What Can I do?

 

Yesterday, I was invited by Fr. Nadeem to return to Holy Family in North Java for their annual outdoor picnic and preach a children’s Mass. Drizzle, windy and a cool breeze made sense to change plans and celebrate Mass in church. But there were no children.

The gospel story was about the Good Samaritan and I was going to share the story about  a kind stranger who rescued a poor victim of violence by offering him water and comfort. I had brought bandages to pass out to the kids. We use bandages to heal the hurt we get when we bruise or scrap ourselves. Sometimes our hurts come from inside our hearts when people have said or done mean things to us. But with no kids in church, i looked at all our parishioners in the pews that morning and shared that there is another hurt that gives us a lot of pain. It comes in the form of a question that many grandparents have on their minds. “I am worried about my grandchildren. They don’t go to Mass. What can I do?

Yes, your adult children are all just so busy. They work. Their grandchildren play soccer, and spend lots of time on their computers and phones. They are all so busy doing so many things. And they tell me they just don’t have time to go to Mass. We’re worried. We don’t think our daughter and her husband are interested in Catholicism at all. And they are not teaching our grandchildren anything about it.”

As grandparents we feel the pain and ask ourselves, “Is it our fault? Did we do something wrong? We tried really hard, and now they don’t go to Mass at all. And our grandchildren are getting nothing. We’re worried. Our children are grown now and have lost some or all interest in the Church.

Then as grandparents we ask, “What can I do about it?”

You’re asking the right question.” What can I do about it? Is this your question? Are you worried about your grandchildren?  Are you concerned their future will not include the Catholic faith, or any faith at all? Does it pain you to see all the obstacles the world places in the path of your grand- child and the Church?

I have good news for you. That pain you are feeling is a gift from God. You can use it for good. It’s a gift. In fact, it’s a vocation. God made you to be a grandparent. If you are a new grandparent, God is giving you a new vocation. If you are a seasoned grandparent, God invites you to get really clear on what your role means and why He gave you this vocation in the first place.

Don’t waste your pain. If you are feeling that pain as you watch your grandchildren growing up separated from the Catholic Church, please know it is sending an important message. If it hurts you to watch our culture growing ever more toxic, please know that pain is good. Yes, it is a good thing that it’s painful. That pain in your soul exists because there is a lot at stake.

What is your pain telling you? First, it is God getting your attention. C. S. Lewis used to say that pain is God’s megaphone to get our attention in the middle of all the noise of our lives. God whispers to us in our pleasures. He shouts to us in our pain.

Second, that pain means you have a choice: to do something or to do nothing. God is nudging you. He is calling you through that uncomfortable pain in your soul. He is inviting you out of the pain and into something deeper and truer. Trust Him.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are parents and grandparents and know that  God can bring purpose out of the pain we are feeling. God hopes to use that pain to do significant things in our life and in the lives of the people around you. God is nudging you forward. He is calling you into action. You have a role to play.

The Place Where Anegels Can Strengthen Us

 

That’s one of the lessons of Gethsemane. It’s only after the deserts of loneliness, duty, and helplessness have done their work in Jesus that “an angel from heaven came and ministered to him.” A unique thing can happen to us when we are overwhelmed. When the burden of self-sacrifice prostrates us in weakness and leaves us sweating blood, it’s then that God’s strength can flow into us most deeply. Many people have experienced this.
Because of his strengthening Jesus brings a certain divine energy, he is indeed more ready than any athlete.Jesus gets up off the ground and walks with courage to face the ordeal that awaits him.

There’s a story about Martin Luther King who recounts his own Agony in the Garden and the angel that came to strengthen him:
“One night toward the end of January, I settled into bed late, after a strenuous day. Coretta had already fallen asleep and just as I was about to doze off the telephone rang. An angry voice said, ‘Listen, nigger, we’ve taken all we want from you, before next week you’ll be sorry you ever came to Montgomery.’ I hang up, but I couldn’t sleep. It seemed that all of my fears had come down on me at once. I had reached a saturation point. I got out of bed and began to walk the floor. Finally I went to the kitchen and heated a pot of coffee. I was ready to give up. With my cup of coffee sitting untouched before me I tried to think of a way to move out of the picture without appearing a coward.

In this state of exhaustion, when my courage had all but gone, I decided to take my problem to God. With my head in my hands, I bowed over the kitchen table and prayed aloud. The words I spoke to God that midnight are still vivid in my memory:
 
I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.” At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced him before.”

God sends angels to strengthen us precisely when God finds us lying prostrate, sweating the blood of duty. Moreover that particular kind of sweat does something else for us as well. In the Gethsemane accounts we’re told that Jesus, right after being strengthened by an angel, gets up off the ground and walks with courage to face the ordeal that awaits him. His agony and the strengthening he receives within it, readied him for the pain that lay ahead. Indeed, at the time of Jesus, the word “agony” had a double sense: beyond its more obvious meaning, it also referred to a particular “readying” that an athlete would do just before entering the arena or stadium. The athlete would ready himself (in those days the athlete normally was a he) for the contest by working up a certain sweat (agony) with the idea that this exercise and the lather it produced would concentrate and make ready both his energies and muscles for the rigors that lay ahead. No athlete wants to enter the contest unprepared, unready.

The gospel writers want us to have this same image of Jesus as he leaves the Garden of Gethsemane: his agony has brought about a certain emotional, physical, and spiritual lather so that he is now readied: a focused athlete, properly prepared to enter the battle. Moreover, because of his strengthening he brings a certain divine energy, he is indeed more ready than any athlete.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that when our own strength gives out, when the pain of duty seems too much, when we lie prostrate in weakness and cringe before what truth, justice—and God—seem to be asking of us, when we’ve come to the point where, like Martin Luther King, we can no longer face it alone, we’re finally at that place where angels can minister to us and we’ve finally worked up the spiritual lather that has readied our souls and bodies for the Good Fridays that await us all.

Halo of Hatred

 

I have the humble privilege of serving as a spiritual mentor to a young man who would make a great priest. However, he fears saying “yes” to his vocation because his former Roman Catholic pastor threatens to excommunicate him if he chooses to be a Polish National Catholic priest.

 

In this Sunday’s gospel story, we learn about a house divided. Father against son, daughter against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law, you get the picture.

 

Not everyone will embrace the gospel. Not everyone believes in the same way. Not everyone will be included. Some will choose through their own violation. Not to embrace God. To reject His invitation.

 

Mary gives her yes. Herod gives his resounding no. Nicodemus, a religious leader, says yes. The other religious leaders make sure that Jesus is crucified and dies in the end.

 

This is the gospel. Some will reject it. Some will spin the gospel in a way that ridicules and excludes those who choose not to follow the traditions of the past. The path of love is not always easy to accept.

 

Look around your family, your faith community, your workplace. Some people are going to say yes and others will not.

 

What do you do when you say yes and the people around you don’t. It can be painful. What do you do? Four simple things.

 

Be kind, listen, love and invite. Be kind is not a sign of weaknes. It’s the fruit of the spirit. Kindness shows that you care deeply about the human beings around you. They also were made in the image of God like you. Be kind listen. Patience and gentleness are your friends. Where everybody talks or tweets, listening is a rare gift.

 

Giving someone your undivided attention demonstrates real love. Be kind, listen, love. Love God, love your neighbor. Love you enemies. Love God. Be kind, listen love and invite.

 

People who love even people who reject us. I told our young vocation that I love him and the invitation to serve God as a priest is filled with the “halo of hatred.” And by the way, I told him and all my Sonshine friends that I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have been hated, excluded, spat upon, blamed for everything, ridiculed, shamed and made expendable and worse told that they are excommunicated from the church. Remember, the invitation to follow Christ means to imitate the victim that sees Jesus as surrounded by the halo of hatred.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Love You and There's Nothing You Can Do About It

 

This Sunday’s Gospel is filled with warnings. Here are a few things Jesus says: “Be watchful.” Don’t know when He’s coming. Repent or perish.

 

The gospel is exclusive. It’s dangerous to say that in these days. Not a popular word. Exclusive. Your house will be divided, daughter against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law, you get the picture.

 

“Not everyone will embrace the gospel.” The gospel in the end is exclusive. Not everyone will be included. Some will choose through their own violation. Not to embrace God. To reject His invitation.

 

Mary gives her yes. Herod gives his resounding no. Nicodemus, a religious leader, says yes. The other religious leaders make sure that Jesus is crucified and dies in the end.

 

This is the gospel. Some will reject it. The path of love is not always easy to accept.

 

Look around your family, your faith community, your workplace. Some people are going to say yes and others will not.

 

What do you do when you say yes and the people around you don’t. It can be painful. What do you do? Four simple things.

 

Be kind, listen, love and invite. Be kind is not a sign of weakness. It’s the fruit of the spirit. Kindness shows that you care deeply about the human beings around you. They also were made in the image of God like you. Be kind, listen. Patience and gentleness are your friends. Where everybody talks or tweets, listening is a rare gift.

 

Giving someone you undivided attention demonstrates real love. Be kind, listen, love. Love God, love your neighbor. Love you enemies. Love God. Be kind, listen love and invite.

 

Some who listen and love. The invitation won’t be forgotten. I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it. Because in the end that’s who we are.  It may be rejected but it won’t be forgotten.

 

I say that because that’s we care. People who love. People who love even people who reject us. Oh, by the way, I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have been hated, excluded, spat upon, blamed for everything, ridiculed, shamed and made expendable. The invitation to follow Christ means to imitate the victim that sees Jesus as surrounded by the halo of hatred.

 

I Got Too Much Stuff

 

Appetite, The gospel story this Sunday was about appetite. Appetites are a great thing. The problem is how quickly they grow. No matter how much we add, we always typically want a little more. How much is enough. The answer is usually just a wee bit more. The evidence is all around us. Almost half of American families spend more than they earn. And the average American family carries $6000 of credit card debt. Look at our houses. Somebody says we probably need a little more room. Look at our garages, they look bigger than our houses use to be.

 

Our appetites grow and grow and never really realize that they are out of control until it’s too late. I got lots of stuff. The older I get the more stuff I get. When your parents pass away, we get some of their stuff. Your kids keep giving you stuff and your grandkids give you even more stuff. I’m not jealous about my stuff or jealous about your stuff. I’m not one of those guys who wants your stuff. I don’t need your stuff. I’m happy you have your stuff. I’m happy that you have even better stuff. Just keep your hands off of my stuff. This is my stuff. You got your own stuff.

 

One day I was thinking what would happen it a tree fell on my stuff. So I call my insurance agent to learn how much it would cost to protect my stuff. He said lots of money. He advised to take an inventory of my stuff. Write down everything you have so if something does happen we know what you have. You won’t tell us that you got something better.

 

Make an Excel spread sheet keep it on google dock. If you have an IPhone take pictures of all your stuff. Be sure you get the manufacturer and serial number so we know clearly what kind of stuff you got.

 

So I did all that, I got so much stuff. I look at my wife Sue and say, “we got too much stuff” and she says, “you know just when you get rid of it then you need it.”  

 

Then it came to me like a revelation from God. I can rent one of those self-storage units to store my extra stuff. Not my good stuff that stays in my house, but my OK stuff. My good stuff stays in my house, my OK stuff is in my mini storage and includes the seasonal stuff like easter bunny stuff and my Santa stuff. I don’t want to give away stuff, because it’s my stuff.

 

I got too much stuff. However, I’m not alone. I read in the United States that there are three billion square feet of mini storage. We love our stuff. Maybe that’s why Jesus talks about greed and money. He talks about money 20 time more than about sex and lust. In confession, I heard folks confess to things they done in life but never heard anyone says “I love stuff.”: Father what my problem is: “I love stuff way too much.” I think my problem is greed.

 

Greed is one deadly sin that nobody thinks they’re guilty of. Greed the inordinate desire for stuff, not wanting it but wanting it too much, excessive worry and concern about where to store it, let’s just think for a moment.

 

On one hand Jesus talks about greed twenty times more than he talks about sex and lust. On the other hand, none of us think that we are guilty of greed.,

 

So if Jesus talks about greed that much and none of us think we are guilt of greed, then maybe, He’s right. It’s the one sin that we probably are not aware of.

 

Why did Jesus come into our world, you were the one thing that he didn’t have. He gave up his glory, His glory to purchase you. You are more valuable to him than anything. Anything. He will do anything to purchase you. Anything for us.

 

I wonder if you ever realized that you are Jesus’ ultimate treasure. It’s a wonderful thought that I think melts your heart. It changes you on the inside. It changes everything about you and everything else becomes just stuff.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we realize that we are Our Lord’s greatest treasure. With this revelation, may we be free to use our life and our stuff to help heal the world.

When we Go Mad

 

In the movie based upon Jane Austen’s classic novel, Sense and Sensibility, there’s a very poignant scene where one of her young heroines, suffering from acute pneumonia, is lying in bed hovering between life and death. A young man, very much in love with her, is pacing back and forth, highly agitated, frustrated by his helplessness to do anything of use, and jumping out of his skin. Unable to contain his agitation any longer, he goes to the girl’s mother and asks what he might do to be helpful. She replies that there’s nothing he can do, the situation is beyond them. Unable to live with that response her says to her: “Give me some task to do, or I shall go mad!”

 

We’ve all had the feeling at times when in the face of a dire situation we need to do something, but there’s nothing we can do, no magic wand we can wave to make things better.

 

But there is something we can do.

 

I recall an event in my own life several years ago: I was the Newman chaplain at Brockport College and had many parishioners who were retired professors coming to Mass. Late one evening, I received a phone call that Professor Walt, my spiritual mentor, was in the burn unit at Strong Hospital after a flash accident in his apartment. I immediately got in my car and drove to emergency. He was already transferred to the burn unit and when the nurse showed me his room, poor Walt’s had a healing salve applied to his face and head and looked red as a beet. However, in a whisper he said, “don’t worry I am with the Lord.” I felt helpless like that young man in the movie. I said the prayers for the Sacrament of the Sick and together I could see his lips move when we prayed the Our Father together. On my way home, I wanted to do more to relieve him of his pain and suffering.

Yes, there are those horrible moments when we feel alone, agitated, panicked, and desperately needing to do something but being absolutely helpless to do anything, We are driven to our knees. Not being able to do anything else, I started praying the rosary. When I’d finished, my sorrow hadn’t gone away, my friend Walt was still in the burn unit, but my panic had subsided, as had my desperate need to do something (when there was nothing I could do).

 

My prayer on the drive home gave me some sense that my friend who was suffering would be alright, his faith when he whispered those words, “don’t worry” also relieved me of the agitation and panicked pressure of needing to do something in the face of agitated helplessness. I’d done the only thing I could do, the thing that’s been done in the face of helplessness and death since the beginning of time; I’d given myself over to prayer and to the rituals of the community and the faith of the community.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who find themselves at this stage in life desperate from symptoms of Covid, or in fear of violence going to the work or the store or sending their kids to school or exhausted from working extra shifts because of the labor shortage. In these moments, prayer and ritual are at our disposal when like that man in Sense and Sensibility, we need to do something or we will go mad.  Ritual: it’s what we have to do. It’s all we can do! It’s the right thing.

 

 

Are You Too Busy?

 

Are you too busy? My morning started with a text message from Las Vegas at 3:30am their time from a seminarian who simply text “please call back.” It’s 7 in the morning and I listened as Dan shared that his grandmother in Hawaii went home to God about twenty minutes ago and he just wanted to chat about her life. He shared that in his Hawaiian tradition, folks who die always leave a sign. Before the phone call from his dad about her passing, he had dreamed about his grandma and all the joyful times they had spent together. His sadness was about losing a friend, but the stories about her love for her first grandson were a source of comfort. So begins another busy day.

 

I next had scheduled a meeting with an Apple sales rep for breakfast. I was desperately searching for a mentor to upgrade our Apple computers and phones. During my briefing at the diner, learning about the latest and expensive gadgets, a gentleman from another table compliments the rep’s 60’s T-shirt and asked for my opinion about eating healthy foods. I was eating oatmeal with raisins so I guess I stood out from his multi-calorie omelet.

 

This briefing ended with the rep’s promise to help in the transition and this brought me great peace of mind. I next moved on to make a hospital visit to bless a 90-year-old mom diagnosed with cancer. She was going home but sadly her neighbor was in the ICU in the same hospital on a vent and the family was preparing to withdraw life support and send their daughter home to Jesus.

 

After this pastoral call, I visited my favorite camera shop who cleaned the sensor on my Nikon and suggested a new wide angle lens that would add detail to my landscape photos. From the camera store, it was time to go grocery shopping reviewing my plant-based recipes to buy zucchini, avocado, mushrooms, garlic and beans.

 

When I got home it was time to prep the potatoes to roast in the oven, then make the marinade for the chicken thighs and cut the onions and mushrooms. It was a Mediterranean recipe that got compliments before. While food was marinating, I reviewed my emails and one message that stood out came from Kari, the Executive Director at Charlotte House. Her message was a plea for donations since the Buffalo Bills Foundation were willing to double all donations to local non-profit agencies in the next 48 hours. In addition, there would be an hourly drawing and three agencies would receive an additional $500 if your agency was picked from a random drawing. The trick was to donate at a time when few donations would be made, Best time to donate would be at two or three in the morning.

 

Exhausted, I am sitting down eating dinner in front of the TV split screen that details the news of the day from around the world. Most of it pretty darn depressing. Yes, we are over connected. We are distracted with so much information that we have no time for formation.

 

Too often we are spiritually empty because we keep ourselves distracted with too much information, busier and fuller. Only to discover that the busier we get the more frantic and empty we feel. Why, because being hurried and busy may be the most dangerous enemy to our spiritual life.

 

Too busy, we have no time to love God. To love God takes time. It takes energy, It takes passion. It takes stillness.

 

Allow me to share one practical way to discover Jesus in the middle of your busyness. Spontaneous prayer. Talk to Jesus, talk to Jesus about the events of your day. Pick a moment away from your busyness and enter in the presence of God.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are too busy and that includes me. My spontaneous prayer today: "thank you Lord that when I donated to Charlotte House at three am in the morning, they were picked to win another $500. Big thank you, Lord."

 

 

 

 

 

Root Beer Neighbor

 

Grandpa Ted wanted to teach his grandson Henry the story about the Good Samaritan. But he knew Henry had no idea what a Samaritan is so he borrowed a story from one of Henry’s favorite story books from Dr. Suess.

 

Of all the wonderful characters Dr. Seuss has created, my very favorite is Horton the Elephant. Horton is such a kind and compassionate character. I think we all could learn a lot from Horton.

 

The book I want to read to you is called "Horton Hears a Who!" At the beginning of the story, Horton was splashing around in a cool jungle pool when he heard a small voice crying for help. He looked all around, but he did not see anyone. All he saw was a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Horton realized that there was someone on that speck of dust who was calling for help. As it turned out, there was a whole town of people on that little speck of dust. They were calling out for help because they were afraid that the speck of dust would fall into the pool of water and they would drown. Even though they were so small that he couldn't even see them, Horton made up his mind that he was going to help them. "After all," he said, "A person's a person, no matter how small."

 

All of the other animals in the jungle thought Horton was crazy. First, a kangaroo, then some monkeys, and finally an eagle all made fun of Horton for wanting to help the people on the speck of dust. Why, they even tried to put Horton in a cage.

 

Even though none of the other animals would help him, Horton refused to give up. He remained faithful to the task of saving the tiny people who needed his help. Because of his faithfulness, the tiny people were saved and finally, the other animals realized that just as Horton had said, "A person's a person, no matter how small."

 

Jesus has told us to love our neighbor. If you have trouble knowing who your neighbor is, just remember the story of "Horton Hears a Who!" and the story of the Good Samaritan -- then you will know that every person is your neighbor and "A neighbor's a neighbor, no matter how small!"

 

An example of a neighbor, no matter how small is my next door neighbor, Maggie. She called last night and asked if we could pick up some chocolate milk and root beer barrels candies, these are her favorite treats. Yes, she has Medicaid that provides transportation, yes RTS in Genesee County provides transportation if you call a day ahead by 6am. You can get a ride for three dollars one way, and yes there Susan and Fr. Matt who she will call “first” when in need of groceries or a ride to her doctor’s office. What does it mean to be neighbor, our response is always: “when do you want us to come.”

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are caregivers to the “little ones.” The world needs more Good Samaritans. I pray that the Lord will inspire you to love and live differently and be a Good Samaritan to all your neighbors.

 

 

 

 

Stuff

 

There once lived a peasant in Crete who deeply loved his life. He enjoyed tilling the soil, feeling the warm sun on his naked back as he worked the fields, and feeling the soil under his feet. He loved the planting, the harvesting, and the very smell of nature. He loved his wife and his family and his friends, and he enjoyed being with them, eating with them, drinking wine, talking, and making love. And he loved especially Crete, his tiny, beautiful country! The earth, the sky, the sea, it was his! This was his home.

 

One day he sensed that death was near. What he feared was not what lay beyond, for he knew God’s goodness and had lived a good life. No, he feared leaving Crete, his wife, his children, his friends, his home, and his land. Thus, as he prepared to die, he grasped in his right hand a few grams of soil from his beloved Crete and he told his loved ones to bury him with it.

 

He died, awoke, and found himself at heaven’s gates, the soil still in his hand, and heaven’s gate firmly barred against him. Eventually St. Peter emerged through the gates and spoke to him: “you’ve lived a good life, and we’ve a place for you inside, but you cannot enter unless you drop that handful of soil. You cannot enter as you are now!”

 

The man was reluctant to drop the soil and protested: “why? Why must I let go of this soil? Indeed, I cannot! What’s inside of those gates, I have no knowledge of. But this soil, I know, …  it’s my life, my work, my wife and kids, it’s what I know and love, it’s Crete! Why should I let it go for something I know nothing about?”

Peter answered: “When you get to heaven you will know why. It’s too difficult to explain. I am asking you to trust, trust that God can give you something better than a few grains of soil.”

 

But the man refused. In the end, silent and seemingly defeated, Peter left him, closing the large gates behind. Several minutes later, the gates opened a second time and this time, from them, emerged a young child. She did not try to coax the man into letting go of the soil in his hand. She simply took his hand and, as she did, it opened and the soil of Crete spilled to the ground. She then led him through the gates. A shock awaited him as he entered heaven … there, before him, lay all of Crete!

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that are still holding tight to the things that make us less like You. Help us to let go of our pride or selfish need to be right, and think more about sharing your love with other. Buddhism suggests that everything that is wrong the world can be explained in one image, that of the group photo. Whenever anyone looks at a group photo, he or she always first looks how he or she turned out and, only afterwards, considers whether or not it is a good picture of the group.

 

Warning Lights

 

 

 

 It’s one o’clock in the morning, I have just completed an onsite trauma response, and turn on the ignition of my car and two indicator icons light up that display an engine and parking light. The car moves and a big red icon appears that say: “PARK.”

 

I’m not parking, I’m exhausted from another long day that began at 5am and I am an hour from home and pray that it’s nothing but an electrical glitch. Yes, I am driving home on the 400, and praying that it’s nothing serious and hope that I am not making things worse by driving the car. I just want to get home.

 

How many times have you asked yourself, “Am I OK.” No, you have not  always attended Mass on Sunday. You can’t remember the last time you went to confession. You forgot what an Easter duty means. And yes, you most likely ate meat on a Friday during Lent. In your mind, even worse maybe in your soul, the indicator lights are flashing in your conscious saying “I’m not going to make it to heaven” because my engine, your soul is in deep trouble from neglecting your spiritual alternator.

 

So maybe it’s time for a spiritual tune-up. I took my car to Dennis, the manager of a repair shop that has maintained my car’s for over 30 years.

His analysis, “it’s most likely a computer glitch.” Sure enough, his young mechanic connects their computer to my car’s computer board that turned off the indicator lights.

 

Most interesting was the remark from our mechanic who had worked in a dealership repair shop. This would have costs me thousands to repair because mechanics are trained to replace parts when none are needed at the owner’s expense. I was not surprised by his comment. He was sick of their lack of integrity and now works in a repair shop that focused on performing quality work in an ethical way.

 

So, your spiritual indicator lights are flashing “PARK” or worse, your soul is in danger of eternal damnation, that sounds like serious engine damage.

Some dealerships, or church leaders would have you trembling in fear because you have failed to follow the maintenance manual that indicates  when you need an engine tune-up every 75,000 miles.

 

When my indicator lights go off, I think about Dennis who like our Lord says “Come to me all who worry about your car, something that creaks or rattles inside your car or inside our heads or inside our soul. “I will refresh” means my engine is not going to the junkyard and when we fail to follow the manual, our Good Shepherd reassures us that we are all going to be just fine.

 

“Are you OK?” Sometimes we are told by the dealership that we need lots of expensive repairs, or our spiritual leaders put doubts in our soul that we are not worthy.

 

I would remind you that you are the best of His creation and never forget that. Yes, we might have forgotten to get our car inspected on time, or forgot it was a meatless Friday in Lent, or that the last time we were in church was a funeral for a friend or family member.

 

But as I was driving in the wee hours of the morning with that red PARK light flashing in my eye, I had hope that I would be just fine. The Good Shepherd loves us and when we get out of line, or neglect our soul, the engine of eternal life, he comes to repair our hearts with His words of mercy and love.

 

So, the next time your spiritual indicator lights turn on, say a prayer of gratitude to Jesus that He will get you back on the road safely. We may have doubts about our worthiness or that we have not been the best Christian we can be, but in faith know that Jesus has your back and wants you to know that His plan is to bring us all home to heaven.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who travel with their warning lights flashing their souls are doomed forever. In faith and hope, say a prayer of gratitude to Jesus who comes to repair our souls and get us back on the road of life that leads to our eternal home.  

 

 

Father's Day Reflection at Holy Family BEFORE the Pandemic

 

Some things you never heard come out of your father’s mouth:

Number 3 “Well, how ’bout that! … I’m lost! … Looks like we’ll have to stop and ask for directions.”

Number 2 “Here’s a credit card and the keys to my new car –… GO CRAZY!”
And the Number 1 thing you never heard your father say: “Would you mind turning that music up a bit!”

 

Father’s Day can bring up memories & feelings for all of us –some not so good, others bring a smile. My experience of what a father is – was very good. He was a member of the American Legion and liked to volunteer at the Veterans Hospital. He also was my Little League coach who realized that while I was a good first baseman I couldn’t hit a ball for beans.

 

Every year, I search for a gift to quench the thirst of the nurturing dads in my parish. This year my search took me to Tennessee where I thought I could purchase some old fashion “Dad’s Root Beer.” However, my order came too late, so I had to improvise and sure enough came up with Plan B. With the help of a local beverage distributor, we found another brand founded in 1889 called “Saranac Old Fashion Root Beer.” We invited all our nurturing men to stand in their sits as their loved ones placed their hands on them and I offered this Father’s Day Blessing Prayer based on Scripture.

 

MY CHILD . . .

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head I’ve numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my own image. Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28

You are my child. Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4
And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son Jesus. John 17:23

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32
Come home. Luke 15: 7

Signed: With Love Everlasting – Your Divine Dad, Amen

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, and thank you for the gift of the father of our family. We honor all nurturing men who serve as coaches, teachers, mentors, advisors and thank You for the good things that are ours because of him. His love and concern for us has been a sign of Your divine affection and a sharing in your holy love. May we who have the honor of bearing his family name do so with great pride. May, we, the members of his family, assist him in his holy duties as a parent. With our respect, our obedience and our deep affection bless him, Lord with happiness and good health, with peace and with good fortune,

 

A Father's Day Reflection

 

Yesterday, many of us paused to celebrate Father’s Day. My father played a major role in my vocation as a priest. Sadly, he died of cancer nine months before my ordination, but I truly have felt his presence daily these past 45 years in my ministry. Growing up, my father was always there. He did not miss a milestone. From teaching me how to play baseball, to showing me how to care for service veterans. He encouraged me and supported me in everything. I am thankful.

 

Whether as a biological father or a spiritual father, we want to be present for our children as much as we possibly can. That includes making it to their athletic events, recitals and performances, but even more surprising them with a school pick-up every once in a while, playtime at home, vacations together and the father/daughter/son chats where they take us to topics we have never before contemplated.

 

As a Christian father, we have particular responsibilities. Yes, we are to be present, loving and caring, but the scriptures also direct us very clearly, to “bring [our children) up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). IWe need to take that seriously. That means (along with their mother) we are responsible for making sure they not only are in church but they are growing up to be the best Chrsitian they can be.  We are responsible for modeling that for them.

Kids need fathers, whether those fathers are biological, by law or by love. Children want and need to experience the love of fathers. They want and need to see what manhood looks like up close and personal. Reading and hearing about it is one thing. Experiencing it for themselves and seeing it modeled without filters is something different.

 

We do know, however, that many children do not have the opportunity to be loved and cared for by a Christian father—or any earthly father at all. Sometimes, this happens due to the death of a father. Other times, it happens because men have failed to step up to be the fathers God expects us to be. In such cases, there are so many mothers who do an incredible job of raising their children. Most if not all of us know, or have experienced, single mothers who have raised children to be remarkable men and women. We honor and respect the often-heroic efforts of single mothers who have done so much and sacrificed so much to raise their children. But that does not negate the truth that children want and need the love and care of fathers.

 

Fathers are not expendable. God’s plan and design is not that fathers would or should come and go—that they could be present or not. Too often, the presence of men acting as fathers to their children is seen as extraordinary rather than expected or common. The absence of so many men as fathers has had and continues to have enormously detrimental impact on families, communities, our nation and the church. Even while recognizing that the challenges of life result in families having different compositions, we must again in our communities normalize men being present and active in their children’s lives as fathers and, in the church, expect and normalize men who are active participants in “bringing their children up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

 

As “senior priest,” I want all our young men to be loved, nurtured and supported in a manner that leads to their living as Godly men, many of whom will become fathers. For those who do become fathers, my prayer is that they will model for their children, families, churches and communities what it looks like to love and serve the Lord while loving, nurturing, and praying with and for their children.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friend who are fathers. To the men who are blessed to have the title of father or to serve as father figures, a blessed Father’s Day. May the Lord bless you for your sacrifices and compassion that you have shown all your kids and grandkids.

 

 

 

 

It's a Mystery

What to do if Roku says no signal. I am never fully prepared when technology fails me. Smacking the old TV box a few times doesn’t work anymore. So, I go onto a web site for some help and step one says, check the power. Check to see if the light goes on. I crawl under the media cabinet, find the electrical switch cord and turn the switch on and off and I see a light goes on. Crawl out of the cabinet, turn the remote back on and surprise. It’s works. It’s a mystery

 

Let me share another mystery with this cute story. A five-year boy was explaining to his dad what was in his nativity set. He pointed to baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the donkey. There were his angels and Jesus’ goats. His dad said you mean “sheep”, but his son replied “them are goats.” Remember the prayer we say daddy when we make the sign of the cross: “the Father, Son and Holy Goats.” This kid has a great mind trying to put together the Trinity because “the Trinity is a mystery.” It's complicated. Part of being a Catholic means we embrace mystery. Think about it, who can possibly explain God and His ways.

 

At every Mass, we come to celebrate the “sacred mysteries.” We say we understand a lot but we don’t understand everything. Who could possibly explain how the bread and the wine become the very Body and Blood of Jesus. That’s a mystery. Think about those saints who received a stigmata, the nail marks on Jesus’ hands. Or, how is it that some of the saints bodies never decomposed.  The stigmata is a mystery and the incorruptibles are a mystery. However, nothing is impossible with God and no one can comprehend His ways.

 

The greatest mystery is the Trinity. One God, three persons. Is God One, Yes He is, Does God have three natures, Yes, Is God three, Yes He is.

How can this be? It’s a mystery. Like St. Patrick said: “Is a shamrock one leaf or three.” Yes. God is a mystery. Love defines God. He is love. He can do no other. It’s HIs essence. The biggest mystery really what is the world ever caused your mom to fall in love with your dad. What’s holding your family together. Hope your answer is love. Three persons, one nature all God. Yes, bond together in love, with love, and for love, that’s God.

 

When we make the sign of the cross it means that we belong to a family, we belong to the family of God. We hear it when Jesus was baptized, the voice of God and dove descending on Jesus. God is love and God is good.

 

When I celebrate Mass, I taught parishioners the gesture in sign language that says “peace be with you.” Next time I celebrate Mass, I think I will begin with the phrase “God is Good” and ask the people to respond “all the time.” In Haiti, the leader begins Mass by saying: “God is sweet” and the people respond: “mmmmmmmmm…” God is sweet. Yes He is.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that next time you greet someone say: “God is sweet” and hopefully they will respond “and so are you!” May the fellowship of the Father, Son and Holy Goat be with you all.