Fireworks for Holy Communion

Sitting at the end of the pew are six little people who in a few moments will be receiving their First Holy Communion. Beside them are their proud parents and family. So, I pull up my “preaching stool” and tell them a story.

Once upon a time, my dad announced that we were going to see fireworks. We would pack our blankets and cooler with food and head for the beach. On our way, I noticed that there was a man with a cart who was selling creamsicles. I love creamsicles, especially the orange ones,
I ask my dad if I could have a creamsicle. He said we’ve got plenty of food in the cooler. So, what could I do?  We unrolled our blanket, took out our food and began to eat. As we were eating, I saw that my friend Sammy was sitting with his family a little up the beach. Dad, can I please go and watch the fireworks with Sammy and his family? I worn him down until so he said, go and as soon as the fireworks are done, you come right back here. Understood? Promise? Yes, I promised.

So, I started going but I had an idea! Instead of going straight to Sammy’s family, what if I just went a little bit out of my way to that creamsicle man? Of course, doing that would be disobeying my dad, but I really wanted to taste a creamsicle. I made sure I knew where we were sitting, next to a life guard station with a big red sign on it. So, I started down the beach looking for the creamlike man. However, when I came to the place where I had last seen him, he was not there. He must have moved, so I went a bit further, and then a little bit further and then the fireworks started. Then I realized I better get back to my family.

So, I looked for the lifeguard station but when I got there, it wasn’t the right life guard station. It didn’t have a red sign on it. It was then that I realized that I was lost. I began to wonder whether I would ever find my family again? Would they leave and go back home without me? What could I do? I decided to pray.
“Jesus, I know it wasn’t the smartest idea to go after that creamsicle, but I really need your help. I can’t find my family and if you could lead me back, I promise I will never disobey my mother or father again. I will never tell a lie again. Amen.”

I was desperate and began to cry. After a few moments I looked up to see a police officer. I told him that I was lost and couldn’t find my family. The policeman asked, Do you have any idea where they are?  I said, they’re next to a big lifeguard station with a red sign on it. He said, I know right where that is.

We walked together for a very long time and I saw my family sitting on our blanket and watching the fireworks. They were just coming to an end. I thanked the policeman and ran towards my family. My dad saw me coming. Matty, you’re back right on time just as you promised. Good work. How was Sammy? Then I realized that my dad didn’t even know anything had happened. He thought I was with Sammy’s family the whole time. This was good, I thought. All I would have to do was say, “oh, they’re fine” and I could get out of this mess. But then I remembered the prayer that I made and the promise to tell the truth. Dad, I didn’t go to see Sammy. I went to buy a creamsicle and I got lost and a policeman found me.

Matty, I’m very disappointed in you. Then there was a pause and then dad said, But, you told me the truth, even though you could have gotten away with a lie, right?

Well, that makes me proud and don’t ever do that again. So, we packed up our stuff and just as we were leaving the beach, who did we run into but the creamsicle man! My dad stopped and looked at me, Hey, Matty, how about a creamsicle?

Jesus disciples learned the same thing that I learned when I was at the fireworks—that even when you’re lost, even when you make bad decisions, Jesus still loves you and comes to find you. This is what I told our little folks making their First Communion. You belong to Jesus. He loves you deeply. You are invited to come to His table and share in His very life. Never forget His love for you.

Then I looked at all the grownups in church and said. No matter how lost you feel, no matter how many bad decisions you may have made, you too belong to the family of God. Jesus will reach out with His hand to save you from the messes of your life.

When you come up with your child and put your hand on their shoulder as they receive Holy Communion for the first time, remember that Jesus is with you at your side and He will never stop loving your family.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, bless our children and their parents with your spirit that brings happiness, understanding and joy.

Come on Jesus, Light Our Fire!

On Sunday, Holy Family Parish celebrated a “birthday bash.” It was the 8^th Anniversary of the rebirth of this Catholic community and as an added incentive the parishioners “burned their mortgage.”

I didn’t want anyone to miss this celebration of our rebirth. I wanted it to be like a” birthday bash” to celebrate their love for one another. Make no mistake, it is their faith, their sacrifices and stubbornness who literally bought their church for $110,000 from the Buffalo Diocese and made it financially self-sufficient. It has become a living presence of Jesus love for everyone not only in North Java but in all our neighboring towns.

On Sunday, I shared that this time of year farming takes precedent to till the soil, fertilize and plant the seed that has been delayed by our soggy Spring. However, this “shepherd’ decided to call each of your homes to invite you to this celebration. I realized that you get spam calls on your cell phones and I worried that if the priest is calling your home it must mean trouble or worse a tragedy. Think about it.  When was the last time your pastor called you on the phone to invite you to have some fun?

So, I made over a 100 phone calls and after two hours either left messages or talked to some nice parishioners inviting them to our birthday bash. The most interesting response was a voicemail that had the Notre Dame Fight song on their phone to take a message. Then there was a person who answered while in their locker getting ready to start their shift work. Another response: “What can I bring to the party, do you want cookies or mimosas?” Someone shared that they were so happy that a family member started coming to church with them and that brought them much joy and comfort. Yes, a few calls were dropped, or went to a fax machine instead of the phone. And then there was this sarcastic voicemail: “You know what to do. Go ahead and when I get time I will call you back.”
I always tell people that the real celebration takes place after the last blessing at Mass. No one leaves this church early because the celebration continues with our social gathering after Mass. While all the other Catholics are running over one another in their parking lots, at Holy Family people stay to chat and share their stories about what’s happening on their farms. This is a sacramental moment in which we are transformed into a community that really cares about one another. People want to know how they can help each other in life. We are a community brought together by food, at the altar in the bread and wine and at the table in the back of church with our kirsch, cookies, brownies and breakfast pizzas.

This is what I know a pastor is supposed to do - show his people how good God is in his creation: "Look and see, taste and see, touch and smell and hear and see that God is good." That is my role as shepherd of this wonderful, generous community to help you taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that includes all these amazing people at Holy Family. They have discovered the secret of your teaching. Love. "Where charity and love prevail, there God is always found. Brought here together by Christ's love, by love are we thus bound.” Next week, six of our children will be making their First Holy Communion. Why not come and experience another sacred moment? We would love to have you join our family.

Stop Soldier Suicide

On this Memorial Day celebrated with lots of ceremony, parades, picnics and placing of flags at the grave of our brave family members, let me share this tragic soldier story. 

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in a war. He called his parents from San Francisco.  “Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I have a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring home with me. “Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.”

“There’s something you should know,” the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.” “I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.” “No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.” “Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide.

The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror, they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren’t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully, there’s someone who won’t treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are. 

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!

Lord, I pray for all our Sonshine soldiers and veterans who have made the sacrifice to defend our freedom. We remember and give thanks for those who have given their lives in the service of our country. Help us to honor their memory by caring for the family members they have left behind, and that all our wounded comrades are properly cared for. Lord help us to remember that freedom is not free and though their names may fade with the passing of generations may we never forget what they have done.

Contact STOP SOLDIER SUICIDE at 844-889-5610 for help.

Email address: stopsoldiersuicide.org

Why Millennials Are Leaving the Church

I have this idea that I wanted to make a “YouTube” video that features our young school age children answering the questions: “Why do our older brothers and sisters ages 20 to 35 not attend church?

First boy says: “The church will never change and nobody cares what we think. When was the last time someone from our church asked us our opinion?”

Second young girl says: “Stop wasting our time with all your holy mumbo jumbo. The church makes things too complicated. Jesus taught: Love God. Love neighbor."

Third little boy says: "We are not impressed with how long you spend behind closed doors wrestling with Christianese dogma. We’re impressed with actions and service."

Fourth little girls say: "What you call Holy activities: Bible studies, bingo, fish fry’s, planning meetings is a distraction for having compassion for the poor."

Fifth boy say: "Church have always felt exclusive and ‘cliquey’ and we fell like outsiders and we have never been very good at that game so we stopped playing."

Sixth girl says: "What do you do with all that money that people  contribute. We don’t trust institutions that are hurting people."

Seventh little boy says: "We can download millions of podcasts and YouTube videos of pastors preaching. Instead of windy sermons, we prefer mentors walking beside us through the muck of life."

Eighth little girl says: "The church is always asking us young adults for help and making us feels guilty if we don’t give enough of our time."

Ninth boy say: We don’t like the way the world is telling us how to live in making big decisions about our careers, education, relationships, marriage, finances, children, purpose, chemicals, but we never hear from the church."
Tenth girl says: "Lip service about reaching out to young adults in abstract sound bites doesn’t cut it. If you want respect from our generation, practice what Jesus did in his life." 

Our final little person says this: "Our older brothers and sisters are not attending church but we have learned in our religion class that Jesus loves us as we are. No conditions. Despite the gossip in town about our church, Holy Family is all about action and service. We’re not just playing church, we are not doing the same things that we’ve have always done. We donated toys, food and clothes to kids in our county. We are building a hospice, we are feeding the poor, we are helping the addicted stay sober and clean and we want the millennials to know that we are here to listen and help you be the best person you can be filled with Christ’s compassion, kindness and mercy. We know that we are making a difference in this community because we practice compassion and kindness every day in our classrooms, in our homes and on our farms. Our doors and hearts are open and we like to invite you to join us.

Signed: Your loving younger brothers and sisters

Mother's Day Blessing

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My Mother taught me many prayers and this one 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.

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 bathroom or outside in the barn - 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.         

The Benefits of Being a Hospice Volunteer

I ask your prayers for a very special volunteer meeting that will take place on Thursday, May 8^th at 7pm at the Holy Family Community Center.

Charlotte House needs hospice volunteers and let me share the benefits of serving as a hospice volunteer. People become hospice volunteers for many reasons.  Many volunteers express gratitude for help they received during their loved one’s illness. The benefit of engaging in this type of community service is that you’re making a difference where you live.  You’re giving back, and you’re helping others.  Helping others promotes satisfaction and self-worth.  Plus, it’s good for your health—mind, body, and spirit.

Studies show doing regular volunteer work dramatically increases your life expectancy.  As Allan Luks states in “The Healing Power of Doing Good” volunteering improves your sense of well-being, decreases insomnia, builds a stronger immune system, and helps speed up recovery from surgery.

For others, enhancing your college or job application is a benefit of becoming a hospice volunteer.  Volunteer service always reflects positively when a college or organization evaluates your resume.  A study by Time Bank states 73% or employers would recruit a candidate with volunteer experience over one without.

Finally, meeting new people is a benefit of becoming a hospice volunteer.  Helping at events, greeting guests at Charlotte House, and meeting other volunteers expands your social and professional networks to include more like-minded people.  Meeting new friends creates more fun in your life, which also improves your health.

Light refreshments will be provided, and your questions will be answered. At the meeting, full detailed position descriptions and expectations will be provided.

Come and meet everyone! Learn more about the house and how your volunteerism can take root in Charlotte House. If you have questions before the meeting please call Tim Kibler (585) 727-0942, or email: timothy.kibler@charlottehouse.org

Join me in prayer that the spirit of compassion will inspire many people to come forward to help those in life’s final journey.
Fr. Matt

Iron Chef Jesus

A TV show that makes me hungry is called “Iron Chef.” I admire their culinary skills in making tasty recipes and wish that I could be a judge on the show to taste the results.

Today’s gospel story has Jesus serving breakfast to his disciples after a terrible night of fishing. His words are most startling. First, he gives fishing instructions and then an invitation to eat. "Catch anything?" he shouts through cupped hands. "Want some breakfast?" 

If you ever doubted that the resurrected Lord is a hoax, check out this scene in which his disciples notice Him from their boats off shore that is nothing short of a grand miracle. So, what is Jesus doing fussing with fish and cooking a breakfast on the beach? Why in the world would this man have the time to help out some discouraged anglers and then do the work of a cook, poking at a charcoal fire with a stick, frying up some fish, baking some pita bread? Curious?

Why is it that the resurrected Lord of the universe has time to dabble with cooking? Why is it that, what with a world of pain and suffering, terrorism, hunger and war, Jesus has time to play “iron chef” and waiter to his hungry friends? Well, it's because in real life this is where we need to meet up with Jesus or else we're not going to see Him much at all. If encounters with Jesus are limited to mountaintop experiences of ecstasy, brilliant visions and dreams—much less limited to the rare occasion when we can say with certainty that the Lord has revealed something big to us—then much of life is going to look very unspiritual.

Jesus breakfast on the beach reminds us that in the ordinariness of everyday life, and in between the times when we gather at the Lord's table, our Lord is with us by his Spirit. He may not cup His hands so as to ask you if you've caught any fish, but he will ask things like, "How was your day down on the farm? Did anything interesting happen today? Want to talk about it?" What are you stressing about? He will ask if we've eaten yet and, if not, He will work to provide us with the staff of life. His word and sacrament strengthen us in our daily tasks to persevere with courage knowing that He is always by our side.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends to help us pay attention and notice Your presence in the encounters we have daily with one another. On the farm, in the fields, out in the barn, milking the cows or waiting for the rain to stop so that we can plant our seed. In times of doubt and worry, let us experience Your presence. In the voices and warm arms of our loved ones, we can hear Jesus shouting through cupped hand: “Want some breakfast.”

Eyes of Compassion

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What do you think Jesus was writing in the sand? Maybe He bent down and wrote in the sand so that he would not have to look anyone in the eye, because if he did, he knew that he would be able to read their minds. If he had looked at the woman, her eyes would have been full of shame at having been caught doing one of the three worst sins a Jew could commit, the other two being murder and idolatry. If he looked into the eyes of the Pharisees, he would have seen anger and hatred, both for the woman and for him. Jesus was a big threat to them and they were anxious to catch him saying something wrong so that they could discredit him.

What would the woman have seen in Jesus' eyes? Consider his words: "Woman, has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she answered. Jesus said, "Nor do I condemn you." If we had been there, we would have probably seen a look of forgiveness or what could be called the "look of love". What the woman would have seen would have been the eyes of compassion.

What will people see in our eyes? Will they see eyes that lack understanding or eyes that are full of compassion?

Let me share with you a discussion that came up at last week’s committee meeting. The committee was struggling with the word “dues.” It sounds so judgmental and impersonal. They recognized that a third of the people attending this church do not pay the annual PNCC dues. These farmers feared that this "label" is too judgmental and it does not reflect the true spirit of Holy Family. They know that a few of you cannot afford $140 per year. So, the farmers agreed to compose a letter. It will be an invitation asking permission to put your name down as a “disciple” of Holy Family.

The fact is the committee hates the idea of “paying dues” since it reminds them of the old fashioned “pew rent.” So, these good neighbors voted to pay the $140 for each person whether they chose to pay or can’t pay. They wanted everyone to know that your presence indicates a desire that you want to be identified as a disciple of Jesus and they appreciate your faith and trust to be part of this family.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have the eyes of compassion. I consider all of you to be disciples of Jesus called to serve and use your gifts to bring Jesus’ compassion to those in need of comfort and healing.

I Will Treat You As If You Have Never Been Away

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Abraham Lincoln was once asked how he was going to treat the rebellious southerners when they had finally been defeated and had returned to the Union of the United States. The questioner expected that Lincoln would seek vengeance, but he answered, 'I will treat them as if they had never been away.'"

This is just the way that God treats us: as if we had never been away. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, when the sons caused insult to their father, the father ignored the insults. The younger son's request includes the unspoken wish that his father would die soon. Then he sells his father's tradition down the river by feeding the swine. And how does the father respond? "While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him." And then there is the refusal of the older son to come inside the house. And how does the father respond to this insult? Once again, "his father came out and began to plead with him." What a revelation Jesus is making about what God is like! God's love is unconditional.

This week, I responded to three trauma calls that included the suicide of a young adult, the drowning of a child and the death of a kindergarten student in need of a heart and lung transplant.

You might ask, where was the unconditional love of God to help these children? God’s love was present in the young coworker who felt something was wrong when her young friend did not come to work. She contacted 911 and through her tears learned that he had taken his life. He had suffered the death of his parents and his children and girlfriend had left him. In her tears, she shared memories of his humor and wonderful personality.  Then God was in the hospital room when the teachers came to say their good byes to their precious kindergarten student. It brought back memories to one staff whose sister had died from the same school. She shared how she and her mom would take her sister for walks at the mall to get a hot dog and see the dogs at the pet store. 

There is a painting by the Dutch artist Rembrandt called “The Prodigal Son.” As you view the painting, you notice the hands of the old father pressing his returning boy to his chest. God is here because you see forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, safety, rest and being at home.

Isn't that what we all yearn for, someplace where we can rest our weary heads? Someone who will take our cares upon themselves and give us peace? Someone who will forgive us our sins, no matter how grave they are, as long as we are truly repentant of them?

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, that the one image of God that we should carry through this Lenten season and with us for the rest of our lives is that of the loving, caring Father of the Prodigal Son. Let us bring our cares to Him and learn to "let go and let God".

Second Chance

The gospel story was a plea to give a plant ( the fig tree) another chance to grow fruit, despite the fact that it had not produce any fruit for three years. Jesus replied: “leave it for this year, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.”

In the retreat I taught this afternoon, I quoted the Dalai Lama as teaching that all people are a “masterpiece.” However, none of us are quite perfect and so in our journey of faith we may not produce the fruit that Jesus has in mind.

The fruit Jesus wants us to produce are compassion, empathy, forgiveness and generosity. However, there are obstacles to our growth which is why we fail to grow and worse sometimes come up barren.

So, like a good gardener, Our Lord gives us a “second chance.” The obstacles to joy in our life could be suffering and pain that we carry in our hearts. We cannot deny the hurts caused by injustice, poor decisions or selfishness. But instead of being paralyzed and failing to grow, we are asked to put on the mind and heart of Jesus and learn that it is through suffering that we become more compassionate, more generous, more a people who really care about others.

The secret to joy that is more than happiness is simply this. Put others ahead of you and let go of the anger and frustration that weigh you down. When you are focused on others, there is no room for self-pity or exhausting yourself with the stress found on your Twitter account.

I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that this Lent offers you the opportunity to be transformed into the masterpiece God sees in you. Let go of your stress and anxiety and concentrate your time, praying for others, lending a hand to a neighbor, or simply being grateful for all the wonderful people that God has given to you in this life. Spend a moment in silence and be humble and offer a prayer of gratitude for all the “gardeners” in your life who have given you a “second chance.”

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.