Hugging Prayer For Mother's Day

 
My Mother taught me many prayers when I was young. Often, they were prayers of comfort, in contrast to my father, who usually taught me prayers to meet life’s challenges.
          I didn’t always think of my Mother’s prayers as prayers, even though that’s what she called them. Sometimes, I just went through them with her to satisfy her. Nevertheless, because they were based on experience, many of them stuck with me.
          This is one of my favorites. I was about six years old at the time. I was sitting outside on a block of concrete, and I was crying. I don’t even know why. I was just crying and crying. My Mother came along and said, “What’s the matter?” I said, “Nothing, leave me alone!” She did - and then I really started crying!
          About 15 minutes later she came back and sat beside me. “You know,” she said, “I have to tell you something. There are going to be a lot of times in your life when you are going to cry, and you won’t know why. You won’t understand and neither will anyone else. You can marry the nicest man in the world, but at times like this he won’t know what to do to help you stop crying.”
          Then, she said she was going to teach me a prayer for the times when I was crying and didn’t know why. She made me get off the cement block and stand up. She said, “Now, put your arms around yourself. “I did but it wasn’t good enough.
          “You’re just folding your arms” she said. “Put them all the way around yourself. Cuddle your body. Hold yourself the way you would hold baby in your arms.
          “Now, after you have a real good hold of yourself, close your eyes and begin to rock yourself. Rock yourself real good, the way you would a baby, and just keep doing it. When you grow up, no matter how old you are, and you are crying and you don’t know why, I want you to rock yourself just like this. As you do it, remember that you are God’s little child, and that God understands why you are crying even if no one else does. And, remember, too, that God holds you close just the way you are holding yourself because God loves you very much. Then just keep rocking yourself and be comforted.”
          Isn’t that a good prayer? I still say it today when I feel bad. I recommend it for you, too. Just stand wherever you are - in the kitchen, in the shop or in the bathroom - and wrap your arms around yourself, tight as you can and rock yourself.
          Before long you’ll be able to feel God holding you in the same way you are holding yourself, and you’ll be comforted the way you were comforted as a child when your mother held you in her arms and rocked you.
          God understands why you are crying, even if no one else does.         

Yo Yo Sunday

You are going to love this Sonshine moment. It’s “Good Shepherd Sunday” and I’m thinking what can I do to help my parish family understand God’s love for them. The theme is “Nothing can take us out of the Jesus' hand.” So the light bulb goes off and I’m on the phone with a Sonshine friend and ask if he can find a vendor to order 100 “yo yo’s.

On Good Shepherd Sunday we read from the Gospel John: “ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28).

After the reading, I invite all the kids into the sanctuary. I ask: Do any of you have a yo-yo?  Do you know how to do any tricks with your yo-yo?  I brought my yo-yo this morning and I thought I would give a little demonstration.  I'm not really very good, but I can do a few simple tricks.
Then I bring out yo yo’s for all the kids to practice. What a sight!

Then I shared this story as the kids were playing with their yo yo’s. Did you notice that every one of my tricks started and ended exactly the same way?  Each trick began and ended with the yo-yo in the palm of my hand.  Jesus said, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."  When we give our heart to Jesus and place our life in his hands, we know that we are safe and that nothing can snatch us from his hand.  Oh, we may have our "ups and downs."  We may even stray away at times, but just a little tug will pull us right back into His hand.  Even when we really mess up, like I did on the "around the world" trick, he picks us up and dusts us off and there we are, right back in the palm of His hand.

Then I turned to the congregation, I have a surprise for you. I had the kids pass out yo’yo’s to the whole congregation. I told them to get up from their seats and start practicing. It was an incredible moment of grace, 7 year old's and 70 year old's were pulling their yo-yo’s up and down, people were laughing, making a scene, but everyone was having fun and learned the lesson. What an incredible group of folks who know how to laugh and pray!

You know isn't it great to have the assurance that Jesus has put us in the palm of his hand and that nothing can harm us or take us from his hand!

Then I offered this prayer with the children: “Dear Jesus, we thank you for holding us in your hand and for giving us the promise that nothing can take us from your hands.”

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends to remind them that You are always there to hold us in Your loving and compassionate hands. Let us all never forget that. Get your yo yo and starting practicing your “round the world.”

On My Knees

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Last night, I received a call from a long-time friend who wanted to share that his doctor has diagnosed him with prostate cancer. His medical team explained his options, and so he’s quite concerned and needs our prayers.

Then another online friend requested prayers for someone whose teenage children have left home. However, the kids came home and trashed their parent’s apartment. At the same time, this mother’s cancer has returned and she feels overwhelmed.

This morning another friend has been waiting for two weeks after his alcohol evaluation to start detox. He plans to drive to the clinic this morning with his overnight bag in hand and scream, “I’m ready for treatment, what’s taking so long!” In the meantime, he needs his pain medication to control his cancer.

Then last night, yes Sunday night, I was requested to conduct a memorial prayer service for a family whose brother committed suicide. Before the service, I met the brother and sister, nieces, nephew and girlfriend. They shared wonderful stories that he enjoyed riding horses and boating along the canal. However, he struggled with depression.

Imagine yourself standing on a dock beside one of those great old-time sailing vassals. It’s standing there, sails folded, waiting for the wind. Suddenly the breeze comes up, and the captain orders the sails to be hoisted and catches the sail full force and carries the ship away from the dock, where you are standing. Inevitably you are bound to say: “Well, there she’s goes!”

Soon the mighty ship is on the horizon where it looks like a speck before it disappears. It’s still grand and mighty, but it’s left us. We’re standing on the dock quite alone. But imagine on the other side of the ocean people are standing in anticipation and the speck on the horizon becomes larger and they begin to cry something different. They are crying with joy, not abandonment. “Here she comes!” And at the landing there is welcome, joy, embracing and celebration.

When you are on your knees and life is drifting away over the horizon, picture Jesus waiting on the eternal shore, who understands the human heart even when everything has gone wrong. And at that moment, instead of despair, fear and confusion, we are filled with life and hope and in the arms of the One who makes all things new again, the one who says, “Welcome little one. Welcome home.

This Easter season let us pray and remember: “He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.” (Isaiah 40: 11).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are “on their knees” at this moment feeling anxious, exhausted and afraid. The Risen Christ stands on the shore waiting to embrace you in his arms to bring his healing and peace

Running On Empty

An 84 year-old mom celebrated Easter with her adult children and heard her daughter make the comment that she was a tough mother when her girls were growing up. She was hurt by this remark because she felt that she was always there for her kids—through their cancer treatments, unemployment, divorces and assorted problems. She later visited the cemetery and stood in front of the graves of her parents and husband and asked: “Was she a good person?” Her kids had put doubt in her mind despite the fact she made sure her kids had everything they needed in life.

Despite our best efforts, there are times when we feel that we are “running on empty.” On Easter morning, the disciples were “running on empty” and wondered did they make a mistake believing that Jesus was the Messiah?   

In the midst of their confusion, doubt and fear, Jesus shows up and says: “Peace be with you.”  In other words, “Calm down you guys and gals!  Chill out!  Take a deep breath. Relax. It’s going to be ok.” That’s not what they were expecting!  They were expecting Jesus to give them a grilling with questions like, “Why did you abandon me? Where were you when I needed you the most? Why don’t you believe the report of Mary that I have risen from the dead?”

But Jesus doesn’t criticize. He understands how we are feeling when we are “running on empty”. He knows about the confusion, the doubts, the anxiety, the stress, the sickness, and the weariness that fills our lives and so he comes to us and quietly says, “Peace be with you.” Know that I am here with you.  I am walking this journey with you. You’re not alone. You can talk to me in prayer. You can lean on me when you are weak.

When we are “running on empty” Jesus offers us forgiveness. Forgiveness is a huge re-energizer, because the things that cause us to run out of energy and drain us emotionally and physically are guilt, remorse and resentment. Our senior lady nurturing was questioned by her daughter. How do we let go of our doubts and resentments when people make negative comments about us? There’s only one way to do that. Forgiveness. 

This Easter season let us pray and remember: “ There is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. ” Psalm 130: 4.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are “running on empty.” The Risen Christ comes to us to renew, refresh and energize our drooping spirits with a simple message: “Peace be with you.” Relax dear friends, for the risen Jesus fills us with hope.

Be Not Afraid

Nobody knows why firefighters are firefighters. Not even they can tell you why. It’s time somebody try. Firefighting is the most risky of all dead-end jobs and yet also the one where most workers are most likely to punch in early. It’s hard enough to believe that; it’s impossible to explain it. Wives hate the hours. Kids love the noise.

Any day at the firehouse the bell from hell puts the dispatcher on the horn with a  barn fully engulfed. Into the bunker pants, turnout coat, grab the mask and go. Minutes later you’re on site. As others run out with the animals, you go in. You’ll need all you can carry. The four pound axe, a six-foot rake, the halligan bar. In the scary dark with the heat eating your ears, you’re gouging out and tearing loose and pulling apart, gulping air and tasting black. Your windpipe is closing and you’ve lost track of which way is out. Is it worth it?

Donations are down, volunteers are scarce, and they’ve cut your budget, so now your job is more difficult and more dangerous. Your air is low. Inside your mask you’re throwing up. There’s a searing ember down your neck. Torn gloves expose a smashed hand. So you emerge from the holocaust hugging, with your elbows, somebody’s singed kitten.

Now you’re back at the station house. You’ve unstuffed your nostrils with soapy fingers; you can almost breathe again. Next come the tedious hours as you and Brillo gang up on the grimy tools. The cleanup crew at the firehouse is you when windows need washing and toilets need cleaning and floors mopping, you do it. They both go with the job.

Then there’s that night another volunteer company gets there first and you see this wet-eared rookie hot-dogging ahead; his academy boots still shiny. You lose him inside the crackling dark and you forget about him until your helmet-warning bell says get out. The chief is calling you off. You get out; the other guy didn’t. He had heard a scream from the bottom of a burning basement stairs and he headed down there, when on the bubbling tarpaper roof the three-ton compressor broke through, that day we lost two. Oh, yes, firefighters cry, but only briefly because now comes the inevitable and evermore paperwork just in case OSHA complains or somebody sues. Is it worth it?

The intercom barks again. This time it’s a warehouse, a big, fast, and multiple blazes, probably torched. Onsite engine men draped with icicles dragging an inch and three-quarter hose are waiting for your big line: ladder men can’t make the building without you. Search, rescue, ventilate. Eventually it’s over and out. You’re smoke smudged and sleepless and wrung out, but you won.

Back at the firehouse before cleanup, you and the guys sit a spell, tired but stimulated, drinking coffee and laughing, and feeling good about one another. Nobody outside your world can ever know this feeling. In any other uniform you get streets named after you for killing people; in this one you risk your life to save people. Until one day you run out of chances and at one final fire, either you buy it or you don’t. If you don’t, it’s only eventually to be brushed off with a puny pension or as volunteer hopefully sincere thanks from your neighbors. Yet there’s no way that you’d ever leave this job and you’re doubting even God knows why. You’re out of the shower now; most of the grime and some of the cynicism are down the drain, when you hear a strangely familiar voice saying, “It is worth it. It is worth it.” And you’re hearing this voice, and there is nobody there but you. It is a quiet voice from no where saying, “For salvaging things and people from flames, I have to rely on your hands.” You look around, still nobody. Yes, it is worth it.

Three weeks ago, I had the privilege of celebrating the life of one of the founder’s of the North Java Fire Department, Donald Almeter, or chief as folks in these parts lovingly called him. When his body was carried by the hearse into this town, two towering fire trucks with their ladders extended draped the American flag down the middle of Route 98. It was quite impressive and brought tears to the eyes of his children.

How impressive was that moment compared to what we don’t find this morning. The tomb is empty, and we don’t know where they have taken him.

At the chief’s Mass of the Resurrection, I shared that the light is better than darkness, hope better than despair. And in thinking of his faith, the chief reminds us that it is good for us to gather here in this church. For it is his life that speaks, not his death. It is his courage that he showed serving as firefighter and chief that speaks, not fear. And it is his hope and belief in the God who promises that we will rise with Him that speaks, not fear. And so I am here to talk to you about this neighbor’s faith in God and the resurrection.

If Easter Sunday has any real meaning, if this worship service this morning contains any real hope or joy, it all comes from precisely the fact that as a real human being, Jesus really and genuinely died. Without a real death, there also cannot be a real return of life. If Jesus’ death on Good Friday was just some play-acting on the part of a divine being, then this story is nothing but nonsense. You just cannot get excited unless the human being who had been Jesus of Nazareth not only had the utterly human ability to die but he really did get to that mortal point when the heart's electrical activity stops, the blood within the body pools and discolors, and the brain goes dead.

Anyone here who has ever had to deal with the death of a loved one knows that the finality of death can make you desperate and a little crazy. My last patient was a father whose 16-year-old son died in a garage fire a year ago on March first. Believe me every time I see this dad, he goes a little crazy with regret and guilt. “He should have been there to save his son.” You can't fix it, reverse it, or make it go away. The person you loved is just gone in such a way that you cannot reach him or her any longer. My heart breaks when some of you say to me, in the months following the death of a longtime spouse, "Just about every single day I still catch myself thinking, 'I can't wait to tell him about this.'" The sickening feeling of finality descends on you anew the moment you find yourself wishing that. You can't tell them anything. Not anymore.

So let’s review what really happened on the first Easter morning. Our story begins simply: Mary Magdalene treks to the tomb. She notices the stone has been moved and, apparently without any further checking, concludes that there is something fishy going on. Similarly, if you went to the grave of a loved one only to discover the headstone cracked in two and mounds of freshly dug dirt all around, you wouldn't bother, probably, to hop into the hole to see if the casket was still there. You'd high tail it out of there to call for help. What had happened was obvious. Since Jesus had been dead, and since Mary knew what dead looked like and how undeniably Jesus had fit the bill that past Friday, if he wasn't in the tomb where they laid him, then someone else had taken him. As a general rule, dead folks don't do a lot for themselves. This is not some silly a television program about the walking dead.

Peter and the other disciple, probably John, make the same conclusion, albeit only after a bit more of a thorough investigation of the alleged crime scene. Taken together, verses 8 and 9 of this passage indicate that Peter and John and Mary did not tumble to the notion that Jesus had been raised from the dead. What John says he "believed" in verse 8 is obviously the conclusion that something fishy, and maybe even grizzly, had gone on.

What follows is the now-famous scene of Mary Magdalene weeping her eyes out over this latest indignity visited upon a man she loved. Twice the Jesus-incognito figure asks Mary why she is weeping. Often we read this ironically: that is to say, we know there is actually no reason whatsoever to weep and so we inflect Jesus' words with a tone similar to what a parent would take toward a child who is crying over a dead pet when, really, the pet is just fine and sleeping over in the corner. "Jimmy, why are you crying? Knock it off and open your eyes--Squeaky is right over there!" But I suspect that is the wrong way to inflect the voice of Jesus here. Jesus knew better than anyone that Mary Magdalene's tears are representative of the tears of all humanity. This is the weeping, the bitter spilling forth of salty tears, that has enveloped the human race for ever so long now. It is the tears of the firemen when they lose a fellow firefighter, or the tears of a parent when their child had died in a fire.  Why was Mary crying? Mary wept because death had done to Jesus' body what death does to each person's body: renders it vulnerable to decay, decomposition, as well as totally defenseless against the whims of those who might be minded to abuse a corpse.

Jesus twice asked his logical question out of a deep well of both compassion and empathy. Mary Magdalene on Easter morning is a sign of each of us when we remember our spouse, parent, child or friend at the wake. Listen: Easter does not happen here in this church with its decked out in flowered sanctuary. Easter doesn't happen at he restaurant where we are having brunch with family. Easter doesn't happen on all those hillsides where this morning people gathered to watch the sunrise. Easter is not about an Easter bunny and kids getting chocolate candy. That is not Easter despite what you read in Sunday’s newspaper ads.

Listen: Easter happens in a fire when a firefighter carries out one of the victims of a terrorist bombing in Belgium, it’s the phone call I got from London when the emergency doctor told me that my sister-in-law died on the tarmac of London’s Heathrow airport of a heart attack, it’s the E.R. at Buffalo General when the doctor comes out to the waiting area and shakes his head. We couldn't save him. Easter happens at Marley’s when that first glimpse of your parent or spouse in the coffin hits you like a cinderblock to the solar plexus. You can't breathe. Easter happens in the barns and homes where men and women watch each other slowly kill themselves with alcohol and drugs, where life has become a living death. Easter happens on the nursing home floor where once strong-bodied men and women lose their memories due to Alzheimer’s and life has now come down to this long wait for death. Easter happens where death is, because that is the only place it is needed.

So this day is a reminder to you, as it was to Mary Madeline long ago on a morning outside Jerusalem, Jesus comes up from behind to ask, "Why are you weeping? Why are you depressed? Why are you so afraid that you, too, will end up in that wheelchair? Why are you so sad?" Every one of those questions has a perfectly logical answer. None of us weep without cause. Mary Magdalene didn't either. She, like each one of us, had an absolutely good reason to cry that morning, and had God not done that day a new thing the likes of which had never before been known, Mary's reason for crying would have also been correct. That's why Jesus doesn't rebuke her for crying. There is here no hint of "Knock it off" or "Silly woman, open your eyes!" Jesus himself knew that he and Mary both needed the tears if the truth of what had just happened was going to come to mean exactly what it still means: we have the hope of new life smack where we need it most: in the midst of a world full of suffering, death and dying.

Make no mistake, Jesus could have moldered in that tomb the same as anyone else. Jesus was raised from the dead only because of and by the power of God his Father. And that is my hope and your hope: we too would, without God's help, stay deader than dead the moment our hearts kick out on us. But Jesus demonstrates God's fierce determination not to let that happen. We can and will be raised because Jesus was raised. That is what this morning is all about and God because He truly loves you will raise you up. Listen to the voice of God as Gannon, our choir director, sings the hymn “Be Not Afraid.”

I Will Never Forget You

Just finishing cleaning the toilets. What is a priest doing on his hands and knees with a bottle of Lysol cleaner? Imitating a beautiful moment that I witnessed last night in church. In case you missed it, it was Holy Thursday last night, and the ceremony invites the priest to wash the feet of his parishioners to imitate what Christ did at the Last Supper. But imagine this!

A twenty year old soon to be enlist in the Army is washing the feet of a sixty something lumberjack, a widow is washing the feet of a retired school teacher, a husband is washing the feet of his spouse, a teenager is washing the feet of her twenty something sister, a prison guard is washing the feet of the lady who cooks all the funeral luncheons, an engineer washes the feet of a neighbor, a farmer washes the feet of one his hired hands.

Mind you as these people sat on the stool taking off their socks their was “lots of chatting” taking place. People were smiling, pouring “warm water” rubbing feet and tossing the towels over the heads of their neighbors into the baskets in the sanctuary. I thought it was the NCAA playoffs the way people were enjoying themselves.

No one complained, no one sat in the pew feeling disgusted because people were washing one another’s feet, rather this was a gesture of humility that God wants all of us to know is the secret ingredient of ministry. In my homily, I shared that in the past year our parishioners provided food for funeral luncheons, donated socks and undergarments for the elderly, made meals for shut-ins, mailed cards to neighbors who were ill or lost loved ones. opened a beautiful new playground for public use, donated half a steer to feed needy county families, donated winter clothes and children’s toys on St. Nicholas Day, brought Christmas presents to three families, began transforming the convent into a hospice home, and the children during Lent searched their closets for good clothes to give away to another child for Easter.

Imagine an eight year old searching her room to find something nice for another child to wear for Easter! Why would kids do this? Because they trust Jesus and are learning to be grateful and humble. And one more thing, the kids wrote Easter cards to give to people at the local nursing home. The message read: “Jesus loves you very much and we pray for you daily.”

This Easter remember that you are never forgotten by the Shepherd, Walt in rehab, Scott in detox, Laurie coping with divorce, Jared recovering from heart surgery, Penny’s MS, Mary’s eyes, Brad’s shoulder, Jimmy’s cancer, and all my Sonshine friends.                         

This Easter let us pray and remember: “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” Isaiah 49:16

Lord, this “shepherd” prays daily for all his Sonshine Friends as they sit for brunch or come to church to celebrate the Risen Lord. May you know that you are never forgotten and may the Risen Christ bring you and your family

A Beautiful Thing

Rounding third and heading home, a familiar baseball play-by-play call. We completed five weeks of Lent and heading for Palm Sunday and Holy Week. I met with the parish liturgical team to plan our Holy Week celebrations, but before we get ahead of ourselves, let me share this week’s reflection. I should have called it “A Beautiful Thing” because the congregation was silent during the presentation. You be the judge and allow the Spirit to take you by the heart and lead you to the Jesus of mercy and forgiveness.

This Gospel text is so hot that the early Church did not accept it till about the sixth century. I guess the thinking was, if we told people that Jesus went around forgiving people who had committed adultery, then people might get the idea, not that Jesus forgives, but that adultery is not all that bad.

Unfortunately we still see the church choosing to downplay forgiveness and mercy for fear that some might get the idea that God is, perish the thought, a forgiving and merciful Father. But that is what he is, and mercy and forgiveness are the themes in this Sunday’s readings.

It is a dramatic scene. The Pharisees had pulled a woman away from the very act of adultery. She was probably standing before Jesus and the whole crowd of leering religious leaders, clutching whatever makeshift piece of clothing she had been able to put around herself. The ones who should have been ashamed were these hypocritical religious leaders, and not the poor woman.

The question they posed to Jesus was meant to entrap him. They said the woman had just been caught in the act of adultery. We can well ask, how would they have known unless they set this act up themselves? They pointed out to Jesus that the Jewish law said such a woman should be stoned to death. What did he say?

The dilemma they were putting Jesus in is that if he agreed to her being stoned, he would be undermining his whole teaching of forgiveness. Then the Pharisees could have held Jesus and his teachings up to ridicule. If Jesus said, however, as the law stipulated, that the woman should not be stoned, he would be going against the Jewish law. In this case, the hypocritical Pharisees could accuse Jesus of being a breaker of the revered Jewish law. Finally, if Jesus said she should be stoned, he was going against the Roman law, which forbade the Jews to carry out any capital punishment on their own.

So Jesus was being set up in an airtight conundrum. No matter which of the three courses he took, he would be either a laughing stock or guilty of breaking the Jewish or Roman law. Jesus did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and started drawing lines in the sand. This gesture of squatting was what Jewish men often did to show their utter disinterest in the topic at hand. Jesus was saying by this gesture, I choose not at all to involved in your hypocritical kangaroo court against this woman. See to it yourselves.

But rather than say, "See to it yourselves," he said something else that was a stroke of genius. He said, "Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone." This was such a beautiful comeback, for Jesus was saying "I recognize the Jewish laws and the Roman laws; but if you are so eager to see this woman stoned, let he among you who has never committed the same sin as this woman, let that person cast the first stone." Then we read that Jesus went on drawing lines in the sand. Some commentators say he was writing the sins of each man, or at least that each man, walking by and looking down at Jesus' lines in the sand, saw written there his own sins of adultery and worse. And the text says they all walked away, beginning from the eldest.

Then Jesus did a most beautiful thing. He recognized the woman as a human person deserving of respect. He showed he sympathized with her feelings of shame and confusion. He asked simply of the woman: "Has no one accused you?" She probably hung her head when she answered softly, "No one, Lord." Then Jesus showed his divine mercy in saying softly also, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, then, and do not commit this sin again," or more simply, as some translations, "Go, now, and sin no more."

Let us pray and reflect: “Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.” (Psalm 40:11).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have done foolish, sinful things. Let us put our trust in your mercy to take us by the hands and say: Ha         s no one accused you, then neither do I.”

Invitation to Repent

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If you want to know what was the best birthday gift I have ever received, it was a phone call from a dad who shared that his daughter was alive. His 14 year-old daughter threaten suicide last week. In this crisis, I immediately recommended that he get her assessed and if needed into a mental health facility to keep her safe. I learned that the mental health team felt that it was necessary to keep her for five days for observation.

Now this dad called me again to give me an update on his daughter’s progress. He was feeling confused and sad because his daughter did not want to speak to him. This father called the parents of her boyfriend to share that the kids were having sex. When she was discharged from the treatment, the boyfriend broke off the relationship. The daughter was furious and blamed dad for the breakup.

No doubt, it’s tough being a parent, but it doesn’t compare to the sorrow of a parent who learns that their child committed suicide. Instead of tragedy, she was back in school, started counseling and our dad needed some reassurance that he had done the right thing.

I reminded him about the story of the prodigal son, yes our kids don’t measure up to our expectations, but we need to be hopeful and at times very firm, No sex, no drugs, no more drama or nonsense, God has blessed you with all the gifts to grow up to be a loving nurturing parent someday, but not just today.

So if you are parent with a child, a rebellious teen, and a young adult who resents you from the past remember the love of this dad in the story of the prodigal son. Neither of his boys understood the love that he offered them. Both of them had to accept that they were loved by their father no matter who they are and no matter what they have done. They could always come home and find forgiveness. Jesus told this story to remind us of his Father’s love, the same love that God has for you when you are tempted to be selfish, critical of others, self-righteous, or simply not at your best.

Praise Jesus that he is patient with all his children of all generations whether we are six, sixteen or seventy-six. We are all in need of repentance and to be honest it takes time, understanding and patience.

Let us pray and reflect: But you are merciful to all, for you can do all things, and you overlook people’s sins, so that they may repent. “ (Wisdom 11:23).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they know my humble gratitude for their prayers and gifts. Yours cards, specialty coffees and breads were the best. May the Lord continue to bless each of you on your Lenten journey.

So God Made a Farmer

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“So God Made a Farmer” by Paul Harvey

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/paulharveysogodmadeafarmer.htm

I played the audio version of Paul Harvey’s message “God Made a Farmer’ this past Sunday because another storyteller celebrated the contribution of the farmer in the stories he told. While standing in the rows of a vineyard, sitting beside a freshly planted crop, or looking at fields ripe for harvest, Jesus never tired of using the farmer and the soil of his profession to illustrate spiritual truths.  In most of these stories, God is the farmer, exhibiting interest in His crops and enduring patience with what he has planted.  

That is certainly the case in the Gospel story about the fig tree. A vineyard owner wants a fig tree planted on his land and has his farmer put one in the soil.  He expects it to grow and plant figs, yet it does not for its first three years.  He concludes that it is worthless and orders it to be removed.  The farmer, though, has more patience and convinces the owner to give it one more year, during which he will give it special attention and fertilize it with manure. He believes it has a future.

Recently, we asked our parishioners to respond to a survey about the “spiritual health” of Holy Family. One comment stated that maybe we should only baptize people from the parish. In our last baptism, people in the pews felt uncomfortable because the manners of the family at the font did not meet their expectations. Some people felt annoyed and upset by what they witnessed. Our committee members had a lively exchange of opinions. Maybe we need guidelines about who and who can’t be baptized in the church? Others felt that the parish “mission” statement welcomes all with open arms. 

Kathleen Norris, in her book The Cloister Walk, provides insight on what happens when we don’t repent, Repentance is coming to our senses, seeing, suddenly, what we’ve done that we might not have done, or recognizing … that the problem is not in what we do but in what we become.

Our lack of repentance results in our becoming something far less than God intended when he planted us in this world. We may look healthy on the outside, but our lack of fruit is evidence that we are perishing. You and I are not here to enjoy the rich nutrients of the soil and keep them all to ourselves. We are not here to take up space and not produce any fruit.  We are not here to live without accountability and inspection.  We are not here to wonder about other people’s innocence or guilt or etiquette and not consider our own.

What we are here to do is to thrive in the vineyard of God and bear fruit for the people of our world.  The fruit of our branches is to provide nourishment, taste, health, and life in our community.  Is such fruit on our branches?  Are we that part in the crowd who can’t understand Jesus?

The agricultural tip for the people to bear fruit rather than perishing was in the manure. God could take the waste of life and bring beautiful and life-giving fruit from it.  This wouldn’t happen unless they were willing to use it as fertilizer.  There was still hope. Jesus, one skilled in bringing life from waste, could see the potential in the people who gathered around him that day.  He looked at their fruitless branches and saw fruit. He could bring it out of them if they would join in; if they would do their work of turning away from the things that were destroying their lives and take in the ingredients of life God had for them.

Let us pray and reflect: “But you are merciful to all, for you can do all things, and you overlook people’s sins, so that they may repent.” (Wisdom 11:23).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that Lent becomes a time of crop inspection. Let this season be a time to see not so much what needs to be given up, but adding what is missing.  It is a time to allow God to redeem the waste of our unfruitfulness and bring the kind of harvest our world is missing.

Would You like to take a walk with Jesus?

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A woman was sitting in her patio, having a morning cup of coffee. Suddenly she felt the presence of someone standing behind her. She felt a thrashing shock like a thousand volts shooting through her entire body. Standing there was Jesus! Was she hallucinating? No, it really was Jesus, just standing there, smiling the most magnetic smile she had ever seen. "'Would you like to go for a walk?' he asked me.

Yes, she would very much like to take a walk with Jesus? She asked, “Is it all right for me to call you by your first name? Or would you prefer Master?”
“Jesus is fine,” he continued to smile ever so graciously. “Come, let's walk.”

What a fabulous opportunity, walking with Jesus. She had so many questions. Now she could finally get answers. Right from Jesus himself.
As they walked along, she broke the silence. “Jesus, you know this doctrine about the Trinity, three Persons in one God.” “Shhh,” he whispered. “do you hear the joyous babbling of that brook over there?” I listened with some impatience, she must admit.

Then she asked, “Jesus, I've been having a lot of trouble with my prayer life.” “Shhh,” he interrupted again. “can you hear the squeals of the little children playing out there in the meadow?”  She hadn't heard. And she must admit she couldn't have cared less. Jesus was here and she wanted answers

They kept walking along. 'What about this final judgment, you know the sheep and the goats? There's nothing there about missing Mass or forgetting to abstain from meat during Lent.” “Shhh,” Jesus said. “Look up there at the birds in the sky. Did you ever see anything so beautiful.” Jesus turned and began to walk away. He hadn't answered one of her questions. And she had so many more. Then he turned and looked at her with that smile of his. She thought he was going to say goodbye. But then his face clouded over with affectionate sadness and he said, “Why do you try so hard?”

Let us pray and reflect: “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. (Psalm 9:10).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they focus more attention on things that matter to Jesus. More smiles, more “I love you” to those dear to us, and more confidence that Jesus came to save us from our fears, doubts and worries. Besides giving up “sweets” for Lent, notice the beauty around you and thank God for his magnificent creation.