When God Winks At You

Perhaps when you were little sitting at the dining room table and sharing a meal with your family, your grand-dad looked up at you and winked. It was his gesture that you were very special to him and that everything in life was going to be alright.

When Maggie’s hot water tank died, our Lutheran contractor installed the new tank that was a “Godwink” meaning everything was going to be alright. When the Office of the Aging petitioned the Ministry of Concern and they contributed $200 towards the purchase of the tank that was another “Godwink.” When Jana, the social worker called to share that Catholic Charities would donate $350 that was a “Godwink.” Then when Doug said that he would reach out to Angel Action for help, now we are praying for another “Godwink.”

Sadly, when I took Maggie to Social Security to apply for SSI, her claim was denied for the second time. She has two insurance policies and the government rules that you cannot have no more than $2,000 in your combined savings and insurance. 

After waiting two hours on the phone to speak with a Social Security agent, they sadly did not know how to help. When I called the local Batavia Social Security office, the agent was somewhat more helpful in looking up the rules but said she could not help me any longer because there were other people waiting on the phone. 

We are waiting for another “Godwink.” Someone who knows the Social Security SSI rules and would say in this case, “piece of cake.” We can help Maggie make her eligible to receive the funds she needs to pay for repairs, buy food and pay off her monthly loan for medical bills when she had cancer. You see “Godwinked” at her a decade ago so that her cancer is in remission.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have the gifts, the potential, and the funds to be a “Godwink” to the “little ones” like Maggie in our world. God bless those people who make the time, find the means and walk the talk to bring your compassion and love to others. Now that’s a “Godwink.”

Positive Things to Do for Lent

Do you remember many Lents ago when your mother said: “Don’t forget to think about what you’re going to do for Lent, and make sure you do something positive, too.”

Of course, Lent is all about prayer, penance, and almsgiving. But, I’m convinced that’s never enough. Lent definitely is a time for repentance. Yet, it’s also a time for reaching out for God’s love and working with all our might to become better persons, better Christians.

Jesus taught his disciples what they should not do, but he also taught them what they should do, and that includes doing positive things that effect the spiritual growth of ourselves and others. And for this reason, I’ve reminded all the grownups in church this Lent to resolve daily to do at least a couple of positive things that will help them to grow in faith, hope, and charity and to facilitate that growth in others. I urged them to do things that would make them better people and the world around them a better place to live.

I’ve compiled a list of positive things you can do this Lent.

1. Resolve to perform one random act of kindness. Make coffee in the morning for your partner, hold a door open, let someone get in line first, refrain from cutting off the guy driving like a jerk in the car next to you, or do somebody’s else’s chore for them (and don’t ask for payback).

2. Eat well. Yes, we give up our favorite treats like chocolate or beer but…how about deciding to eat the foods that are good for you, even if you don’t like them?

3. Enlighten someone’s day. Send an uplifting thank you or get-well card, email, or phone a family member, friend, or acquaintance that shows you’re thinking about, and praying for them.

4. Don’t pray more, pray better. For most of us, it’s difficult to add more into our day. How about putting more into the prayer times you’ve already got in place? Light a candle, sit in a more attentive position, or change to a more secluded atmosphere so that you can really be alone and focused on God.

5. Go through your closets and select some clothes or toys to donate to the poor, a nursing home or children’s’ hospital.

6. Call up a neighbor and visit with them on the phone or better yet, take them a homemade treat like rhubarb pie, and spend some time with them in their home.

7.. Rise and shine. Get up 15 minutes earlier. Even if you’re dull and sleepy-headed, spend the time in God’s presence. Then go a step further and tell him how much you love him.

8. Spend at least one weekend or evening volunteering during Lent. Serve a meal at your local soup kitchen. Visit the elderly. Stock shelves at a food pantry.

9. Instead of going out every Friday during Lent to a different restaurant for a fish fry, stay home and cook a simple meatless or soup meal. Use the money you saved to go online and select a gift from the registry for Charlotte House.

10. Mark your calendar and attend your parish retreat. Holy Family invites you to attend our retreat on Sunday March 24 from 10am to 2pm. The theme is “How to Live a Joyful Life.”

As I placed ashes on foreheads, this was my blessing prayer: “So let us be marked not for sorrow, not for shame, not for false humility or for thinking we are less than we are but for claiming
what God can do within the dust, within the dirt, within the stuff of which the world is made. May Jesus create a clean heart in us, and put a new compassionate heart within us.” Psalm 51:10.

A Call to Action

Last Friday, Maggie, my neighbor, called to say that her hot water tank was not working. We roll our eyes and say: “Why me, Lord… I’m too busy, better yet, I’m no plumber.” But after that initial twinge of selfishness goes away, we move on to the next phase figuring out how to help someone Jesus describes as one of His “little ones.” 

I already knew the hot water tank was on its last leg. When I had Maggie’s home remodeled last year through a grant, I asked for a replacement of the tank but the director of the program said no. 

So, who do you call? For me, it’s my Lutheran builder, whose response was “we will be at her home on Tuesday and get it replaced.” Some people are willing to help and make no excuses.

Now my style was to contact the agencies who say that they are there to help our seniors. They go by various names: Community Action, US Rural Development, Pathstone, Ministry of Concern, Catholic Charities, Office of Aging. So, I drive Maggie to the Office of Aging where we meet Jana, a case worker, who explains that one director was meeting with another director to find out who can help. As per my style, I contacted three more agencies and let them know that Maggie needed their assistance and I was ready to help her fill out their forms. One agency shared that she had used them in the past and could not come back for a second helping. How sad to think our government sets limits on people in need.

After our visit to the Office of the Aging, I took Maggie for her eye exam and treated her to lunch. She had finished her julianne salad when I looked up and to my surprise she had taken her dentures out of her mouth. A tad embarrassed, she simply smiled back.

After our shopping trip, Maggie asked me to check her bath shower because there was no hot water. I taught her to let it run awhile until the water gets hot. We adjusted her shower head so that more warm water comes out. Later that day, Jana called to report that the Ministry of Concern would donate $200 towards the tank. We need $850, so I encouraged her to contact Community Action and ask Catholic Charities to help out.

You see, God loves our stories. He planted us on His good earth to die so that we might know eternal life and flowering into maturity by surrendering ourselves completely to God's Plan.  

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we realize that each of us has the opportunity to make a unique contribution to the fulfillment of God's Grand Design. We are challenged to make our life story a story about helping God’s little ones like Maggie. May the story you are telling God with your life be a story of the "Good Life." God loves a "Good Life" story more than you can possibly imagine!

Love Your Enemies

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Charlie Brown once said, "Loving the world is no big chore. My problem is the person next door." We all have people who offend us, who cause us pain, who make our life difficult. It might be the obnoxious neighbor next door or it could be an unethical business associate, or that bigot of a brother-in-law, or relative whose always bashing our church, or maybe a priest who told you decades ago that you could not come to communion because you got a divorce, or that teacher who made a fool of you in class. Maybe it's your bitter ex-spouse or a disrespectful teenager or the boss who won't let up on you. How about that parent you just can't seem to please or that former friend who's telling everyone on Facebook what an idiot you are? You can add to your own lists.

And what does Jesus say we should do? Love them! He doesn't say ignore them, or avoid them, or tolerate them; He says love them! By love, Jesus means a love that has nothing to do with how you feel about the person, nothing to do with liking the person, nothing to do with what they deserve, nothing to do with getting anything in return. Jesus isn't concerned about what we feel for them, He's only concerned about what we do for them. Jesus love  is an act of the will; we decide to love the other person. 

"Do good to those who hate you."  You know that person you can't stand and who can't stand you?  Jesus says do something nice for them. Radical? You bet, but Jesus said, "If you do good only to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that." Now what if you do good to that person and they go on treating you just as badly as before? Then what? That's the whole point Jesus is making. You go right on doing good for them. Christian love never depends on what the other person does.

"Pray for those who mistreat you." Is Jesus telling to pray for evil people so they can go on mistreating us or abusing us? I don't think so. He's telling us that we must pray that God will work in their hearts to change whatever needs changing, and pray that they will respond to God's will. I think Jesus is really on to something here because I've discovered that it's terribly difficult to hate someone I'm praying for because when I bring their situation to God, it often helps me to see more clearly what makes them how they are. "Pray for those who mistreat you."

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends to give us the courage to turn the other cheek. Sometimes we will get hurt, but this is the only kind of love that will grab the world's attention, that will set us apart. As we begin to look forward to the season of Lent, it's time for each of us to choose: am I ready to live my life by Jesus's standards or will I continue to live by the world's standards. May God give us the strength to choose the way of love.

If you say so.. we will do it

Sometimes we wish we could meet the disciples. Wouldn’t it have been something to have been able to meet Peter, to shake Matthew’s hand?  What if even now we could somehow go back in time to hear the Sermon on the Mount?”  Often when people wish for such things, the motivation seems to be a combination of healthy curiosity and the idea that maybe it would be easier to believe the gospel if we could have seen gospel events unfold before our very eyes.

I doubt that seeing the disciples would make the gospel easier to believe.  In fact, seeing the disciples in person might just make it more difficult! The disciples were not, after all, from among society’s upper echelons.  They were not highly educated, well-dressed, or outwardly impressive.  

If you took the disciples and brought them all together into one room, you would never in your wildest imagination guess by looking at them that this weak-looking pack of ordinary folks could change the world.  But they did.  The disciples changed the world because it was to them that the secret of the universe was first revealed.

That’s why Jesus called them in the first place. If you’re going to save the world, you’ve got to start somewhere. And if in the end you’re going to save the world through humility, gentleness, compassion, and sacrifice, it makes sense to begin with a bunch of fellows who couldn’t get much more humble if they tried! The disciples needed to be common, ordinary, and above all humble if they were going to do Jesus any good and so change the world. 

“Let’s go fishing out into the deep water. I’ve got a hunch there’s a catch out there.”  Simon, experienced fisherman that he was, tried to be polite in his answer to this landlubber. “You know, Master, we’ve been out the whole night, and caught nothing.”  He didn’t add, but was probably thinking, “This guy doesn’t realize that no one goes deep sea fishing in broad daylight around here”.  But Simon, having failed to accomplish much by his own tried and true methods, was in no position to question the Lord’s strange suggestion.  What he does say is the sentence that will change the entire course of his life. Perhaps he said it with a sigh of resignation.  “If you say so…we’ll do it.”  Well, you know what happened.

It all begins when Jesus comes to us in the middle of our lives, where we work, where we live, the seaside, the classroom, the hospital, the barn, the kitchen, and asks us to trust him enough to do one strange little thing, like fishing in the deep water in broad daylight.  It’s the kind of thing that’s a little weird, a bit outside your usual routine.  But that’s often where Jesus’ call comes to us: where we least expect it.  Where we’ve failed.  Where we feel over our heads.  Where we feel uncomfortable. Jesus does not typically walk into our lives where we feel in control, where we are flush with our own success.  It’s in our places of vulnerability and confusion, failure and sin.  He likes to get us out there in the deep water in broad daylight where we feel a little silly and strange.

Jesus invited Peter to fish in the deep water. That little phrase bristles with suggestive possibilities.  God takes the highest view of our potential.  He doesn’t want us to be paddling around in the shallows of life where we often spend so much of our time.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who you have bless with great potential to bring your compassion to hurting people. May our diversity be a source of strength that brings your love to all God’s people. We need volunteers to work in Charlotte House, the new hospice program in Wyoming County. If you like to donate your compassionate skills, contact Tim Kibler at 727-0942.

An Old Message in Modern Times

NORTH JAVA — Madelyn King delivers her lines during Saturday morning’s dress rehearsal for Holy Family Parish’s nativity play.

As with multiple other churches throughout the area, it’s a Christmas tradition and Madelyn, 11, is among 15 young people participating. The message is a bit heavy at first, with Madelyn playing a daughter talking with her mother about modern holiday expectations and unrealistic goals

Then it segues into the familiar story of Mary and Joseph, and Jesus Christ’s arrival in a Bethlehem manger.

“We’ve been practicing for a couple weeks,” Madelyn said. “It’s fun.”

The church’s Nativity play was written by its religious education students, who range from 4 to 16 years old. It was set to be performed Sunday, as part of the run-up to the Christmas holiday.

Titled “A Christmas Reminder,” it offered a younger person’s perspective in some ways — frazzled parents and frantic smartphone calls, amid the holiday rush, while forgetting the holiday’s religious reality and simple truth.

The young people had been writing and rehearsing the play for several weeks, and it ended with “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World.”

“I think they’re unique kids,” said Molly Haungs, who helps teach religious education at the parish. “They wanted to tell the Nativity story, but they wanted to tell in a way other people would be able to relate to, and would be more meaningful. I think that sometimes traditions allow things to get lost, and you can put a different twist on it, and then it becomes something that’s more heartfelt ... That’s what I think they were looking for.”

Likewise most of the churches in the region as they celebrate Christmas.

Rev. Matt Kawiak, the church’s pastor, said he thanked the kids, their parents and teachers for their sacrifices and work throughout the process, including getting up early on a Saturday morning for the dress rehearsal.

And the play indeed has meaning for the wider congregation and community, he said.

“The adults who are going to witness this tomorrow, I know they’re coming, even though they’re busy with holiday shopping, Christmas cookies and parties,” Kawiak said. “I know they’re coming with a lot of hurt and pain from their daily lives, and the purpose of the Nativity scene is to bring hope to people’s lives. It isn’t about the parties and buying the gifts. It’s about needing Jesus in our lives.

That can include anybody from frazzled parents, to older people living alone, to people in broken relationships, or who lost loved ones over the past year.

Kawiak said the church is inviting anybody, of any faith or background, to attend the church’s Christmas Mass at 4:30 p.m. today. Holy Family Parish is part of the Polish National Catholic Church.

“The bottom line is the nativity is a sign there is a God who cares about us and loves us, despite all the brokenness and hurt in our lives,” Kawiak said.

Do You Need A Healing?

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It has been a hard week for many patients. I have had a mother cry in my office whose daughter died last year of a sudden heart attack. Another mom’s son died a year ago just before thanksgiving of a drug overdose. A wonderful Italian woman just returned from visiting  her best friend of 40 years who is dying in her own home. 

Then on Wednesday, I was called to help teachers, aids and staff in a very special school where a third grader died unexpectedly.  Finally, I had a woman share that she had to go back to the hospital a second time this past month. While her doctor was explaining that further treatment would require surgery to correct an electrical problem, someone popped their head through the curtain. The doctor asked if it was OK to let this person into the room. She was surprised because it turned out to be her brother-in-law who is being treated for cancer. He came smiling through the curtain, walked around her bed, pulled up a chair and took by her hand and squeezed it and looked at the doctor and said; “What are you doing for my girl.” Her reaction, why she never felt so loved and appreciated in her life. Imagine this that. This man is battling cancer and yet he found the time to come and visit her.

This coming Sunday, The third Sunday of Advent I will lead an Healing Service. This is what I will say. "This morning you have come to receive a powerful sacrament, the Anointing of the Sick. God is here ready to perform a miracle. Now close your eyes and imagine you are the patient in that hospital bed. Imagine, it is God the Father, the Great Physician, who is talking to you about what he wants to do to help you feel better and take away your pain. Then imagine, it's Jesus who pops his head through that curtain, walks around your bed, pulls up a chair and takes you by the hand and squeezes it and looks up at his Father and says, “now tell me dad, what are you going to do to make my boy, my girl better.” In your heart, what would you tell God that needs to be healed?

Is it a cancer, an addiction, a broken-heart, a past hurt, a pain in your neck, back or knee, or all over. Do you have a bad ticker, or a soul that feels sad and empty. 

Now before you walk up the aisle to have your forehead and hands anointed, take a moment to think what needs to be healed in your life. When you show me your hands, you might say: 'Jesus I want to be healed of my….' and fill in the words or phrase that best expresses what’s hurting you most at this stage of your life. 

And I will say the healing prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to come down upon you to give you His strength, His courage and His healing."

Lord, I pray for all my online Sonshine Friends who are hurting in any physical, emotional or spiritual way that You come beside them now and take their hand and heal them with Your love and peace.

 

Priest's landscapes Support Comfort Care Hospice

There are many ways to support a good cause. Two years ago, Charlotte Comfort Home was an idea to provide compassion and care to the dying in Wyoming County. Tim Kibler, the hospice director, shared that this project would be a “community effort by the community.” This project has grown from a grass roots effort of local people who plan campaigns that have included wine and spirit nights, theatre by a professional ballet, Arcade and Attica railroad mystery dinner theatre and now the invitation to buy greeting cards for the holidays to provide encouragement and celebration for those special occasions. However, the artist for these cards comes from a local pastor who enjoys landscape photography that parallels his ministry as a storyteller.

Fr. Matt currently serves as “shepherd” (pastor) at Holy Family Catholic Parish in North Java, New York. Since the 90’s he started his journey as a photo journalist taking pictures for science projects. In 2002, he was invited into the home of Mr. OJ Roth, a 45 year photo journalist with Eastman Kodak. “It’s all about the light” OJ would teach as Fr. Matt worked as an apprentice for three years learning the art of storytelling through the lens. While tourist are taking selfies and shooting their travel adventures on their cell phones. “I research each location and work up a sweat moving around the image and capturing every possible angle to tell the story. I am often surprised how one angle may tell a bigger story than another angle. The time of day, the light, the weather, the shadow and pattern can set the image apart from one that is merely a snapshot into stunning moment that makes one stand in awe of God’s wonderful creation.” 

 

Father Matt served as chaplain at Strong Memorial Hospital from 1992 to 2000. He was a trauma specialist in New York City on 9/11 and acutely aware of how hurting people need support in times of crisis. Charlotte Home will be open to everyone to help provide respite and comfort to families and their loved ones. Currently, the facility will be located in the former St. Nicholas rectory located in North Java. At this time, demolition has been completed and volunteers from the county are being invited to donate their talents. Skilled laborers of all kinds are needed like carpenters, electricians and heating and cooling specialists to redesign the building. Local dealers are being asked to donate materials needed to restore the building into a two-bedroom facility for patients and family. The estimated cost would be over $250,000 but people are being asked to donate their skills and materials to keep the costs under $100,000. The volunteer committee hopes  that patients will be served starting in the Spring fo 2019. Families will not be charged for using this facility.

Fr. Matt enjoys storytelling and focuses his pastoral ministry on making the gospel stories of Jesus relevant and meaningful to his faith community. Landscape photography can tell a story that conveys a mood of comfort and celebration. With the help of his friends at the Norberg Art Gallery in East Aurora where his landscapes are on display. Amanda, the gallery owner, and Marie, a Holy Family parishioner, helped select ten images that will be on sale to support Charlotte Comfort Home. 

The images selected feature: a sunrise over Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park Montana, sunburst over the Athabasca Icefield in Alberta, Canada, Alleghany State Park, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware, bluebells in Bethany, bleeding hearts from Nashua, dogwoods in Irondequoit, and reflections from the arboretum in Lexington, Kentucky.

The greeting cards are 5 ½ x 4 ¼ and blank inside so that a personal message may be written. Packets will include five images based on the themes of celebration and encouragement. It is my hope that people will enjoy these images and use them as gifts for their family and friends and know that they are supporting an important ministry of compassion to the people in Wyoming County.

To make a purchase contact Fr. Matt via email address: drmattkawiak@gmail.com or call his office at 585-586-8650.

Let Go of the Remote

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One evening, I turned on the remote and a message came on the TV. Error CODE 727. This error indicates that the sports program you're trying to watch is blacked out in your area. That’s odd because I have it set to channel 4 watching “Jeopardy.” I switched to channel 220 a NBC Sports Network and the same message appeared. I call Direct TV and the tech responds that she had to report it to another power and they would get back to me. When I inquired when it would be fixed, she had no clue. The following night, the same message appears on our PBS network that didn’t make sense. This time Susan gets on her computer and logs onto the Direct TV chat line. I remark that won’t help. But she’s chatting with a tech who says she will refresh the network feed. I picked up the remote ready to change the channel and Susan gives me that “teacher look” and says “Don’t you dare touch that remote. Let Go of the remote.” To myself, who does she thinks she is talking to like that but in a few minutes, I’m switching channels and this tech had restored our reception with no error message.

Our remote is like our traditions. We hold onto to them so tight that they can become stubborn and our downfall. Sound familiar ladies, you have to tell your old man to let go of the remote. In the gospel story, Jesus had to tell his men friends to let go.

“John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’” Now, by all accounts, casting out demons is a good thing. And, truth be told, I don’t think that the disciples were upset about the demons being cast out. They were upset because they were being cast out by someone who wasn’t them. They had the corner on this whole Jesus movement, and if someone else was casting out demons, that’s a threat—never mind the fact that demons are being cast out!

Maybe it’s time the men in priesthood let go of their power and trust their laity to take over the leadership of the faith community. Jesus was stern with his disciples because they felt they were the only ones allowed to heal. Jesus was reminding his men that there is more than one model for being Christian and being the Church. Big screens and praise bands may make some people’s skin crawl. But for others, the ancient liturgies of the Church have a way of snuffing out the fire of the Spirit. The best sermons are the ones the pastor most needs to hear himself. It’s time the priest let go of their remotes, their traditions, that stifle the spirit and let our lay leaders refresh the church and faith.  

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and, especially brother priests, as we gather for our synod meetings. May we accept the wisdom of Jesus who said: “Whoever is not against us is for us.” In other words, Jesus is saying, “We’re all in this together!” There’s a lot of Kingdom to build, and there’s more than enough work for everyone! In a world that can sometimes feel like everything is falling in on itself, what a welcome breath of fresh air to hear that, no, in fact, the whole world does not depend on its priests. We are all in this together!

Taste Our Goodies

The Polish National Catholic Church has designated 2018 as the Year of the Family. In September, the church will focus on encouraging people to identify their unique talents and skills to enrich their family and the church community.

Holy Family will celebrate this theme by dedicating the new Ed Bartz Pavilion the handiwork of its carpenters and masons who built this structure over the summer. Here the community will celebrate family reunions, anniversaries, weddings, baptisms, birthdays, showers and any occasion where families bring their favorite recipes to the delight of their friends and neighbors.

The children of the parish have written prayers and memories that will placed in a time capsule that will be buried and opened in 2025. Included will be stories about the history of the parish that celebrates over 150 years of faith and love to God and neighbor. In addition, a new teeter totter will be blessed the result of the generosity of many local donor families.

Finally, a Memorial Walkway that leads to the Clayton Playground will be blessed and dedicated and serve as a prayerful journey to remember individuals living and deceased whose gifts of faith and unique talents have helped this parish continue to serve the spiritual needs of this county.

Holy Family’s mission is to welcome all people where the hopeless find hope. Where the lost find direction. Where the hurting find healing. People experience church in a refreshing new way. Where real people talk about real issues. It’s a community where people love God, love others and love our rural lifestyle.

As shepherd of this generous and talented faith community, we invite all parents and grandparents to come with their children and grandchildren and experience the best of who we are. Come and taste our goodies, play on our swings and meet old fashioned country folk who have open minds and open hearts. The celebration will being with our “Mass in the Grass” at 10am, followed by a bring a dish luncheon and old fashioned games for the kids.

There's a Hole in the Heart That Will Never Heal

A mother whose son died twelve years ago shared that there is a hole in her heart that will never heal.

Jesus taught: “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny one self, take up thier cross daily, and follow me.” What does Jesus mean by this?

First, it means accepting that suffering is a part of our lives. Accepting our cross means we have to make peace with the fact that frustration, disappointment, pain, misfortune, illness, unfairness, sadness, and death are a part of our lives and they must be accepted without bitterness. As long as we nurse the notion that pain in our lives is something we need not accept, we will habitually find ourselves bitter—bitter for not having accepted the cross.

Second, taking up our cross means that we may not, in our suffering, pass on any bitterness to those around us. There’s a difference between healthily groaning under the weight of our pain and unhealthily whining in self-pity and bitterness under that weight. The cross gives us permission to do the former, but not the latter. Jesus groaned under the weight of his cross, but no self-pity, whining, or bitterness issued forth from his lips or his beaten body.

Third, carrying our cross daily means accepting that God’s gift to us is often not what we expect. God always answers our prayers but, often times, by giving us what we really need rather than what we think we need. The Resurrection does not come when we expect it and rarely fits our notion of how a resurrection should happen. To carry your cross is to be open to surprise.

And finally, taking up your cross means living in a faith that believes that nothing is impossible for God. This means accepting that God is greater than the human imagination. Indeed, whenever we succumb to the notion that God cannot offer us a way out of our pain into some kind of newness, it’s precisely because we have reduced God down to the size of our own limited imagination. It’s only possible to accept our cross, to live in trust, and to not grow bitter inside pain if we believe in possibilities beyond what we can imagine, namely, if we believe in the Resurrection.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that you give them the patience to wait and give up their bitterness so that they we will take up their cross and believe in the Resurrection.

I Love You

Next time you are praying, try this. Open yourself in such a way that sometime—perhaps not today, but sometime—you are able to hear God say to you: ‘I love you!’

These words, addressed to you by God, are the most important words you will ever hear because, before you hear them, nothing is ever completely right with you, but, after you hear them, something will be right in your life at a very deep level.

These are simple words, but they capture what we ultimately try to do when we “lift mind and heart to God” in prayer.

We need to open ourselves to God in such a way that we are capable of hearing God say to us, individually, “I love you!”

This might sound pious and sentimental. It’s anything but that.

In the Gospel of John, we meet Jesus as an adult right on the first page and the first words out of Jesus’ mouth are a question: “What are you looking for?” That question remains throughout the rest of the gospel suggesting that beneath everything else a certain search is going on. A lot of things are happening on the surface, but underneath, there remains always the nagging, restless question: “What are you looking for?”

Jesus answers that question on the morning of the resurrection. Mary Magdalene goes looking for him, carrying spices with which to embalm his dead body. Jesus meets her, alive and in no need of embalming, but she doesn’t recognize him. Bewildered, but sincere, she asks Jesus where she might find Jesus. Jesus asks her: “What are you looking for?” Then he answers it. With deep affection, he pronounces her name: “Mary.”

In doing that, he tells her what she and everyone else are forever looking for, God’s voice, one-to-one, speaking unconditional love, gently saying your name. In the end, that’s what we are all looking for and most need. We need to hear God, affectionately, one-to-one, pronounce our names: “Carolyn!” “Julia!” “Steve!”  Nothing will heal us more of restlessness, bitterness, and insecurity than to hear God say: “I love you!”

Moreover, prayer is meant to be a mutual thing, it’s important too that we respond in kind: Part of prayer is also that we with affection, occasionally at least, say the same thing to God: “I love you!” In all our relationships, we have to occasionally prompt each other to hear expressions of affection and reassurance. It’s not good enough to tell a marriage partner or a friend just once “I love you!” It needs to be said regularly. The relationship of prayer is no different.

Prayer is not meant to change God but us. And nothing changes us as much for the good as to hear someone say that he or she loves us—especially if that someone is God.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and let them know that “I love them.”

Skip the Insults

Last evening, I was driving to CMAC in Canandaigua to see Steve Martin. On Route 20, I found myself behind a car creeping along and getting impatient. It reminded me of a story about a man screaming epithets and beating on the steering wheel when he was interrupted by a policeman, gun drawn, tapping on his window. The driver was ragging: "You can't arrest me for hollering in my car," but the policeman ordered him into the back seat of the police car. After checking over his car from top to bottom, the arresting officer advised him he was free to go. The driver said, "I knew you couldn't arrest me for what I was yelling in my own car. You haven't heard the last of this." The officer replied, "I didn't arrest you for shouting in your car. I was directly behind you at the light. I saw you screaming and beating your steering wheel, and I said to myself, 'What a jerk. Then I noticed the cross hanging from your rear-view mirror, the fish on the trunk lid, and the "My boss is a Jewish Carpenter," and the "Jesus is Coming Soon" bumper stickers. I was going to arrest you for stealing a car from a Christian."

So, you have not been attending Mass to protest the failure of the church to report the hideous crimes of its priests or you were just too busy on the golf course or taking your grandkids to the beach. To bring you up to date, Jesus has people walking away and scolding him for not following the rules of his synagogue.

However, Jesus is looking for people with a “teachable spirit.” While some may criticize us for our lack of presence, Jesus is focused on a faith that takes a neighbor shopping, bids on a steer to donate the hamburger to hungry families, calls a brother to express forgiveness and surrender our past resentment.

Revenge, anger, and dwelling on how someone hurt you will eat away at you. It is a huge barrier to finding healing and peace. God promises that if we seek his face instead of retribution, he will bring healing.

God prays for us as we reflect: “All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. [And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” Ephesians 4:31–32 .
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they will have a “teachable spirit” where the love of Jesus will help us be more compassionate and forgiving.

Waffle House Shuffle

 

Linda has been serving her neighbors and tourists for over 20 years off Highway 75. She starts work at 6am with a purpose. This grandmother has become the primary caregiver for her 8-year-old granddaughter, Bethany Michelle, whose daddy died three years ago to cancer and a bad heart.

Rob, the cook, whips up the eggs in the frying pan, he makes a remark to the other cook that his preacher asked him when he was going to see him on Sunday. At that very moment, one of the waitresses plopped a quarter in the 1950’s jukebox and played the song: “You’re My Darling Angel.”

Why this is a church, the guests are greeted at the door as they walk into the restaurant. The server gives them the bulletin containing all the information they need to make their order. They are served with a smile and even a song as another server starts singing along with the tune on the jukebox.

At the end of our breakfast, Linda came back to asked if we wanted more coffee, but it was her spirit that made this place amazing. You were sent on your travels with a full tummy and filled with joy that you received the very best service from people who take pride in their work.

The spirit was definitely present inside this house of pancakes. Maybe no one recognized that the love of God was oozing with maple syrup and apple butter, but his sweetness was the dominant theme and the servers and cooks were all ministering together to make sure their congregation (all those weary travelers and locals) had their stomach and souls filled for another’s day’s work or play.

I shared this vacation story with my parishioners at Holy Family and told them we need to treat one another like those servers at the Waffle House. We are invited to bring our bread to those who are hungry, comfort to the weary ora smile with a cup of coffee.

God prays for us as we reflect: “He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven. He rained down food in the form of manna upon them to eat and gave them food from heaven. People ate the bread of angels.” (Psalm 78: 23-25)

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Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and all in customer service, for the Linda’s at Waffle House who give their best service may we give thanks for being treated like special guests with a big tip. May we do the same for one another.