It took James and John and the other disciples a while to figure out that “the last shall be first” didn’t mean an overthrow of government. It means those who acknowledge their weakness and dependence will know the peace which comes with gratitude to God. Those who are esteemed highly by the world will win no special reward but will take their place in heaven next to the poor, the despised, the infirm, and the lost.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that the invitation to serve means

we do what we do out of love and compassion, even though the object of that love may never recognize the sacrifice or give the slightest hint of gratitude.

 

 

 

Healing Waters

 

I am at Walgreen’s trying to download a photo that I took in Oregon to create a “Get Well” card for a Sonshine Friend who has started chemotherapy.

 

The struggle begins that the photo is on my computer and on not my IPhone. I call Apple Support and Cassy guides me through the steps to upload the image from the computer to my cell phone.

 

Step Two. I have to figure out how to download the photo from my IPhone to the Walgreen website to print a blank card. Ricky, the Walgreen customer service manager comes to my rescue. He connects my IPhone to the Walgreen print machine and it starts to download. But it doesn’t complete the download. He says the cord is defective. Thank God he has another cord and says “this should work.” He plugs in the new cord and presto, my image is being uploaded to make our “Get Well” card. Another God moment in my life when a stranger goes beyond the call of duty and helps in our time of need.

 

The card is for a special person whose cancer diagnose was grim. Treatment was available but the prognosis was only a ten percent chance of survival. So my friend did a goggle search and found a treatment center that welcomes patients who have a grim prognosis. She got on a plane with her mom and she is receiving special treatment to cure her cancer and asking for prayers from friends and family. This is what I wrote her…

 

“Pardon this type message, but Susan says she can’t read my printing.

Yes, Phoenix is very warm, (it was 106 degrees) but the photo on this card is an image that I took in Oregon one week ago. It is Multnomah Falls, the most famous waterfalls in Oregon. However, unlike the thousands of IPhone shots of this waterfalls taken by tourists, I found a composition that I believe reflects a unique perspective that conveys hope and healing.

 

My hope is when you look upon this image, it will bring to mind and heart a cool and refreshing moment in which you can spend time with God bathing in His healing arms. Let’s call this photo: “Healing Waters.”

 

Know that you are protected by your guardian angel and that she will bring you much comfort and peace of body, mind, heart and soul.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are struggling with a cancer

In their life and in need of hope and healing.

 

Now let me share my “Healing Waters” photo and ask a favor. If you wouid like a 8x12 metal print, fully mounted with wire and hooks ready to display on a wall in your home or office, call or email and I will have this print mailed directly to your home. This would make a great holiday or “get well’ gift to someone your love.

 

Call Fr. Matt at 585-520-8650 or email: drmattkawiak@gmail.com

 

 

Pay It Forward

 

I received a text from a Sonshine Friend visiting Portugal. He was visitng the Chapel of the Bones in Evora. This monestery chapel is filled with bones from the monks who had lived and served in the local monastery. The bones are a tad gruesome hanging up on the walls of the church, but their purpose was to allow the remaining monks to pray for their souls so that they would go from purgatory back to heaven. It was recorded that wealthy merchants would have their bones and skulls hang form the rafters to hedge their bets to get into heaven. So much for piety.

 

However, when my friend left the church, he found a parking ticket on his rental car.  What happened next is a “God moment.” I am passing on his story for your reflection.

 

“So do good and honest people still exist? I think this is a question I have struggled with for years. Always protect yourself…trust very few.  

I got a parking ticket earlier this week in Evora which is about 3 hours away from 

Lagos where we are staying. After trying for a couple of days to resolve it with the authorities in Evora, I was getting no where fast. If I didn’t pay the fine, I would have a $300 fine attached to me that had to be paid before I could return to the country…. The fine is $18.72 euro. 

I returned the car and explained to the agent that this all happened and he said that this isn’t a problem and that he would pay the fine for me. I insisted on paying him the amount due as well as more for his trouble. I was notified today that the fine was paid and all was well. 

I went back to the rental agency to thank him but he wasn’t there. Will return tomorrow to thank him and drop off some pastries. 

It is so refreshing that total strangers take care of total strangers. Lesson learned. We all need to take this to heart and pay it forward. What a wonderful world this will be!

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who go beyond the call of duty in serving and caring for others. May the Good Lord reward you for all the unknown generous deeds you have performed in this life.  Pay it Forward.