Someone is Praying for You

 

In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus is praying for his little family which he’s about to leave. Not only is he praying for them, but he’s praying for us too:

“I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.”

This is Jesus’ great prayer for his followers, that we become a family as tight with one another as he is with his dad. I’ll admit, that’s a pretty tall order. From the very first Christians have had some family dysfunction. Our egos and jealousies have made it hard for us to sit down together at the Thanksgiving dinner table and rejoice as siblings should. We love to bicker over details about what is Catholic and the nature of sin and the right way to worship. We’re all set to be martyrs for our own opinions and burn heretics at the stake for disagreeing with us. Let’s just face it: being a family is hard.

I think what Jesus was trying to do on that night in which he had his last supper with this little family was give them a master class on how to be the Church. He got down on hands and knees and washed their feet, demonstrating how we are to be present to help and serve each other. Then he prayed for them like a parent would pray for his or her children, asking God to keep them safe and help them get along.

Jesus is praying for us. He’s asking that God’s love would be in us so we can love one another. Maybe the best way to access this love is to be in regular and disciplined prayer for one another. I think there is something amazingly comforting in knowing that another is actively, lovingly praying for you. The  Sonshine prayer list invites you to pray for people who need God’s help. Like Shanna, a shelter animal coordinator who is facing a diagnosis of cancer. Perhaps our daily routine should be spending a few minutes each morning in intercessory prayer for someone whom the Holy Spirit is putting on your heart. If you’re praying for that person, you might then want to reach out and contact them. Who knows? Your connection might be just the thing someone else needs at this very moment.

Lord, I pray daily for all my Sonshine Friends who Christian legends tell us the first disciples were swept by the Holy Spirit to distant lands from which they never returned. They didn’t have Facebook or Instagram or smart phones to keep up with each other. But I’ll bet they prayed for one another all the same.

 

Memorial Day Blessing

 

As a young seminarian, Memorial Day memories turn to my dad a veteran of WW II and commander of his American Legion Post. At the local cemetery, we would honor our war hero’s by offering prayers, laying the wreath, sounding taps and a twenty-one-gun salute. The words of John said it best: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  I have heard this verse so many times that the ultimate sacrifice is to give one’s life for friend or country. But I wonder if that was the message Jesus was talking about. He wasn’t talking about war, was he? My dad was invited to speak on this day and he would always turn to me and say “Can you write me a few words” So my Sonshines, my stories began long before I took my first homiletic course in seminary. While we came to remember the sacrifice of so many young people, when and how you die isn’t as important as how you live.

 

Surely Jesus didn’t want us to die in wars. When he called his disciples to lay down their lives, maybe he meant something more like to put aside our own goals, our own desires, our own ambitions and to live for others -- to dedicate our lives to our brothers and sisters, our friends, our church, to dedicate our lives to God -- to lay down our own will and to seek God’s will, and then do it.

 

After the ceremony, dad and I stayed after everyone else left. We moved from stone to stone, looking at each name, each date. As we walked, we came upon a platform carved out of stone. In the center was a sort of a pulpit also carved from stone. I stood behind the pulpit and looked out over hundreds of graves. It was like a congregation of the dead. It was the quietest, most attentive congregation I had ever seen before. For a minute, I imagine myself like Ezekiel preaching to the dry bones. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I shook my head.  What’s the matter, dad said?  I realized I didn't have anything to say to them. As I thought about their sacrifices, and the sorrow of their families and friends, I didn’t have a word to say.  Just then, an older legionnaire friend of my dad had come up beside us. This old WW I veteran looked at us and said, It’s all right that you have nothing to say to them, he said, gesturing to the silent gravestones stretching as far as the eye can see. The question is, were you quiet enough to let them speak to you?

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who cry over the stones of their war hero’s. In our souls, let us hear:” I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.” On Memorial Day, our soldiers did leave us something that will last...let them speak to you. May we honor them, and all those who have served others, by serving the one who chose us

Super Agers

 

I was listening to NPR radio about “super agers.” What was the secret for people who live to 80 ,100 and beyond ? Researchers who conducted studies on older adult populations reported it was not genes that made the difference but a person’s immune system that fight off cancer cells and other disease.

However, another important factor tor longevity was the attitude of the person. Simply put, a person with a happy disposition was a significant feature displayed in people who live longer. I like to believe that in spiritual terms this means a person is at peace with themselves and the world.

So what is this peace that our Lord speaks of in today's gospel?  Well, he does tell us what it is not: “his peace is not the peace that the world gives.” The peace of this world is the peace supposedly provided by a wealth of material possessions. Material things will supposedly protect us from want and need. But we have to realize that everything in this world is fleeting and short-lived. What we have today could be gone tomorrow.

So what is his peace? Jesus peace is the “peace of acceptance,” the peace that allows us to appreciate every day to the fullest.

For example, today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever! There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did, I'm going to celebrate! Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I've had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships, because they have made me stronger. I will go through this day with my head held high and a happy heart. I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts: the sun-yes the sun does shine sometimes in Buffalo but not today, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the kitties, the birds. Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice. Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile. I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know. Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to those who have helped me care for our farm like…

Denny (Mr. Milk) and his two Mexican workers who mulched our trees; John (forester) who keeps our forest healthy and chained saw the trees that blocked the walking trails; Jeff (fire chief and mechanic) who repairs our farm tractor, gator and mower; Jamie (the fire chief’s son) who helped put up the Reviresco sign; Jason (electrician) who repaired the driveway lights; Brad (my Good Shephard builder) who repairs anything and shares his vendor list of master craftspeople; Ryan and Shaun (Brad’s sons) who dug the kitty litter pit and repaired the vinyl siding; Chad (window installer) checks the window screens and clips; Jack (garden center sales) who found our serviceberry replacement trees; Fidele, Cameron and Jack (landscapers) who planted the new trees along the driveway, Dr. Jose, Vice Provost Brockport College, who supports our vision for the farm to become an education center for students and faculty. I am humbled by these good people who are generous and helpful in my moments of need.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in God and his Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that tonight, before we go to bed, we go outside and raise our eyes to the heavens. We will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and we will praise God for these magnificent treasures. As we lie our heads down on our pillow, we will thank the Almighty for the best day of our life. And we will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because we know tomorrow is going to be the best day of our life, ever!

 

Secret Dream of Glory

 

We all nurse a secret dream of glory.

We daydream that in some way we will stand out and be recognized. And so we fantasize about great achievements that will set us apart from others and make us famous. The daydreams vary but we are at the center—the most admired person in the room, the one scoring the winning goal, the Sonshine reflections would be published, the landscape photos hang in an art gallery, the farm becomes an environmental education center, a retired priest becomes a monsignor.

What we are chasing in all this is notice, appreciation, so that we can be duly recognized and loved. We want the light to be shining on us.

And this isn’t all bad or unhealthy. We are built to stand in the spotlight. We nurse a secret dream of glory and, partly, this is healthy.

What’s less healthy in our daydreams is how we envision that glory. In our fantasies, glory almost always consists in being famous, in standing out, in achieving a success that makes others envious, in somehow being the best-looking or the brightest or the most talented person in the room. Some of our fantasies are daydreams of goodness, of being powerful enough to squash evil. Indeed, that was the messianic fantasy.

Before Jesus was born, good-hearted and religious people prayed for a Messiah to come and, in their fantasy, that Messiah was generally envisaged as a worldly superstar, a person with a superior heart and superior muscles, a Messiah who would reveal the superiority of God by out-muscling the bad.

But, as we see from the gospels, real glory doesn’t consist in out-muscling the bad, or anyone else. When Jesus was being crucified, he was offered precisely the challenge to prove that he was special by doing some spectacular gesture that would leave all of his detractors stunned and helpless: “If you are the Son of God, prove it, come down off the cross! Save yourself!”

But the Gospels teach a very different lesson: On the cross, Jesus proves that he is powerful beyond measure, not by doing some spectacular physical act that leaves everyone around him helpless to make any protest, but in a spectacular act of the heart wherein he forgives those who are mocking and killing him. Divine kingship is manifest in forgiveness, not in muscle.

Jesus defines glory very differently than we do. Real glory, for him, is not the glory of winning a gold medal, of being a champion, of winning an Oscar, or of being an object of envy because of our looks or our achievements. Glory consists in being deep in compassion, forgiveness, and graciousness—and these are not often spawned by worldly success, by being better-looking, brighter, richer, or better muscled than those around us.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who nurse a secret dream of glory. This is healthy, a sign that we are emotionally well. However, this is something that needs to grow and mature inside of us. Our secret dream of glory is meant to mature so that we envision ourselves as standing out, not by talent, looks, muscles, and speed, but by the depth of our compassion and the quality of our forgiveness.

 

God Does Not rescue

 

I ask your prayers for three Sonshine friends who are coping with illness and grief.

Fr. Erick in hospital recovering from surgery struggling with heart problems, Ted surgery for cancer and Denny (Mr Milk) son Chris in heaven.

 

Jesus never promised us to rescue, be exempt from disease or heart problems, immunity from cancer, or escape from death.

John, the evangelist, tells us the story about Lazarus. Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary, sent word to Jesus that "the man you love is ill" with the implied request that Jesus should come and heal him. But Jesus' reaction is curious. He doesn't rush off immediately to try and heal his close friend. Instead, he remains where he is for two days longer while his friend dies. Then, after Lazarus has died, he sets off to visit him. As he approaches the village where Lazarus has died, he is met by Martha and then, later, by Mary. Each, in turn, asks him the question: “Why?” Why, since you loved this man, did you not come to save him from death? Indeed, Mary's question implies even more: “Why?” Why is it that God invariably seems absent when bad things happen to good people? Why doesn't God rescue his loved ones and save them from pain and death?

Jesus doesn't offer any apology in response. Instead, he asks where they have laid the body, lets them take him there, sees the burial site, weeps in sorrow, and then raises his dead friend back to life.  So why did he let him die in the first place? Why didn't Jesus rush down to save Lazarus since he loved him?

The answer to that question teaches a very important lesson about Jesus, God, and faith, namely, that God is not one who ordinarily rescues us, but is rather a God who redeems us. God doesn't ordinarily intervene to save us from humiliation, pain, and death; rather he redeems humiliation, pain, and death after the fact.

Simply put, Jesus treats Lazarus exactly the same way as God, the Father, treats Jesus: Jesus is deeply and intimately loved by his Father and yet his Father doesn't rescue him from humiliation, pain, and death. When jesus is humiliated, suffering, and dying on the cross, he is jeered by the crowd with the challenge: “if God is your father, let him rescue you!” But there's no rescue. Instead, Jesus dies inside the humiliation and pain. God raises him up only after his death.

This is one of the key revelations inside the resurrection: we have a redeeming, not a rescuing, God.

Indeed, the story of the raising of Lazarus in John’s Gospel was meant to answer a burning question inside the first generation of Christians: they had known Jesus in the flesh, had been intimate friends with him, had seen him heal people and raise people from the dead, so why was he letting them die? Why wasn't Jesus rescuing them?

It took the early Christians some time to grasp that Jesus doesn't ordinarily give special exemptions to his friends, no more than God gave special exemptions to Jesus. So, like us, they struggled with the fact that someone can have a deep, genuine faith, be deeply loved by God, and still have to suffer humiliation, pain, and death like everyone else. God didn't spare Jesus from suffering and death, and Jesus doesn't spare us from them.

We pray for our moms who stood by our side during times of suffering, who gave us medicine or stayed up all night when we were sick, who prayed for us when our friends had died of a drug overdose or suicide.

This is one key revelation perhaps most misunderstand. We are forever predicating our faith on, and preaching a rescuing God, a God who promises special exemptions who have faith in Jesus, and you will be spared from life's humiliations and pains! Have a genuine faith in Jesus, and prosperity will come your way! Believe in the resurrection, and rainbows will surround your life!

Would it were so! But Jesus never promised us rescue, exemptions, immunity from cancer, or escape from death. He promised rather that, in the end, there will be redemption, vindication, immunity from suffering, and eternal life. That sounds like our mothers who taught us perservance, patience and forgiveness.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and all nurturing women who we pray for on their special day. During this Easter Season, keep this in mind that the death and resurrection of Jesus reveals a redeeming, not a rescuing, God.

 

Breakfast with Jesus

Last night I cooked a vegan dinner “potato chickpea spinach curry.” While Sue is dicing onions and potatoes, mincing garlic. I am measuring spices of Balti curry and turmeric. Spanish rice is cooking in the oven. I am prepping chickpeas, cherry tomatoes and spinach. Then it’s all about timing. Once potatoes and onions are part cooked, warm the spices and add coconut milk cooked potatoes chickpeas and simmer. While curry is simmering, add cherry tomatoes and spinach, stir spinach will wilt but don’t overcook. I love this dinner, for you garnish with fresh cilantro and serve over hot oven rice. However, I could have served it with Naan or flatbread for dipping but that’s for next try. It’s a cozy kind of dinner. What could be better than having breakfast ( a meal) with Jesus?

In this story, the evangelist tells us, Jesus appears for the third time to his disciples. These boys have gone off on a little fishing trip. After all, what do you do when your rabbi and Messiah has miraculously been raised from the dead and you’re not quite sure what the next move should be? Sometimes it’s just comfortable to go back to what you know. So, Simon Peter takes the lads out on the boat. They’ve fished all night and caught bupkis. They row back to shore, and there’s a guy there with a charcoal fire making some toast. Yup. It’s the Lord alright. What’s he up to?

Jesus is making the guys some breakfast. He gives them a little advice on where to catch the fish, but he’s already got the fire going to roast some kippers. Kippers and toast sounds like a pretty good breakfast to me. I’m sure Jesus enjoyed it with them, further demonstrating that he wasn’t a ghost. Maybe that’s what he intended to show them through this homely, impromptu picnic by the lake shore. He was real. He rose. Life is eternal, death is conquered, and they have no need to be afraid of anything ever again.

I imagine these old boys felt pretty good sharing each other’s company while munching their toasted fish sandwiches. When I think of this moment, I can almost feel the soft breeze coming off the Sea of Galilee and see the smiles on the faces of the disciples as they relax in the faith and surety that God is in control, Jesus is back, and they just caught 153 fish, most of which they can sell at a profit. It’s a pretty good morning.

That’s another thing Jesus has shown them. They’ve spent a long night and come up empty, but joy came in the morning. God provided for their needs. Maybe they were just looking in the wrong place. Maybe they were impatient. The fish were always there. Jesus wanted them to have faith, to know that God provides. Beside reassuring them of eternal life, Jesus wanted them—and us—to live fearlessly because fear is an instrument of the devil. We’ll be afraid of what we don’t understand, and we’ll learn to hate what we fear. But God calls us to know his goodness and providence and to live lives of trust and faith.

When I see this story in my mind’s eye and imagine Jesus standing with the fork over the barbeque, I’m reminded of John’s version of the Last Supper. Jesus demonstrated his love and ministry by washing the feet of the disciples. Here, in this passage, he’s again taking the servant role. He’s the host and they’re the guests (even though they brought most of the breakfast). He’s leading by example, reminding his buddies their job is to be servants—not leaders—to a hungry world. He’s slowly preparing them to be the Church.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are struggling with chemo therapy, or worried about their jobs or fear being deported. Once again put our faith and trust in the teacher who truly has come back to life and takes away our fears and carry on His good works.