Unworthy

On my recent deployment to Divine Mercy Catholic Parish in Las Vegas, I was sadden to learn that many of the Hispanic people do not receive Holy Communion because they feel unworthy. It seemed very ironic since I noticed many families came with their children and were most devout in offering prayers. Why they carried this negative attitude about themselves was a mystery so I decided to challenge this tradition.

 

At the beginning of the liturgy, the penitential rite invites people to examine their conscience and ask the Lord for forgiveness. The Sunday Gospel described a woman standing in humiliation and the ancient law of Moses says she must be stoned to death for her crime. Stoned to death!

 

It’s a clever trap for the Teacher. Somehow I am thinking that our Hispanic people must be feeling like this woman. They feel disgraced and ashamed. The response of Jesus is profound for He leans down and scratches absently in the dirt. People hold their breath, and the accusers worry. Why is he silent and what will he say? Jesus says: “My Abba has loved each of you through all ages, no matter whether you were sinners or not.”

 

Abba means, “be my people. Love one another. I love you, and I forgive your sins.” But hatred is the motto of those accusers and perhaps the inner voice these Hispanic people carry deep within their hearts. That toxic voice wants them to stay away from communion for they feel unworthy. They stand in humiliation and their hearts say in terror, “our accusers are right, we are unworthy.’

 

But notice Jesus lifts his head and utters a sentence that sums up this Gospel and all of Lent. “Let the one among you who is without sin throw the first stone.”

 

The crowd creeps away quietly, submerged in their own consciences.

Now we stand alone before this quiet Teacher, and your terror has subsided. There is something about him that makes you feel worthy.

 

In the penitential rite, I reminded all our humble Hispanic people that I offer the prayer of absolution. In the Gospel Jesus asks, “Well, where are they, Has no one condemned you?” She says, “No one, sir.” Jesus also asks, “Do you condemn yourself?” You, the woman, spend a long time on this answer because it is so very hard. Finally you whisper, “I do not want to condemn myself, Teacher.”

 

“Neither do I condemn you,” answers Jesus. “Go and sin no more.”

 

Aa our humble congregation bowed their heads to receive absolution, I reminded them that Holy Communion is Jesus’ way of giving them a big hug and the grace to be the best Christians they can be for the coming week. If we could each accept our own sinfulness as well as the forgiveness that surrounds it, we would have peace.

 

It took me 20 minutes to distribute communion to 350 parishioners kneeling at the rail. People had never had seem such a crowd line the aisles to receive Holy Communion.

 

I can honestly say the spirit of the Lord made this happen for finally this unworthy crowd could stammer at last, “I believe, Lord. Help our unbelief.”

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who feel unworthy that during this Lent we do not condemn themselves. Help us to believe, and drink the compassion of God, who has been there all along, tracing in our souls, “neither do I condemn you.”

 

Quinceanera

 

The Quinceanera refers to the traditional coming-of-age celebration for Latinas. It is an elegant party on the girl's 15th birthday, highlighting God, family, friends, music, food and dance. To mark her passage into womanhood, a ceremony is held in her honor, which presents the young woman to the community while giving thanks to God for his blessings.

 

On my deployment to Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Las Vegas, I have celebrated the Quinceanera Mass for Magali, Angie, Julia and Sophia. With all their young friends, most of them teenagers, this was my story to help bring them closer to Jesus.

 

One of my hobbies is to take landscape photos at national parks. I was humbled by the generosity of a parishioner who let me borrow her car to take a 24-hour trip to Death Valley National Park. However, before this adventure, I contacted a modest motel to stay overnight. The owner bargained that if I would take photos of their motel rooms to update their website, he would offer me a free room for the night.

 

When I arrived in Beatty, Roy, the motel owner, immediately took me aside to share that he had just brought his wife Roberta home from a Las Vegas hospital where she was diagnosed with stage four cancer. At the quinceanera, I shared that the devil is about getting. Jesus is about giving.

 

I asked Roy if I could visit his wife and give her a blessing. He said that he was not a Catholic, like this really matters to Jesus. Within minutes, Roy says, “Come” and I am walking into their humble home, knelling down at the side of his wife’s wheel chair, taking hold of her hand and offering a blessing prayer asking Jesus to heal her and give her courage for the next step in her treatments. I reminded her that God loves us and especially wants to be close to us in our time of suffering. A prayer of hope, healing and compassion. Roy cried as we walked outside their home to express his thanks.

 

I finally drove into the park and stopped at the visitor center to get my day pass, where I met a young park ranger who said she lived in Rochester. I replied with delight, “that’s my home too.” Then I thought, what a wonderful image for God. I told our 15 year old quinceanera and her young friends to think of God like a park ranger.

 

A person who serves. A park ranger serves her visitors by giving out maps so they won’t get lost, Jesus helps us who are lost in this life. Our ranger points visitors to find the best places to visit and see God’s beauty. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The ranger suggests hiking trails and shares information how to stay safe. Jesus teaches that the most important word in life is forgiveness. The ranger leads special classes about the environment and local animals that inhabit the land like the coyote and mountain goats.

 

What a wonderful image for God. Jesus is about giving and this young ranger was giving me ideas where to find the best spots to take my landscape photos.

 

On this special day of your quinceaneras, where do you think Jesus is calling you to serve?  For a young teenager, it might be the time you are asked to babysit your younger brothers and sisters, or volunteering to help visit your grandparents, a lonely neighbor or family member. There are tons of ways a young person can serve Jesus. Maybe sing in your church Hispanic choir.  

 

My dear Sonshine Friends, what about you? Where do you think Jesus is calling you to serve?

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, that God inspires us to choose where we can use our special gifts and talents to serve God and be the best Christian we can be

 

After I taught our young peopel that Jesus is about giving, this is the prayer the young lady recites asking Jesus for His help to serve Him.

 

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of life for creating me in your image and likeness and for calling me to be your daughter through baptism. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to save me and your Holy Spirit to sanctify me. To that which in your goodness and love you will for me, I say “yes,” With your grace I commit myself to serve my brothers and sisters all my life.
 

Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, I dedicate myself to you. Since you are my model of faith, help me to continue learning from you what I need to be a Christian woman. Help me to hear the Word of God as you did, holding it in my heart and loving others, so that, as I walk with Jesus in this life, I may worship Him with you in all eternity. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus is About Giving

 

Temptation. It’s a craving for my coconut ice crème at night before bedtime. The family rule is you scoop a small portion into a bowl, but the temptation is to cradle the half-gallon carton in your lap with a spoon until it’s all gone. Why would anyone do that, because it tastes so good. Forget the calories, it was yummy in my tummy.

 

Satan is playing hardball with Jesus. He comes with three final temptation doozies after 40 days of temptation. Think about it – if Jesus, the Son of God, is not exempt from temptation, then who is? 

 

Lent's a good time to be reminded that's why we pray, fast, and give alms. Those are designed to help you and me overcome temptation, to be anything less than the best version of ourselves. Satan's message is clear. "Get all you can, Jesus. Look at the splendor, look at the sparkle. It's all yours. Don't worry about God, don't worry about pleasing Him. Please yourself, Jesus. That'll make you happy. Simply worship me."

 

The devil is all about getting. He's about getting because the more we focus on getting, what we think life should be, the less and less life we actually have. You can call it acquisition; you can call it purchasing; you can call it consuming. Call it what you want, but you and I live in a culture of getting.

 

Getting, getting even, getting my way, getting what's mine, getting while the getting's good, getting all I can, getting what I want out of life, getting, getting, getting. And no matter how much we get, we still want more. We get what we want, and life's still not right. Our soul’s not settled, our heart's not satisfied. We want more revenge, we want more assets, we want to get more pleasure. We are a culture of getters.

 

Reminds me about the little boy, Brian, at the birthday party. His mother was about to serve the cake when he shouted, "I want the biggest piece!" She replied, "Brian, it's not polite to ask for the biggest piece." So he looked at the floor and he said, "Well, then how do I get it?"

 

It's not Brian. There's just something in our souls that always wants to get more. But it's crucial to understand as Lent begins. The devil is about getting. Jesus is about giving. "Don't try to get life," Jesus says. "Give your life away, and when you do then you'll find it." Because life is not about us. It's about God. As long as we focus on ourselves, our needs, our wants, our passion, our spirit, our desires, we'll never actually find what life is about. That's the irony, isn't it?

 

So when Satan offers the world, Jesus replies, "Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him." Because Jesus understood you can only have one master. You can serve whatever you choose, your passion, your desires, all the world's stuff, or you can serve God. "Just know," Jesus says, "that to serve anything other than God is to choose Satan." In other words, do you want life? Give it away. That's why Lent's just so powerful. It's about these simple habits: pray, fast, give. Habits that help you give your life away to God. When you invest your heart, when you invest your money, when you invest your life in God, then you will find life.

 

Let me share an example about someone who understands that. Matt was a forklift driver. He lived near Detroit. He worked as a forklift driver for most of his adult life. Even when he was 78, he was still driving that lift. He lived in a one-bedroom apartment, drove an old Ford Escort, didn't take vacations. What did he do? Matt gave his money away. Over the course of his lifetime, he'd given more than $1 million to church ministries and educational scholarships. He said, "Big house, big car? That doesn't excite me. Giving is my joy." Funny who understands that. A 78-year-old forklift driver.

 

Look around you. There’s a war going on in Ukraine. women and children are leaving their homes by the millions while their husbands stay to fight for freedom. The Ukrainian people in our country are collecting food and medicine to send to their families in a war torn country. The devil is about getting. Jesus is about giving.

 

A lot can happen in 40 days of Lent. How are you going to use yours? What are you going to do with your 40 days? Jesus is inviting you to give your life away, and when you do, you just might find that you have more life than you ever had before.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, keep safe the mothers and children who are running for their life to safety to other countries, bless the volunteers from all nations who welcome the refugees into their homes, and watch over the men who are willing to give their life for freedom and bring their spouses and children back home to Ukraine.

 

 

Nurse's Prayer

 

What’s a priest to do if he gets laryngitis? Imagine if father couldn’t speak this Sunday, most likely in your parish, Mass would get over a lot quicker. However, in my case, you learn to “gut it out.”

 

The memorial service for my cousin was over, however, I had twelve online patients on Monday and then came “only a whisper.” Laryngitis could not come at a worse time, since I had a scheduled onsite debriefing for a group of Intensive Care nurses on Tuesday night. Yes, I could have rescheduled, but then I would have missed the courageous stories of some of the best nurses in the county.

 

I learned that this group had loving taken care of a young mom with four school age children over four months before the young mom died of Covid. These dedicated women and men shared that they had cared for over 80 patients who died of Covid in the past six months and for a small community hospital this was historic.

 

With my laryngitis, they kept offering me hot tea and I just listened to their stories when at Christmas they brought a tree into this mother’s room and gave gifts to all her children. But a moment still most painful for a young nurse was when she took out the tube before this patient died. She told me, “This gave her life and I was the one who took that away.” The family had made their decision to withdraw life support so that their daughter could rest from her pain and suffering.

 

To all our nurses who daily display the compassion of our Lord to the sick and dying, our gratitude can never express our humble thanks for those moments none of us would be able to face nor perform. With laryngitis, you listen more as another nurse shared her painful story of working a twelve-hour shift in which six patients died, though numb, she performed her duties and hugged every family member after the death of their loved one.

 

So maybe if I was still serving in a parish, the service would be shorter and I might even have someone read my reflection to save my voice. But I am glad I made no excuses to go out when needed and affirm and bless the good work of this courageous group of nurses.

 

So what’s my point, you may be feeling out of sorts, in a “funk” meaning listless, cranky and irritable. I took my OTC pain relievers, drank lots of hot tea, wore my mask, sucked on a lozenge and listened with the mind, heart and soul of Jesus who taught: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in.”

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, all our nurses who offer Your comfort and love to all Covid patients. Forward the following “A Nurse’s Prayer to be Enough during the Covid Pandemic” by a nurse Sister Patricia Linehan.

 

Lord Jesus, You only have us
to care for COVID-19 patients,
to reassure they are not alone, that we will do our very best, and they are safe.
Let us be Your presence.

 

Lord Jesus, You only have us
to watch closely for changes in breathing, panic in eyes, quickened pulse.
We act, respond to whatever presents, and then we pray.
Let us be Your healing touch.

 

Lord Jesus, You only have us,
to give comfort when pain is in every movement, without loving family support.
We medicate, monitor, adjust ventilators and IV lines, and invent communication pathways.
Let us be Your comfort and relief.

 

Lord Jesus, You only have us,
to come back tomorrow, to face our own fears and exhaustion.
We use caution, and PPE, and experience, and new technology to stop corona progress.
Let us be Your vigilance.

 

Lord Jesus, You only have us,
to stand in for You. Make ours Your healing touch. Make ours the words You’d speak.
Make our outreach to families and loved ones the comfort and hope You’d give.
Let us be Your love.

 

Lord Jesus, You only have us,
when a colleague falls ill, our ranks are diminished and threatened.
Make our efforts enough to go ‘round, let it be enough for all,
As you did the loaves and fishes, enough for all.
Let us be Your enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Story of Faith

 

Last week, I received a record seven critical incident requests. It is a humble privilege to listen and provide comfort to many employees who are shocked and numbed by the news that their co-worker had died. But last week’s “God moment” came attending my cousin Butchie’s funeral service.

 

To Sandra, his wife, he was her Hank, to his 91 year-old and my aunt Helen, he was her son Butch, but to me and all his cousins we knew him as “Butchie.”  

 

For the past five years, he lived at Kirkhaven Nursing Home coping with the miserable disease of dementia. However, Sandra’s son shared that he was grateful how well Hank had cared for his mom. He shared that his teenage son would miss Uncle Hank because when this nephew came to visit, he picked a western or sci-fi movie and the two of them would watch together.

 

There was no solemn church service, or grand choir, a few “amens” from the congregation when the local church deacon preached. When invited to speak, I shared that Jesus loves the helpless, especially the children and Butchie was a “child at heart.’ He had no control over his past addictions and the Alzheimer’s but Jesus taught “blessed are the children for they will inherit the kingdom.” In our helpless state of affairs, Jesus comes to bring His compassion and mercy.

 

But the sacred “God moment” came when Kathy, another cousin, shared that on the night he died, she came with his mom earlier and they told Butch to let go and let God take you home. He would be with his dad and two brothers. Once they got home, the nursing home called and told them he had gone to heaven. Kathy shared that Butch was sending his mom and Kathy messages from heaven that he was at peace.

 

Reading her bible on the following day, she read from James which meant that Butch was with his brother Jimmy. She then found a card he had wrote his mom, and in his own writing expressed how grateful he was for putting up with him and that he loved her for standing by his side through the struggles of life. Without a doubt, Kathy shared with Hank’s wife, his mom and her family that Butch was safe in the tender arms of Jesus. Lots of “amens.”

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have not been inside a church in awhile.

Rest assure that Jesus knows our weaknesses and how hard it is to let go of our bad habits. Like Kathy, may we know that God made us in His image to be His child forever. I asked Butchie to pray for all of us so that our faith will grow strong until we meet him in paradise.

 

 

 

 

Teaching is a Calling

 

Pray for the teacher that feels in over her head. Who walked in her loud classroom to someone rolling on the floor and another writing on the desk who is wondering if she picked the right profession today.

 

Give that teacher assurance that she/he is called.

Pray for the teacher who has the hurting child today. The child that left home from a hostile environment that is doing their best to hide their pain but needs someone to notice and advocate for them.

 

Give that teacher insight.

Pray for the teacher that has the child with the undiagnosed behavior problem. Where the parents are in denial and the teacher is trying to teach a classroom and manage a child that is demanding all their time and they feel drained.

 

Give that teacher grace and extra love.

Pray for the teacher who is a new mother that is trying to pump and nurse and manage it all with a classroom of kids that feel like babies themselves.

 

Give that teacher energy.

Pray for the teacher who feels her entire class is not respecting her. And the passion she once had for teaching has now turned into lessons on respect and she’s worn down.

 

Give that teacher the gentle authority she needs.

Pray for the teacher who has a hurting heart today, and a classroom of kids that need her. For the one that woke up today needing encouragement and an extra dose of love.

 

Give that teacher peace today and let her kids love on her.

 

Teaching is a calling.

A ministry.

A place where many go to teach science, math and English, and for this senior priest “deacon formation”  but where they often find themselves teaching about emotions and self-control more than anything academic.

 

Your teachers need your prayers today just as much as your children do. So let’s cover them in prayer. So they can change the world one child at a time

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are teachers in their homes, the classroom, the church school of religion and those who serve as mentors to students of all ages.

May our prayers for them on this Valentine’s Day express our sincere appreciation for all their compassion and love to their students.

 

 

 

Cutting a Path to Compassion

 

Last Monday, the weather lady in Buffalo was already predicting a winter storm warning to slam into Buffalo and all of Western New York. Predictions were estimating ten to a foot of snow beginning Wednesday night and then another eight inches of snow lasting into Friday afternoon. 

 

Already my anxiety chemicals were rising thinking would the tractor start in sub-zero weather, would it get up the hills with the ice that already covered the surface, or worse would it get stuck in a ditch spinning its wheels unable and we would be snowed in for the season.

 

Sometimes our minds get stuck on a negative thought and instead of letting go we dwell on the worse that can happen. It seemed there was a moment when the disciples were stuck in their boats all night long without any anything to show for their efforts. Along comes Jesus and His response is simply, get back into your boats and try again. It would appear Our Lord’s friends are burnt out from their labors and just want to go home to bed. Instead, Jesus rallies their spirits and they head out from shore most likely grumbling under their breath, what does this carpenter know about fishing. 

 

Well, the carpenter must have “heavenly radar” because next thing we hear the boats are swamped with fish that they fearful they will capsize. The lesson here is when we find ourselves exhausted from the struggles of life, Jesus comes to save us. Maybe, we don’t need a boatload of fish, but a little positive attitude not to be afraid of another winter storm.

 

At 6am, on Thursday morning, I plowed 4 inches, then at 10am, another 4 inches, next at 6pm, another 4, then at 10pm we were up to 16 inches and still snowing. Friday, we had 3 inches overnight and it kept snowing till 5pm when the air cleared and our snow totaled a record 25 inches.

 

The driveway was clear for Sue to make it to her doctor’s appointment in Rochester on Friday morning. But there was another path that needed to be cleared. You see my spouse takes care of all creatures great and small,  Her kitties are the small ones. Mittens is an outdoor kitty that we have fed for several years, Sue had built insulated huts to keep him warm during the cold winter. However, he had disappeared during the storm. Sue searched for him and found him hiding in the next door neighbor’s shed. Smart kitty but how will he get his food in four feet of snow. 

 

Sue starts shoveling a path from the side of our house where the kitty huts are located to Maggie’s backyard barns. We had cut a path through 700 feet of snow though the woods and grape vines until we had shoveled a path to the neighbor’s shed window where Mittens had survived the storm. 

 

 

 

Why would anyone bother doing such a heroic act of kindness to keep a stray kitty fed and watered. Simple, it’s love. Inspired by my spouse desire to keep this kitty safe, I finished the path, and in the end we were both exhausted. I was grateful that I had married such a compassionate partner. 

 

 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we are grateful for those people who inspire us to be compassionate. We had cut a path to help Mittens find his way to his food bowl and water. Perhaps, you have someone who is feeling empty, desperate and in need of a helping hand. Lord, as You filled the boats with food for your exhausted disciples, come fill our dropping spirits with Your compassionate heart and love.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Roger's Story

 

Let me share a story about Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He captivated people from every walk of life. It didn't matter, your race, your creed, your income, where you lived, what your occupation was, nothing. There was something about him, a presence, a kindness, an unexplainable depth to him that just seemingly brought out the best in everyone around him. 

I have a favorite Mr. Rogers story. And it features a little boy with cerebral palsy, and he was paralyzed from the waist down. One day this little boy heard a preacher say that God created all things. And since this little boy considered himself a burden who really couldn't do anything for himself, the little boy concluded that God must hate him for creating him so useless. So the boy started self-harming, hitting himself whenever he recognized the burden that he placed on others. The only thing that would calm him down when he started self-harming was watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. 

 

So one day, the little boy's mother arranged for him to meet Fred Rogers on the set of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Moments before he was to meet his hero, Mr. Rogers, the little boy, he had a thought. He thought, "Mr. Rogers is such a good man. He must be so close to God. And if he is so close to God, then I am completely unworthy to be in his presence." So the boy started hitting himself. Then out walks Fred Rogers. He had no idea what he was walking into. Mr. Rogers walks up to the little boy, and he bends down to be eye level with him. And he says, "Little boy, will you do me a favor?" "Yes, Mr. Rogers, anything for you." "Little boy, will you pray for me?" Later that day, the little boy had this thought. Mr. Rogers was such a good man and so close to God, and he thought the boy was worth something. But maybe God did, too. And the little boy stopped self-harming.

 

Years later, when the story reached a reporter, he asked Mr. Rogers how he knew that this was the perfect thing to say to that little boy. Fred Rogers simply responded by saying, "I didn't. I just know that someone so young, asked to suffer so much, must be so close to God. And I could use his prayers." 

 

The Sunday gospel is an amazing one, and it gives a wonderful formula for deep living. Step one, get into the classroom of silence every day and talk with your God. Talk with your God, in whom you live and breathe and have life in. Two, listen to the word of God. Get passionately curious about the life and teaching of Jesus. Three, be like Peter. Have the courage of Peter. Share your doubts, your misgivings about being worthy of living a deep life, about following Jesus, about living up to the unique call he has for you. Lay it all out there and give Jesus the space to respond. And finally, four, have the courage to put your misgivings aside. Take Jesus at his word and accept his invitation to adventure by following him as closely as you possibly can into the deep waters of your life.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they put aside those things in which they feel a burden or a failure. Help us to press close to You because you see only the good and give us the courage to trust and accept Your love.

 

 

Prayer for the Impossible

 

“We've got a problem Houston,”. Remember that famous line in the movie “Apollo13.” There's another famous line in scripture when Mary says: “Do whatever He tells you.”

 

Mary discovers that they’re out of wine. What kind of wedding is this? That means the party's over, but isn't it interesting that Mary doesn't hesitate? Not for a moment. She goes directly to Jesus and says they have no wine. She has no doubt. She's certain that He will do something. 

 

And it makes sense because this mom knows that nothing is impossible with God. That's what the Angel Gabriel told her at the Annunciation. There is no such thing as an unsolvable human problem. Nothing is impossible with God, and she must have known it at the moment of Jesus' birth and in raising Him. She knew Jesus. He's not ordinary in any way. So she says to the servants, "Do whatever He tells you."

The Gospel doesn't tell us very much about how Jesus did it, He simply instructs them to fill the water jars. There are 6 of them with water, 150 gallons. We don't know where the water comes from. We don't know how long it takes, but we do know that once it's accomplished, the water has miraculously become wine.

 

Jesus does the miraculous. He takes what, by all appearances, looks like a shortage, a disaster, the end of the party, he saves the day and turns it into abundance. 

 

Now Susan, my devoted to kitties spouse, spent weeks building an outdoor shed for feral cats. She insulated the wood frame with styrofoam and laid a bed of straw to keep the outdoor critters toasty and safe. She gave this hut away to one of her foster moms. Sue asked for my help in 3 degree weather to deliver the hut where she discovered the front porch entrance looked too narrow. At that moment, a neighbor stopped his truck who was collecting scrap metal. He asked the foster mom if she had any scrap metal but she replied not at the moment. He saw the hut on the back of the truck and asked if he could help. A miracle. No way could Sue or this foster mom lift this mini-house.  Thankfully we got it through the front door of the porch. 

 

If you did not know this fact, Jesus is in the business of converting our shortages into abundances.

So I have a question for you. What's your shortage? What appears hopeless? Maybe it seems Covid will never go away. Or, something small like a habit that's become an addiction. What appears impossible. What in your life appears unsolvable, something missing that no one or nothing could possibly replace?

Now, it may seem like a small thing to you and me to bother the Son of God. We're embarrassed to say, "Jesus, we got a little wine problem over here. We got a delivery to make but need a little help. But when Mary sees a shortage, she doesn't hesitate. She goes directly to Jesus because she knows that Jesus cares about the details of her life. And with him, nothing is impossible. 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are facing something small or something big that won’t go away. Like digging out of two feet of snow after a winter storm. Where there had been 150 gallons of water, now, there's 150 gallons of beautiful wine. Mary points the way to her son and we learn why he does the things he does. Jesus does this not to impress people, not to prove anything, but simply to reveal his glory. Where we see hopelessness, Jesus envisions abundance. 

Living in the Spirit

 

Have you ever been annoyed when someone asked you this personal question: “do you live in the Spirit?”

 

Too often, this phrase is used in a way that is too pious, too over-charged with charismatic fervor, or too theologically abstract to have much meaning for ordinary people. It may well summarize Christian life, but it can also be little more than a very vague platitude. What does it mean “to live in the Spirit?”

 

The Holy Spirit, as classically defined in theology, is “the love between the God and Christ, the Father and the Son.”

 

St. Paul speaks candidly telling us that, if in our lives there is “lewd conduct, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, bickering, jealousy, outbursts of rage, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factionalism, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like,” then we are not living in the spirit, pure and simple. However, we are living in the spirit when, in our lives, there is “charity, joy, peace, patience, endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity.” (Galatians 5:19-22)

 

This is a valuable insight because, if we take Paul’s words seriously, we can never delude ourselves into identifying true life in the Spirit with what it is so often confused with, namely, false piety and (in pious circles) over-privatized sentiment and confrontation out of hurt, paranoia, and narrow loyalties (in both liberal and conservative circles). When the fruits of the Spirit are absent, regardless of how spiritually confident and self-righteous we might feel or how right our cause might seem, then the Spirit too is absent.

 

Let me help you understand and be clear about “living in the spirit.” with a real true story of parental love during our pandemic.  

 

A dad works as an aide for a special school that cares for physically challenged children. The kids cannot wear masks because of their disabilities. He is in a room with his coworkers who are mandated to wear masks but he has no idea if they have been vaccinated and boosted. He shared that both he and his wife are vaccinated and boosted because they have a six-year old daughter at home and she is not yet eligible to receive the vaccine. He worse fear is that he could give his daughter Covid and she dies from the virus

 

His coworkers have not shared if they have been vaccinated and he worries if he could get the virus from them. The relationship of this school staff is that teachers, therapists, aides and staff take pride in caring for these fragile and vulnerable children. Their dedication and vocation to service makes this community more joyful, peaceful, patient and willing to do anything to make their children feel accepted and safe.

 

The atmosphere of this workplace creates a climate of charity, joy, peace and patience.

 

The invitation to get vaccinated and boosted has nothing to do with individual conscious,  personal freedom, or mandates, but to “live in the spirit” where people focus their energy on bringing charity, peace and patience. This father is grateful to work in this environment and hopes that his coworkers have made the decision to get vaccinated to keep all the children at their school safe and keep his daughter out of harms way.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and especially, all the children of the world, that we choose to “live in the spirit” that keeps them safe from any virus and harm. Give us the Spirit to make the decision to get vaccinated and boosted out of charity and gratitude that will lead us all out of this pandemic and into a world of joy, peace, patience and goodness.