VIP Seating

 

Boy do we ever love status. I guess that’s why facebook is so appealing. We can really show ourselves off like we’re all still trying to be the cool kids in high school. With the ability to publish our every thought and activity to hundreds of “friends” at once, Mr. Zukerberg has successfully managed to keep America in a perpetual state of adolescence. I’m just glad the acne doesn’t come with it.

 

But status, prestige, and big rewards are the things Jesus warns us about in the Gospel. Jesus has been invited to a dinner party at some big-shot Pharisee’s house. It’s pretty clear the host didn’t invite Jesus in the hope of a reciprocal invitation to an equally swanky soiree. Nope. Jesus doesn’t have those kinds of bucks. But I suspect the itinerant rabbi’s fame is what put him on the A-list. All the other guests are looking at this peasant preacher, the current flavor of the month around Israel, and wondering what he’s going to do and say. Maybe some of them only showed up because they heard the famous Jesus of Nazareth would be attending. If we can’t be a celebrity, you know, we at least like to say we’ve met one.

 

Jesus is watching them, too. He sees how they jockey for position, everybody trying to get the VIP seats at the table to show off their stature within the community. The moral is pretty obvious: Don’t go around puffing yourself up, because somebody will—inevitably—come along and let the air out of you. Then you’ll be disgraced. Which is bad. There are some folks who would prefer cancer to humiliation.

 

I’d like to point out, however, that I don’t think there’s any real sin in being successful or well-regarded. In a brilliant speech he gave at King’s College, C.S. Lewis likened having status to inheriting a fortune from your maiden aunt. If she dies and leaves you a ton of money, there’s nothing wrong with that. The sin is in coveting it. That is, if you want the old broad to kick off so she can leave you her loot, you better get yourself right with God. The hunger for status, fame, adulations, or what have you is the real problem. It’s like a drunk’s thirst for booze. A little bit is too much, and a lifetime of praise is never enough. It will be cool for a while, but will eventually leave you unsatisfied. You’ll discover your fellow high-status people are just as messed up and insecure as you are.

 

What would the world look like, I wonder, were we to put all the effort and resources we put into making ourselves look successful and important into providing mercy and aid for the “unimportant” people of the earth? Those “little people,” you see, are pretty big and important in God’s eyes. And so are you.

 

Just remind yourself. Once a man loved you so much that he went to death on a cross for you. You were that important. You mattered that much to him. Is there any job or honor you’re going to get, any swanky friend you’re going to make, any award you’ll win or applause you’ll receive that will matter more to you than the knowledge of how much God already loves you? I mean, come on. Do you really give a crap about where you sit at the table? Because at the head of the table or at the foot, the end of the meal will be the same.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who take time for the “little ones” in your community. You who take meal on wheels to your neighbors, or volunteers at local food cupboard to deliver groceries, or  volunteer at your local fire department, or take your senior relative shopping for groceries or a doctor appointment. May God’s peace go with you this week, my friends.

 

The Healing Community

 

 

Last week, on one of my critical incident trauma calls I experienced a miracle. I was informed that an electrician had been electrocuted. I was debriefing his coworkers and to my surprise and delight the electrician not only survived but he attended the debriefing to thank his fellow coworkers for saving his life. This was a God moment for me where the gratitude of this survivor brought his coworkers closer together with a firm commitment to be more diligent and safe doing their dangerous work.

Sadly, in the same week I was deployed to provide grief support to a different employer whose regional manager suffered a heart attack and died while out of town with his coworkers at a conference. One coworker who was friends with the manager shared he made the call to tell the spouse what had happened. It was hardest thing he ever had to do. What do you say at this tragic moment of loss?

I remember sitting with this coworker as he shared how this spouse shared the sense of isolation she felt. Everything in the world seemed absurdly trivial in the face of her loss, and she experienced a profound sense of separation. She told him with no small amount of bitterness, “People tell me they know how I feel. Well, they don’t.”

Isn’t that the truth?

When we experience a serious, life-changing loss the whole world seems to slip away from us. We enter some kind of invisible bubble from whose interior we can see the rest of the world and all the people in it, but we no longer feel any sense of connection to it or them. Grief and pain isolate. And it’s not just our own feelings, but the rest of the world tends to sneak softly away from our suffering. What do you say to someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer? How do you approach a couple whose child just committed suicide? Is there a proper way to comfort my senior neighbor who had fallen out of her bed and taken to the hospital and then transferred to a nursing home to perhaps never to return to her home.

The anguish felt by the woman in the gospel story may not be only the orthopedic ailment which has crippled her for years. It might also be the awful sense of “otherness”—a sense of not being part of a community. It’s significant, I think, that this unnamed woman did not approach Jesus. Rather, Jesus saw her, knew she was suffering, and called out to her. He broke through that invisible bubble which kept her at a distance from those who understood illness and infirmity only as God’s punishments for some kind of disobedience.

I can’t help but wonder what the woman was feeling when she came to the synagogue. She certainly didn’t come seeking or expecting the guest rabbi from Nazareth to make her ailing back straight again. Did she come just to be in the presence of the sacred, to hear the words of comfort from the scrolls? Did she stand in the rear, not mixing with the other women, keeping her eyes on the ground, accepting that her infirmity was her permanent burden to bear for her sins?

The work Jesus performed on this particular Sabbath was a work of restoration. By restoring this woman to wholeness, Jesus restored her to the community. She was able—and quite joyful—to enter into the praise of God with all the others who had come to that holy place of worship. Jesus was quite clear that the disability which had afflicted this poor lady for eighteen years was not a sign of God’s frowning judgment. He went on to call her a “daughter of Abraham”—further establishing her as one of the family, re-connecting her, and breaking the bubble of suffering which had made her a pariah.

Let me share something very profound and the real reason to come to church this Sunday. This is the joyful blessing of the Sabbath. It’s the ability to gather as community. I must confess that, in the pre-COVID-19 days, I thought the internet would be a wonderful a tool for the Gospel. I knew a priest who bragged that he had 22 million followers on the internet watching him. But he was wrong. There is absolutely nothing to substitute being in the company of your church family on the Sabbath. Our need for warm, interpersonal contact is both nourishing and healing. Yes, there are those who fear betraying their emotions in the sacred space. Perhaps they worry that their anxieties, fears, or griefs will intrude on the devotion of their fellow congregants. I say if such frailties are not excused and embraced by a Christian community that community isn’t doing its job. We don’t always have to know how to approach a hurting brother or sister. We’ll do 90% of our care by simply showing up.

I agree with that spouse whose husband died suddenly at his company’s conference. Many will claim they understand when they really don’t. You don’t need to understand someone in order to love them. We can all do that. And whenever we gather for Sabbath worship, we can look to the one on the cross. He understands us all.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and I truly appreciate you for taking the time to read my blog and praying for the 60 people on our prayer list. You don’t know them and you don’t understand the hurt and isolation they feel with their illness, but your willingness to pray for them is good enough.  Please remember the Sabbath day and be in the company of your Christian family. They need you.

 

 

Families Fight. What Would Jesus Do?

 

Families fight. What would Jesus do?

Families fight. That’s an ugly truth. People who are supposed to love and protect each other can often be split apart. It always hurts. 

Polish National Catholics of all people are aware of how families can bicker. Our whole denomination was formed by a dust-up with our Roman brothers and sisters. Today I see a pretty humongous division over the very definition of what it means to be a Christian in America. I feel a little bit of barf coming up in my mouth at the very mention of the term “Christian Nationalism.” Some of our coreligionists use Christian identity as an excuse to promote intolerance, bigotry, and a reactionary mindset which, to my way of thinking, slanders the name of our Lord and Savior. 

I don’t see how “Christian” it is slashing aid to low-income families or cutting out funding for research to eliminate disease. I can’t understand how we solve the gun violence crisis by letting everyone carry a gun. And faith in God’s deliverance is one thing, but ignoring the crisis of climate change is putting the Lord Our God to the test—a test we’re not going to pass.

No question about it: there are divisions within our family. There are people in North Java who think attending Holy Family Catholic parish gets you a ticket to hell. This is simply cruel and a lie. My former parish where I had the humble privilege to serve as shepherd for 12 years are the most generous, compassionate and hard-working farm families in Wyoming County. If your Catholic parish is closing or you are searching for a loving faith community, take yourself to North Java and experience the love of Jesus first hand. Everyone smiles and greets one another at the door and gives you a cup of coffee after the service and asks what can I do for you this week. One more thing, the children in Wyoming county all want to church  because Renee their religious teacher, is the most, fun, dynamic and enthusiastic religious education teacher bringing those kids closer to Jesus every Sunday. Get the word out, bring your kids to Renee and meet Jesus.

Whether we’re arguing public policy, church doctrine, or if it’s just a squabble between a parent and a child or a couple of in-laws, each of us thinks we’re arguing from the moral high ground. Our challenge should always be to discern if we’re arguing in obedience to Christ Jesus or from our own pride and stubbornness. Is our indignation born out of faith or a desire to maintain a tribal loyalty? Are we trying to help one another or cling to an ideal which no longer exists or even applies? 

What would Jesus do? Can we find it in ourselves to speak and fight for truth but do it out of love? Can there be controversy without contempt? Can we be unyielding without dehumanizing the person with whom we disagree? And are we willing to accept divisions without being complacent about them? 

Faith in Jesus has never guaranteed perfect harmony among believers. Just check out the New Testament if you don’t believe me—it’s full of family squabbles. But the beautiful thing is that in Christ, our squabbles can still be full of compassion.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, especially those who attend Holy Family in North Java, Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral n Lancaster, Holy Trinity in Woodlawn, Divine Mercy in Las Vergas, St. Jude the Apostle in San Antonia and all those churches who are held in contempt by the bias and prejudice of their neighbors. Bless them for their courage, perseverance and faith in your love for one another and all their neighbors.

 

Fear or Faith Which one is it going to Be?

 

I’m not saying there isn’t plenty to worry about these days. In the reading this morning, Abram is worrying that God won’t ever come through on his promise. He and his missus Sarai have been planning for and expecting a baby, but one just isn’t forthcoming. Abe’s getting discouraged, and his big fear is he will never achieve the desire of his heart—a son and heir. God reassures the old boy that he’ll get what he wants. It’s just not going to be right away. So Abe says, “Okay,” and the Lord reckons it to him as righteousness.

If you’re ever wondering what righteousness looks like, there it is. It’s faith. Not mere assent to a doctrine, but the living belief that it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give us what we need (although not always what we want!). Our baptism is a reminder of God’s grace and goodness. It’s the reminder that we matter to God so we can operate out of faith and not out of fear.

After all, there are really only two ways to live: by faith or by fear. Some may suggest there’s a third way—manly self-reliance. I’m not so sure that’s going to work when your company downsizes you or you or your family member gets a life-changing diagnosis. You’ll be looking to rely on something more than yourself. No. It’s pretty much faith or fear. And we have to decide how we’re going to live.

In our Gospel story, Jesus’ admonition to live fearlessly comes with a pretty scary suggestion. Who wants to sell everything they have and give the money to the poor? Shouldn’t you be saving a little something in case of a stock market collapse or a hurricane or the zombie apocalypse? I think what the Lord is really challenging us to do here is get outside of ourselves. Fear is the result of self-preoccupation Jesus is urging us to pull our heads out and be part of the world around us. His suggestion about selling our possessions and giving to the poor is a recipe for faithful living. When we transfer some of the blessings God gave us to others—be it through donation of our cash or the donation of our time as volunteers—we’re making two statements of faith. First, we’re saying that we’re going to get along just fine on what’s left over. If we give ten bucks to the Charotte Comfort Home (hospice in North Java), we won’t be ten bucks short at the end of the pay period. We made a choice to trust in God for our own preservation. Second, we’ve said through our gift or volunteering that what we’ve done will matter. We believe someone’s life is going to be just that much better because we’ve reallocated some of our own blessings for the benefit of others.

Another part of this Gospel lesson is a parable Jesus teaches about servants (that could be us) staying alert for the return of their master (that could be Jesus). There are two ways I think you could look at this. You could go the “end-of-the-world-is-coming-soon” rout and start interpreting every story you hear on the news as a harbinger of the Apocalypse, the Second Coming, the End Times, or whatever. That’s a sure-fire way to live in fear.

The other way to look at this is the Matthew 25 rout where Jesus tells us, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” What I mean is we should always be on the lookout for meeting Jesus. He could be present in a neighbor, a family member, someone in need, a panhandler on the street, or an immigrant behind the counter at Dunkin Donuts. Any chance encounter might be an opportunity to draw closer to God by drawing closer to the ones around us.

Finally, the last part of this Gospel lesson is a weird kind of warning. Yes, if the homeowner knew what hour the thief was coming, he’d have met the guy at the window with a loaded Smith & Wesson. The problem is, we don’t know when stuff is going to happen. Like the arrival of a baby, life-changing moments occur, and we can’t always control them. So, it’s not about what happens, but about how we react. You can live in fear and sit at home all night with your Smith & Wesson on your lap just in case a burglar should try to break in, or you can go out among fellow human beings, risk loving them, and find your purpose.

Fear? Faith? Which one is it going to be?

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we choose to live in faith and focus our resources on lifting a helping hand to anyone who needs our help today. Maybe you like to volunteer at an animal shelter or my wife Sue reported there are lots of kittens at the shelter who need a loving home. If interested in adopting a kitten contact: info@vol4animals.org –or call (585)343-6410 option 7

 

 

What's in Your Barn?

 

Once there was a man who was richly blessed by God. Everything he touched, it seemed, turned to gold. After receiving news of yet another incredible windfall, he said to himself, “What in the world am I going to do with all this money?” He thought long and hard about what he should do and he finally came up with how to invest his money in a way that would bring even more to his richly blessed life. He summoned his accountants and managers and said to them, “I have been blessed above most people I know and now I have more money than I ever dreamed of. I have decided how I want to invest this money to make even more. I want to put everything I own – except for enough to live on in a simple way – into a charitable foundation. Each year half this money is to be given to organizations that feed the hungry and the other half to assist prisoners who desire to transition to a life free from crime.”

Then the rich man who became poor to become rich said to himself, “I have been blessed beyond anything I ever imagined and now I am blessed even more.” And God said to him, “My son, you have many good things stored up, come now and rest in the joy of your God!”

A dad shared this story about his oldest son when he was just a young lad. His little boy enjoyed Saturday morning cartoons. This dad noticed that his son had a kind of mantra that he repeated during the commercials. He would watch commercials wide eyed and say, “I would like one of those.” He would repeat this many times during the morning and the result was a desire to “have stuff.” Dad and son would visit stores his son went for the toy aisle and said to his dad, “I would like one of those,” turned into, “I need one of those.” The thing just kept growing. “I want more of those… and those… and those…” Dad thought of an old line you likely know well, “The only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys.”

So what’s in your barn these days?” I am trying to make sure there is a bit more of a heart for the hungry and homeless, the poor and dispossessed in my barn. In this past month, donations have been forwarded to Volunteers4Animals, Mother Cabrini Food Cupboard, Bethany House, Charlotte Comfort Home Hospice, Mary Cariola, Holy Childhood, CDS Life Transitions, Holy Family, St Jude and Divine Mercy Churches.

I’m considering how we can practice Jesus’ caution about the desire for more which feeds the desire for even more. What a wonderful day when we can pass on a new notion. Instead of “I would like one of those,” I can hear our children saying, “I wonder who could use one of those!”

Have you inventoried your barn lately?

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are taking stock and looking at all the stuff they have accumulated in their attic, basement and rented storage pods. Give us the compassion and generosity to think “I wonder who could use one of these?” We have established a trust fund for our beautiful forest and streams that we call our home to be transferred to Brockport College as an environmental teaching nature center for future generations of faculty and students. We hope and pray that the college is willing to accept our gift and waiting for a positive response.

 

 

 

An Invitation

 

Don’t know your plans for this weekend, but I am inviting you to a special celebration. This Saturday morning at 11am, Robert Grizzell will be ordained a deacon at Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral located at 6298 Broadway Road In Lancaster, New York.

Robert is from San Antonia, Texas and he currently serves with Fr. Marcus the pastor at St. Jude’s National Catholic Church in San Antonia.

Robert is passionate about his full-time ministry as a hospice and hospital chaplain in Texas. He is wonderful model of a young person whose vocation is to serve the people of God and bring Our Lord’s healing.

Of course, his parishioners are not able to attend because of distance and expense. However, it would be a wonderful gesture of gratitude if the people of Buffalo came to attend this ceremony and congratulate this special man. 

In the Gospel, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Most likely, when we pray it’s about our need for healing or a prayer for someone we know who needs God’s healing.

In a Harvard study, 90% of doctors think faith has a healing effect. 90%. Yet only 70% of the population thinks that. In other words, more doctors than patients believe in the power of faith. And, Lord, do we need your healing? For a body riddled with cancer, Lord, we need your healing. For heart loaded with grief, Lord, we need your healing. For a mind addicted to prescription medication, Lord, we need your healing. For a soul attached to gambling and drinking, Lord, we need your healing. For a heart restless in life, seeking purpose, never finding it, Lord, we need your healing. For a relationship broken and torn apart, Lord, we need your healing. Lord, we need your healing. Say it with me, “Lord, we need your healing.”

How does God heal? Sometimes, God works through miracles. Sometimes God heals through the faith of family and friends like the deaf man brought by his friends who ask Jesus to heal him. He's healed because of them. Their faith. Sometimes God heals through the faith of the people around us. God heals through doctors and medicine. And of course, sometimes God heals through time.

Cleric Robert ministers daily with people in need of healing from their physical and emotional pain. No one fully understands how God heals or God's timing or even all of his ways. We don't always know how. We can't fully explain why. If something doesn't work right, if it's broken, you take it to the one who can fix it, right? Jesus is the Great Physician. The one who made you. The one who will make you whole. His name is Healer.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, help each person to identify an area of their life that needs healing, the healing touch of Jesus.

Yes, you have summer plans but if you like to experience a healing moment, I welcome you to join me to attend the ordination of Deacon Robert. There will be a reception in the parish hall following his ordination. See you Saturday, fr. matt

 

Hospitality

 

In the Gospel, Jesus is paying a little house call on the sisters Martha and Mary. Both ladies welcome him and his disciples, but Martha heads to the kitchen to prepare something for Jesus and his buddies to eat, while Mary keeps Jesus and the other guys company. Both are good hostesses, even if Martha gets a bit bent out of shape because she’s doing the work while Mary sits around. Jesus gently scolds Martha for picking on her sister. After all, haven’t we all been to a dinner party where the hostess was so busy preparing for her guests that she’s had no time to enjoy their company?

Hospitality is one of the key ingredients that keeps people coming back to church each week. I remember the annual parish picnics in North Java especially after the people built a new playground for the kids in town. Today’s Sonshine photo shows the proud parishioners, parents and their children smiling in front of the swings and slides.

Sadly, it appears hospitality in this country is slipping or better fallen off a cliff because of the current anti-immigrant “round ‘em up and ship ‘em out” attitude towards immigrants in the United States.

I read this week the statement by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski concerning the detention facility Homeland Security has constructed in the Florida Everglades known as Alligator Alcatraz. This is a facility designed with the purpose of detaining up to 5,000 individuals whose only crime may be that they entered this country illegally. The structures are overcrowded tents which provide little protection from the intense heat and mosquitoes and no protection at all from flooding rains or hurricanes. The facility opened on the third of this month and there have already been complaints about insufficient food, limited access to water, and restrictions against visiting clergy.

Archbishop Wenski noted on the archdiocese’s website:

"We have a detention center in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by snakes, alligators, mosquitoes, and more. It is an inhumane situation…It is insulting that those who should know better are mocking the misery of their brothers and sisters. We are all brothers and sisters, and no one should ridicule the suffering of other people. Even the name 'Alligator Alcatraz' is a cruel mockery of the pain those people endure.”

I can’t say I have the answer to America’s immigration problem, but I know indiscriminately arresting and incarcerating any or all undocumented individuals—especially in dangerous or unhealthy detention centers—is not the answer.

Jesus said. “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.” Martha shared what she had when thirteen hungry guests who showed up at her door. Mary gave them her loving attention. To dehumanize others cannot possibly be to our benefit and it certainly is not being the best Catholic we can be.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, keep safe and protect from harm all our Latino our brothers and sisters and their children. As Christians, we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves when, like Our Lord, we show them mercy.

 

Gratitude Letter

 

 

Dear Steve:

On July 16^th, I have been invited to give a presentation to the American Red Cross on the topic: “The Power of Gratitude.” One exercise includes writing a gratitude letter to focus attention on people in your life who have impacted your life in a positive way. This is my letter of thanks for a long-time Sonshine friend Steve.

 

Once again, I had another breakdown of equipment in our home. This time it was the water conditional system that purifies our water from sulfur and other harmful chemicals in the soil. And sure enough, a phone call to Steve from Total Water Care in Newark was the answer. It was on February 3, 2012 that I first contacted Steve to install a water system that continues to give us sparkling clean, tasty water from our well.

 

I enjoy listening to Steve about his family and work with his clients to keep their water safe from harmful chemicals. He is a man of integrity and deep faith in God. He has outstanding knowledge of water serving our country onboard submarines. I am grateful for his service to our country.  When he returned from service, he became an expert in water systems. But our real bond is our love for hockey. We still have hope that one day the Buffalo Sabres climb out of the cellar in their division and make the playoffs for a crack at the Stanley Cup.  

 

Your compassionate heart and prayerful spirit in working with all your clients is an inspiration to me and all your family and community. I am humbled by your generosity and admire your expertise to repair water systems and improve the quality of water to make it safe to drink in our homes.

 

You have taught this priest to be persistent, to be a compassionate mentor to all my family, community and Sonshine Friends. You are still teaching which includes myself to persevere in prayer and wisdom, and I am humbly grateful. Keep me always updated on how I can be of further support to you and all your family. 

 

May the Good Lord and Our Lady of Gaudeloupe protect you and your family and keep you healthy and safe,

Father Matt

 

Lord I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they know how grateful I am for their devotion to prayer and their loyality for the past 25 years in reviewing these reflections to be the best Christians they can be with the help of God. Why not write a Gratitude Letter to someone you know who has made a difference in your life.

 

 

 

 

 

Independence Reflection

 

I always love the Fourth of July. For me, fireworks never get old. They’re kind of like chocolate chip cookies. No matter how often I experience them, they always make me smile. And, like everybody else, I like a good celebration. As a kid, the Fourth was a time to eat hotdogs and gather in our backyard after dark and watch the fireworks that were set off from our local ballpark ten minutes from our home. Today I look at the Fourth a bit differently.

I rejoice for my country even as I mourn for her. I feel deeply for America on her birthday. I guess I rejoice we’ve made this experiment in democratic government work for 249 years. I rejoice that we’ve always had the ability to course correct. Those brave 18^th century gentlemen who fought our war of Revolution won independence but, when all the dust settled, found a new nation deeply in debt with farms and towns ruined and a diverse population which knew what form of government it didn’t want but wasn’t quite sure about the form it did want. Nevertheless, they rolled up their ragged sleeves and created a nation. Our ancestors formed an egalitarian government, established civil rights, abolished slavery (at a pretty high and bloody cost), built cities and infrastructure, created social safety nets, defeated fascism in Europe, and generously exported the produce of our God-given prosperity to people around the world.

And, of course, we’ve made a boatload of mistakes along the way. Some of them rather recently in my view.

I mourn when I consider wars we’ve engaged in which could and should have been avoided. I mourn for our veterans and pray they receive the care they deserve. I grieve to think of the vast and growing income inequality in our nation. I shake my uncomprehending head at the persistence of gun violence. I fret over our broken immigration system and our current epidemic of xenophobia. I sigh helplessly for those affected by climate disasters and I worry how we can continue to rebuild when floods, hurricanes, tornados and wildfires seem so relentless and so many in government seem so unconcerned about the causes of these tragedies.

But I really want to find reasons to celebrate.

When Jesus sent out his seventy-member advance team he sent them out on faith. They didn’t have a bankroll or a credit card. He knew—and they knew too—that the world was a dangerous place. They were sent out like lambs in the midst of wolves. Nevertheless, they went forward believing that God was with them. They went ahead trusting in both God’s providence and their mission as servants. They were commissioned by Jesus to bring tidings of peace to the poor and healing to the sick. They did what was asked of them, and they returned with joy.

As we observe this 249^th anniversary of America’s independence, how shall we go forward? I’d like to suggest a slight reimagining of the American Dream. So far, that dream has been to own a home and be financially better off than the previous generation. Maybe we need to think a little more like servants. Maybe we should dream that everyone in America has a roof over their heads, and those roofs will be secure from the ravages of a ungovernable nature. Everyone will have enough to eat. Everyone will be safe on the streets where they live. All the sick and elderly will have the care they need and deserve, and our nation will continue to work for peace and prosperity for all the families of the earth.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we may feel like sheep among wolves, but God is still on the throne, our nation and our democracy still exist, and our command from Christ to serve is still in force. There is still reason to celebrate.

 

Scattering the Seed

 

I was invited by Fr. Erick to zoom a nationwide monthly meeting with his brother Latino priests. He was most gracious sharing that I have supported him on numerous occasions during crises that recently included his recent surgery. This meeting was attended by Fr. Erick in Las Vegas, Fr Alfonso and Fr Gabriel in Denver, Fr. Marcus, Fr Edwin and Cleric Robert in San Antonia, and Fr.Jose in Chicago.

These holy men discussed the recent illness of Fr. Erick and how they had travelled to Vegas to celebrate Mass while he was recovering. However, the issue of medical insurance became a topic. Many of our Latino priests do not have medical coverage and wondered if the national church could help them get coverage for them and their families. Another topic was the sad reality that many of their parishioners are afraid that ICE agents may storm their church and deport family members to far away countries.  Thankfully this had not happened in any PNCC church, but the potential for danger exists and many families have chosen not to come to Mass. 

This Sunday, the RC church readings are about Jesus asking the question “Who do people say that I am?” However, the PNCC liturgy will reflect on the gospel story about the farmer scattering seeds on different soils.

What my brother Latino priests do not know is that Fr Matt is a farmer and knows something about seeds and soil. This Spring to put it bluntly has been “soggy.” The seeds I planted in the veggie garden never took root. Sadly, no plants grew because the soil was too saturated with water. 

In the gospel story, it does not take a genius to realize that no farmer would consciously sow seed where there is no hope of it yielding a harvest. However, this is not ordinary seed and it is not an ordinary farmer. We are talking about God who is sowing the seed of His word. The act of sowing seed by hand is called broadcasting. The seed is thrown by hand. God does not distinguish between the various types of soil that will receive the seed. In other words, God gives everyone a chance even if it is evident that there is little hope that the person will actually live God’s word. 

You might ask yourself what kind of seed are you? The seed of hope or despair, the seed of courage or fear, the seed of forgiveness or resentment, the seed of acceptance or skepticism. I like to think if my Latino brothers were the farmers, the seeds they would broadcast are a welcome to all cultures, genders, ages and traditions that Jesus Christ changes lives eternally and that the place to encounter him most fully is in their parish communities. I have no doubt the difficulty of getting people to return to church. My brothers might protest, “I tried it a few times and got nowhere. I just don’t have the personality, don’t have the gift.”

As a fellow farmer and shepherd, I recognize Jesus had both the personality and the gift.  Yet when He sowed seed, much of it still ended up as bird food. Consider the thousands he fed with loaves and fishes, the multitude that heard his sermon on the mount, the throngs that welcomed him on Palm Sunday.  Yet on the day of Pentecost, there were only 120 left in the cenacle, awaiting the Holy Spirit. Notice, though, that the fruit borne by these 120 plants eventually filled the whole world about 2.4 billion. 

To get the few that bear fruit, lots of seed must be sown by lots of people.  So regardless of whether or not you think you have green thumbs, my dear Latino brothers are being commanded through this parable to get the seed out there, sowing it everywhere we go, undeterred by the birds, the weeds, the scorching sun, drenching rains or ICE agents.

The parable of the sower has a twofold message: as seed, our job is to get busy growing.  As farmers, our job is to get busy sowing.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and especially my brother Latino priests (farmers) that humbled by our mission to spread the seed of compassion and hope. Instead of worrying about empty pews, with your grace focus our ministries to be the best of farmers and keep scattering the seeds wherever they may fall. 

 

I Am the Bread of Life

 "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." (John 6:51)

To non-Christians, the response to the above quotation might be, "Yech! Sounds like cannibalism!" And I have to confess that for some Christians, the question of what it means to eat the flesh of Jesus might not be something we really ponder. So I wrestle with the question of, "Why would you want to do something which sounds so disgusting?"

When I am taking a landscape photo, I am always searching for a composition that is not a tourist shot. When we receive Holy Communion, I like to share a different perspective of looking at the Sacrament.

At the time of Jesus. animals were brought to the Temple of Jerusalem, their throats were cut, and their blood was splashed against the burning hot metal altar. Then, the flesh of the animal was thrown onto the fire. The sputtering steam of the blood and the smoke from the animal's body were seen to ascend--symbolically to God on high. To offer sacrifice in this way to atone for one's sins was one of the holiest things a Jewish man could do.

Unfortunately, not all men--and no women--were permitted to enter the inner court of the temple to participate in this ritual. Gentiles were forbidden, as were those deemed to be ritually unclean. Jesus himself, because of his questionable parentage, would not have been permitted full participation in the sacrifice of the body and the blood.

Mary and Joseph were not married when Jesus was conceived. Jesus' father would automatically classify Jesus as a mamzer--one who could not be assumed to be 100% Jewish.  Such a designation would have put Jesus on the margins of society, another way of saying he was an outcast, the immigrant.

So what does Jesus do? He institutes his own holy practice. He eats ritual meals from which no one is excluded. He eats with those who are deemed to be ritually impure: tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners of every kind. His followers will even share this meal with gentiles. Those forbidden to touch the body and the blood of the sacrificial animal in the temple will not only touch but eat Jesus' body and drink of Jesus' blood. And Jesus, by his death, will be the sacrifice for all.

Think about it: you don't even have to know a stranger's language in order to offer him or her something to eat. In Near Eastern culture, to share food was to create family. If you eat of my bread, you become one of my household.

I remember when I was helping Fr. Erick in Las Vegas and learned that the Latino people, families, parents, seniors did not receive Communion, I asked, why not? The response was that they did not feel worthy. So the next time, I celebrated Mass, I shared that Jesus invites everyone to His table to eat and that means we are family. So, guess what, 100% of the people came to the altar rail and received Holy Communion.

We need to ingest the man who loves with his whole body and soul and whose love knows no distinction of persons--young or old, married, single, divorced, re-married, gay, straight, black, Latino, Polish, Italian white, rich, poor, conservative, liberal. All human. All God's family.

The next time you are in Las Vegas, you are invited to the table at Divine Mercy where all are welcomed to their table. They simply can’t let you be a guest in their home without feeding you.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have not been inside a church for awhile. This Sunday, get out of bed, put aside your social media app and know Jesus has invited you to a special picnic in your honor.

 

 

What Do You Want for Father's Day?

 

What do you want for Father’s Day? My immediate response, that nothing else breaks down on the farm.

No such luck, for no sooner do we repair the bush hog and lawn mower tire that the weed trimmer handle broke in two places. I check the purchase date and it appears to still be under warranty but next is the phone call to customer service. The customer service agent asks to take a picture of the broken part. OK whip out the cell phone, take the shot and now what. Wait for an email response. Boldly, I call customer service the next day and the  agent checks the status of the repair and she finds my shot of the broken handle and to my surprise says: “The part has a ‘lifetime warranty’ no problem.” Really, I say to myself, you’re going to fix it. I’m in shock. Better yet she forwards two locations to take the broken trimmer for repair. Then she sends an email with the form that will cover the expense to repair. “I must be heaven, I say to myself.

Celebrating Father’s Day was always a lot of fun for this retired priest for I would invite all the nurturing dads of the parish to come up to the altar after Mass and take home a 6 pack of birch beer.  Finding the birch beer is another Sonshine story. My wife Sue asked, “What do I want for Father’s Day?”

Number 1: Prayers from you that Shanna, Ted and Mary who start chemo therapy are cancer free and Bob gets his kidney.

Number 2: Prayers that Tina, Tim, Shelia stay cancer free and Fr. Erick is fully recovered from his surgery

Number 3: Prayers for our nationwide Latino pastors and their parishioners that no one gets deported.

Number 4: Prayers that Sue (my beloved spouse) will be successful in her application for a grant for the animal shelter and her back pain will be relieved with the help from her doctors.

Number 5: Prayers for all our living, nurturing dads and dads in heaven on our Father’s Day prayer list.

Number 6: Prayers that Brockport College legal department will allow students and faculty to utilize Reviresco as an education center.

Number 7; Prayers that someone might offer their services to be the “farm manager” to help me take care of our forest and streams.

Number 8: Prayers that I have the strength to cut the fallen trees. Another tree fell on the driveway hill and I couldn’t pull the chainsaw cord. I managed to cut the tree down with my hand saw. No need for a gym, the farm gives me plenty of time for a workout.

Number 9: Yes, I would love to visit more national parks and take stunning landscape pics like the attached below for you to enjoy.

                                        Rocky Mountain National Park

Number 10: Prayers that someone would build a photography website to  display my landscape photos to sell online and support Sue’s animal shelter Volunteer4Animals.

But let’s go back to the customer service rep response: “The part has a ‘lifetime warranty’ no problem.” My blessing to all our dads is a reminder that you have a lifetime warranty that whenever you broke down, Our Lord promised to redeem you and bring everlasting peace. No problem. In other words, never fear the Lord has your back and does not want you to worry. No worries.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, especially the nurturing dads be they biological, step-dads, foster, uncles, coaches, mentors, teachers that  someone texts, calls, writes or physically says: “I love you and thanks for watching over me.”

Living Nurturing Men: The men who currently provide love, support, guidance, direction, provide learning opportunities, teachable lessons, protection and instill faith and values-

 

Kyle Downey, Eric Feistel, Don Post, Dan Fafinski, Rudy van derVelden, Vito Scarpetta, Dr. Michael Casale, Owen B. Hill, Ted Fafinski. Scott M. North, Alexander North, Steve Flanagan.  Bishop John Mack, Fr. Don Seekins, Fr. Joe Pasquella, Fr Nadeem Yaqoob,, Fr. Corey Foegen, Father Erick. Fr. Marcus, Cleric Robert, Father Richard, Deacon Tom, Deacon John, Steve George, Roy George Jr., Robert Bumbacher, Jerry Spaziani, Stanley G. Bartlett; Scott Bartlett, Mark Bartlett, Duke Pollett, Ron LaMora, Jon White, Scott Caton, Jerry Ruszala, Brad Ruszala, Scott Ruszala, Kurt Hammel, Mike Cuzzupo,li, Brett Hammel, Mike Hammel, Brian Hammer, Allyn Hammel, Bob Haelen, Mark Barie, Foster E. Hakes, Charles A. Hakes, John Jacob Bender, Anthony J. Montanaro, Anthony F. Montanaro, Tim Kibler, David Johnson, Doug Spooner Jr., Jeffrey McDonald, Michael Wangler, JJ Pineda, Tyler Lapham, Craig Lapham, Sankar Sewnauth, Andrew Sewnauth, Brian Stephenson, Terry Spooner, Rhody Spooner, Jody Spooner, Father Matt, Jack Woodward, Tom Surtel, Brad Rehwaldt, Denny Meyer, Carl Szarek, Arnie Boldt, Jeff Fluker, Louis Horton,

Prayers for those who are deceased and have touched so many lives 

Ken Harzynski, Matthew H. Kawiak, Charlie Sullivan, Fr., Alex Stec, Fr. Matthew Sudara, Fr. Adamski, Msgr Leo Kelty, Bishop Peplowski, Dick Barie, Michael Fafinski,  Joseph Wrobel, James Kalinowski, Peter Jakubowski, Ralph Calabrese, Steve Biklen, Tom Karp, Fr. Bob, Stanley F. Bartlett, Ellis Bartlett, Gordon Jones, Pio Spaziani, James Meyer, Edward Ruszala, Louis Podleiszek, Arnold Hammel, Leonard Long, Paul Long Sr., Paul Long jr, Joseph N. Guido, John Lallucci, Richard Bean; Charles Wangler II; Charles Wangler III; Douglas Spooner, James Wangler,