Who Ya Gonna Call?

 

Maggie our next door senior neighbor calls to say that her refrigerator is not working. “Who’ya gonna call” when your appliance is broke? It’s a stretch to find someone willing to do this old fashion grunt repair work. Lucky for this priest who was replacing some light fixtures when he asked the salesperson, Tony, for a referral and Jim came to mind. No clue about this vendor except I was told that he prefers to get a text. So, this “beggar priest” puts out the hook: “senior, food spoiling, refrigerator not working, help!” Luckily, I get this response, “get the make and serial number”. Next day, I get this text message, “I’m in Leroy, be at the house in half an hour.”

I think this must be my guardian angel. 

 

It reminds me that God gives us lots of names to call him by: Yahweh, Abba, Father, Jehovah. And one wonderful Hebrew old Jewish names for God is Rapha. It means Healer. God is your healer. When we need repair, we call on God as Rapha.

 

The gospel of Mark devotes more time to Jesus’ healing than any other gospel. In Mark, Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit. He heals Peter's mother-in-law. He heals all the sick who came to him. He heals a leper. He heals a paralyzed man. He heals a man with a deformed hand. He heals a man possessed by a legion of demons. He heals a little girl near death. He heals a woman hemorrhaging for years. He heals the sick wherever he went. He heals a Syrophoenician woman's daughter. He heals a deaf man, a blind man, a boy with a spirit, and he heals blind Bartimaeus. In this short gospel that's barely 16 chapters, there are at least 16 stories of healing. Do you think the Gospel writer Mark is trying to teach us something?

In the Gospel story, Jesus heals a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. As he does that, the people are, "astonished beyond measure.” And they say he has done all things well, Rapha. God is your healer.

 

In a Harvard study, 90% of doctors think faith has a healing effect. Sadly, only 70% of the population thinks that. In other words, more doctors than patients believe in the power of faith. And, Lord, do we need your healing? Sadly, only 61% of the people in our country are vaccinated, yet 100% of the doctors know this will keep you out of our overcrowded ICU units

Lord, we need your healing. As a grief therapist, I am often called to provide grief support to employees whose coworkers have died. I come at a time when hearts are loaded with grief, Lord, we need your healing. For a mind addicted to prescription medication, Lord, we need your healing. For a soul attached to gambling, Lord, we need your healing. For a heart restless in life, seeking purpose, never finding it, Lord, we need your healing. For a relationship broken and torn apart, Lord, we need your healing. For a country divided over the freedom to decide whether to get vaccinated or not, Lord, we need your healing. Say it with me,” Lord, we need your healing.”

How does God heal? Sometimes, God works through miracles. Sometimes God heals through the faith of family and friends like the deaf man brought by his friends who ask Jesus to heal him. He's healed because of them. Their faith. Sometimes God heals through the faith of the people around us. God heals through doctors and medicine. And of course, sometimes God heals through time.

 

Remember that broken refrigerator, Jim has been in appliance repair for over 36 years. He shared that he had three emergency calls today for broken freezers and Maggie was next on his list. This angel shared that in 2020, he survived two heart attacks and his wife is a cancer survivor. But instead of retiring, God blessed him to be a healer of appliances and broken freezers are at the top of his list. While he is exchanging the broken computer board, I am emptying the freezer, defrosting the shelves and drying the parts.

 

No doubt Maggie was grateful to get her food back into the freezer before it spoiled. I was delighted to connect with a man of faith, a healer of appliances who had his share of health problems but who chose to continue to repair the broken appliances that we do not understand nor have a clue how to fix. 

 

However, sometimes despite his best efforts he can’t save the appliance. When I work with someone who's just lost a spouse I know that it's going to take time to heal. Time and prayer for the grief and the pain will possibly be healed. No one fully understands how God heals or God's timing or even all of his ways. We don't always know how. We can't fully explain why. And sometimes God doesn't heal the way we expect. But that doesn't make it any less true. We have faith. If something doesn't work right, if it's broken, you take it to the one who can fix it, right? Jesus is the Great Physician. The one who made you. The one who will make you whole. His name is Healer.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who need your healing, so in my Masses these past three months, I have prayed for…Cheryl, Patti, Yvonne, Rosalie, Ted, little Henry, Brad, Bishop Mack, Fr. Adam Fr. Nadeem, let’s add our refrigerator repairman Bill, his spouse and think of people you know who need healing and spend a minute in silent prayer. Bring to mind the healing you need and perhaps give yourself a gentle hug and hold yourself for a moment. Invite Jesus’ healing touch in your life. For it's true, God is your healer. He has done all things well and he loves you more than you will ever know.

 

Gossip, Hypocrisy and Nurturing Good Habits

 

When a reading starts, "Now, when the Pharisees," you know it's coming. You know what's coming. This reading begins, "Now, when the Pharisees gathered together," it wasn't just one Pharisee. And this is the problem with the Pharisees, it wasn't just one; they were getting together. What's it about? It's about gossip, right? It's about the insidious nature of gossip. It's about how gossip destroys. The Pharisees get together; they got nothing on Jesus, so they attack his disciples. And they say the disciples, they're not washing according to all the laws, so Jesus must be bad because his disciples are doing this thing over here. And they come to Jesus. The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?"

 

Does he answer that question? No, he doesn't answer that question. I love that. He just doesn't even answer that question. He just knows “who they are.” (For Fr. Adam –RC priests telling your parishioners they’re going to hell attending your church; for Bishop Mack people who want control that we can’t spend money to save the church for future generations; for Fr. Nadeem people who resist any changes in their church). 

 

Jesus knows their heart. He doesn't even answer that question. I think that's a beautiful lesson for you and me, because sometimes people come to you. They got questions, but their questions aren't coming from a good place. Their questions are coming a place of judgment and criticism. The Pharisees and the scribe, they all get together, they all have their little gossip sessions, and then they confront Jesus and they say, "We've got this question for you, Jesus." He doesn't even answer the question. It's brilliant. What does he say? "Isaiah prophesied well about you hypocrites. It is written this people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. In vain, do they worship me teaching as doctrines the precepts of men."

 

It's powerful. It's strong, right? I can understand why their hatred for him grew because he's calling them out all the time. He's calling them out all the time, and you have to have a great humility to be able to be called out and say, "Yeah, there's wisdom there. There's insight there. I can change. I can grow." And they didn't have that. But you know what? I'm that Pharisee. I'm like those Pharisees. There have been regretful times in my life where I've gotten together with other people and gossiped about other people.

 

What does Jesus say? "You people honor me with your lips." There's been times in my life I've done that, "but your hearts are far from me." There's been times in my life-- "in vain, do you worship me teaching as doctrines the precepts of men," how often in my life have I clung to the worldly teachings of people rather than the eternal teachings of God? And so, if we-- if we pay attention, what do we discover? Well, the readings about gossips and hypocrites, and sometimes we are those gossips and hypocrites. And when we read the scriptures, unless we can see ourselves in each and every single person, we're deceiving ourselves.

 

We're deceiving ourselves because each and every single person in the scriptures is a messenger who comes to teach you and me something about ourselves, not something about somebody else, but something about ourselves. And then Jesus answers the real question. He says, "Hear me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside of man which is going into him can defile him, but the things which come out of a man of what defile him." What's coming out of you? How are you nurturing your heart? How are you nurturing your spirit? How are you nurturing your mind?

 

So, the good things are percolating in there so that when you engage with others, when you're in relationships, when your parish has to make tough financial decisions, when you are invited to give a new priest a chance to grow your parish, good things bubble up and overflow into this world. What's he saying? He's saying, "Nurture the inner life. The external is a reflection of the internal."

We can't control everything that's going on around us, but we can have enormous influence on what's going on within us. And he's encouraging us to pay attention to what's going on within you? What spiritual food do you need to nurture? What is going on within you so that we can resist the temptation to be gossips and so that we can align our actions with our values and not be hypocrites like the Pharisees.

Give Him A Chance

 

People are leaving the church. Why you ask? Too hot in church, no air conditioning, sermons too long, music sounds like a dirge, people in the pew gossip and are grumpy. Too many rules to follow, too much sandal, or simply no time, it’s the start of the football season and the Bills are expected to win the Super Bowl. 

 

Funny, same thing happened to Jesus. People were leaving. It says in the gospel, “they no longer went with him." And so, Jesus looks at his closest disciples, and he asked them, "Will you also go away?" It's a great question for your faith, isn't it? 

 

And it's a great question for your life. When the going gets tough, will you go away? When your relationship is challenged, do you find a way to hang in there?  When a bad habit produces a negative result, do you keep grinding it out, or do you give up. Here’s the question of the day for two parishes. When your church is not going the way you want, do you stick it out or do you walk away?  

 

Let’s be perfectly honest, it’s not easy being Catholic. Following Jesus, having faith, and really trying to become the best version of yourself. I mean, we all have bad days, we say stupid things like I heard this weekend, “What kind of nationality is that new priest coming to our church.”  We all have moments where we wonder, "God, are you really with me or not?" 

 

So, let me remind you of a forgotten word, a very unpopular word, “faithfulness.” You may know his cousins stick-to-itness and perseverance. Faithfulness, it's not the sexiest word around, is it!

For you and me, being faithful usually means being heroic in ordinary things. 

 

So, let’s skip the grim statistics that show less then 15% of Catholics are attending church. We don’t say it out loud but you might wonder, are we getting ready to close our churches for good? 

Not at Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral in Lancaster, not at Holy Family in North Java, because a bishop has made a radicle decision to invite some young, enthusiastic disciples to stir the bushes and knock on doors.  

 

Sounds just like Jesus with his young fellows, walking door to door in the marketplace and preaching the “Good News.” 

 

Next Saturday and Sunday, a young priest and his spouse, Fr. Nadeem and Rebecca will travel from Florida to preach the Good News to the cathedral and Holy Family. They have accepted the mission to knock on doors and invite your neighbors to come and taste the sweetness of the Lord. That’s probably means Fr. Matt will have to make more Snickerdoodle cookies.  

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends to remain faithful, not to be so critical or hesitate to take a chance not knowing the end result, but trusting that Your spirit will guide our churches to continue the saving work of your Son and Our Savior. Give Fr. Nadeem a chance, give Fr. Adam a chance people, they both need your prayers, your love and your support.

Knock on the Door

 

The cellphone glass was shattered. Didn’t drop it, didn’t smash it against the steel tractor. It just happened. Now the real problem. Where does one go to get it either repaired or replaced? Your choices are not too inviting. Either wait online for your customer service to replace or off to Target to find a customer service agent who assures you that it’s not a problem to transfer all your contacts, photos, whatever and then teach you how to use the newest and latest technology. No two screens look the same.

 

After several calls to different stores, Louis, the agent, says it’s a piece of cake. Meet him at 10am because by 10:15 lines will form and take hours. Only problem, arrive at 10am and no Louis.  Ron is working instead, apologizes for any misunderstanding. He takes my old phone, unboxes the new replacement and literally takes his fingers and says, “cross our fingers father, and hopes this works.” There’s a pit in my stomach that says, “we’re in trouble.” After several attempts, Ron says sorry you will have to upload each contact on your old phone. The old cell technology won’t talk to the new phone. I knew I was in trouble when he said “do you know your password for Google.”

 

I drove an hour from Rochester to Buffalo thinking I found my tech, instead I am driving home kicking myself saying things like, “should have done nothing, could have bought a new screen, should have walked away.”

 

That night, I’m receiving phone messages and I am lucky enough to reply but I have no clue how to get back to the home screen or how to upload the hundred phone numbers. Then a miracle. I contact my good friend Fr. Don who asked “how am I doing?” His response, come over his home, Ben his son, just completed uploading and changing over his new phone. Yes, there are angels!

 

As I walk in the door, this young man who is going to college to be an IT specialist, takes both the old and the new and within minutes has them talking to one another. No language barriers, no crossing fingers. With gratitude in my heart, I ask for a tutorial on how to use this new technology. How to download a text, how to change the ring tone, how to mute the sound during Mass.

 

We all have become dependent at pressing our cell phones to stay in contact with our family and relatives.  In some ways, the pandemic has allowed us to visit distant family although it’s not the same as giving them a hug ourselves. In the gospel, Mary comes to Elizabeth and we learn that the moment she comes through the door, the two women press flesh by giving each other a hug and Elizabeth baby’s moves inside her. She says he leapt for joy because she realized at that moment that Mary too was pregnant with the Son of God.

 

Today if people want to get in contact with you they have established YouTube videos for them to chat and meet people online. But I have another idea. Two surveys have shown that over 90% of youth have stopped going to church after finishing their Catholic education. Churches will continue to close, but I have an idea that reflects what Mary was doing this morning. 

 

An editor from The Tablet, Margaret Hebblethwaite, reports upon a diocese where 34 parishes have begun a program of using lay people as pastoral visitors. As the editor puts it, "Each member of the neighborhood pastoral team is responsible for making and maintaining contact with a dozen households. They are Catholics who want to live out the belief that the Church should care for 100 percent of its members, and not just the 15 percent who go to Mass. Sadly, another survey reported that during this pandemic 70% of the people watching Mass from their homes will not be returning to church. 

 

In reaching out to your neighbors, there is no suggestion that people might like to come along to church. In last year alone, these visitors have made more than 6,000 contacts.

The pastor writes ahead to say a parishioner will drop in. They do not go in pairs, to avoid any kind of intimidating posture. Basically, you are just calling on your neighbor. Somebody who may not be "practicing,' as we say, but who is in your parish. With what results? One team member discovered a disabled man who knew nobody in the street; neighbors had even been throwing rubbish over his fence. But now neighbors have helped to clean up his garden and got to know him, and a Eucharistic minister brings him communion. Another woman found one of the lonely people on her list singularly unresponsive, until the seventh time she came to see him, when he told her, to her amazement, 'I do so enjoy your visits.'"

This approach is a radical change. The usual teaching is that baptism brings one into the community of the faithful. Here the order is reversed; it is the knock on the door. The sacraments may follow later; we don't mean to imply that they are unimportant. But more important is to get to know people, to become friends, and if needed, to be of service. One visitor goes with lemons from her lemon tree to break the ice. Another takes her ten-year-old son, who asked, "Why are we going to this house?" She answered, "Because the parish thinks we ought to be more caring of each other and get to know people." He responded, "Oh, that's a good idea."

The approach is made to Catholics, but many people move, and visitors encounter people of other faiths or none. But they are still neighbors. And, as the editor writes, "The street is the place where the range of social problems is found: domestic violence, racism, loneliness, the trials of old age, adolescent rebellion, family stress and mental illness, not to mention a wealth of happiness, skill and generosity waiting to be tapped. 

 

One of the pastoral team says, "We are identifying a new mission ground. This is where we rub shoulders with those whom we do not choose for community, but rather with those whom God has called us to love - literally, our neighbors."

One woman in a wheelchair, who gave the visitors a long tirade about the way she felt the church had treated her, finally concluded, "If only the church was all like you, I don't think I would have ever left it."

Today Mary and Elizabeth show us the way to establishing relationships through this kind of visiting.  Our bishop is very worried that churches will close so his response has been to recruit young priests to come to his cathedral and here in North Java and a new parish in Las Vegas to inspire this community to press the flesh and to get to know the neighbors. 

 

In two weeks, Fr. Nadeem and his wife Rebecca will come to North Java for a visit with the intention assigned by Bishop Mack to start a new ministry at Holy Family. I trust that you will welcome them both with open arms like Elizabeth greeted Mary and help them both invite your neighbors to come and taste the goodness of the Lord at this altar.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and miss you all very much. I am proud of all the good work you continue do in the name of the Lord. May the Blessed Mohter prtect you and keep you close to her Son.

 

Invisible Sin

 

Fr. Adam was feeling super anxious after he received his new assignment to start a new parish in Las Vegas. The devil began to attack him with thoughts like “am I going to be OK. Will people come to support him as he starts this new faith community.”

 

Then toxic thoughts got into his head, when he discovered that his former dioceses were sending notices that he no longer was a valid minister of the sacraments.  He feared: “would he be able to withstand the attacks from his enemies and haters and distractors and naysayers and fear mongers and the religious sectarians who will say that the PNCC is not real and valid and legitimate and not a licit Catholic Church.” Fr. Adam had a bad case of “monkey brain” when we only think the worse.

 

Fr. Adam prays that it would be nice to be vindicated. But more importantly, he asked, "Now, where do I go to get my name back?" It's a good question. After your name is dragged through the mud, after your reputation is ruined, after hearing the whispers and feeling the stares, where do you go to get your name back? Whoever said sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me didn't know much about gossip, did they?

 

"Where do I go to get my name back?". Within days of being incarnated into the PNCC, his former religious brothers had him all but condemned. Never mind that Fr. Adam was seizing the opportunity to start a fresh new democratic church in an area steeped in addictions where he would be a shepherd to save hundreds of lives. And yet his life would be ruined, dragged through the mud, through rumors and innuendo and gossip.

 

That naysayer never gazed into the sad faces of a family whose son has died in a tragic car wreck and heard the unfounded rumors, never heard them ask, "What causes people to feed on half truths and spread them with such ferocity?"

Truth matters because anything less than the truth eventually leads to pain for someone. The people of Israel love to murmur, and they love to complain, especially about Moses. They even complained about God. And all kinds of people love to gossip and murmur against Jesus just like this week’s gospel.

The truth is a powerful thing. In fact, our whole society depends on it. Every relationship you have, business, marriage, friendship depends on truthfulness, doesn't it? And when we don't tell the truth about other people, when we gossip, stick our noses into areas where they don't belong because of a desire to be in the know, when we slander, intentionally set out to hurt somebody with our words, bad things happen, marriages crumble, relationships sour, friendships end, churches are divided and sometimes lives are destroyed. 

 

The tongue is a dangerous weapon. It's a powerful tool, and there are no tongue control laws. Tongue is remarkable. It can destroy thousands of lives without shedding an ounce of blood. Most of us don't think of ourselves as murderers, do we? But we murder people's reputations when we gossip or when we stand by and let somebody else assassinate a person's character. Gossip can never be undone. Some people will never look the same way at that person again. It's evil. Gossip is the invisible sin. And tragically now, gossip is just another name for conversation. Social media has made murmuring normal. In fact, it's made it accepted, encouraged, and not even noticed. In fact, a lot of people have gotten rich off gossip. 

 

But you and I are called to be the people of truth. Honesty is not the best policy. Honesty is a way of life. People of God deal honestly with other people. We live the truth. We shouldn't look like the world.

 

A Cornell study found that we lie to people most often when we're on the phone and face to face, and least often via email and text, where there's a written record of what we actually say. But you and I are called to be different. Words have power. Words have the power to heal, to give hope, to encourage. 

 

So here's three simple questions to ask yourself before you speak. Number one, is this true? Take this seriously before you say something. Ask yourself is it true. If you don't know that what you say is true, stop. Second, is this necessary? Sometimes there's no denying the facts, but it's just not helpful to broadcast them or to have other people take pleasure in the shame of somebody else. There are times to remain silent, and the best way to prevent gossip is to ask yourself is it really necessary to say this? Does this person really need to know? And if the answer is no, stop. Third, is this charitable? Slander means to intentionally use words to hurt someone. And slander is easily prevented by this question. Will these words bring hope or healing? If it's not charitable, if the words can't bring hope or healing, stop. You and I are called to stand for the truth. We're called to stand out for the truth, to speak the truth, to use words to help, not to hurt. We are called to be a people of truth.

 

Fr. Adam shared a recent memory going to breakfast with two bishops after he was incarnated to a local restaurant in Scranton, Pennsylvania. To his surprise, the breakfast menu included “a pierogi omelet.” OMG, he said to himself. At that moment he felt that his grandma was with him and he knew instantly that he was going to be OK. He would be just fine.

 

Why, because when his “Babcia” shows up, everything is OK, she makes it all well. She always did and she always will. She taught him to be a person of truth, to be a minister of hope and healing. In his heart, Babcia brings Jesus and if Jesus is with us who can be against us?

 

He prays: “Jesus, I trust in you.” He asks his new parishioners to repeat that prayer everyday with him, and every day he promises to bless you with a big pierogi smile and a big hello. Come to his new church, Divine Mercy and know the truth that in his presence you will OK and experience the healing power of Jesus.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have suffered from loose lips and narrow minds. With your grace, may we persevere in our quest and pursue our dreams. Put on your “pierogi smile” that drives away toxic thoughts and say to our distractors, we walk in the light and love Our Lord for who can stand against us.

 

 

 

 

 

Connections

 

Last week when I met Fr. Adam who plans to start a new parish in Las Vegas. I gave him some “fatherly advice.” Make connections. They are the key to happiness and your success as shepherd in your new faith community.

 

I always tell my patients connections are the key to managing stressors in life. While getting a leaky truck repaired, the dealership had someone drive me home. My driver was a retired military veteran who worked as a firefighter. I shared that my fire extinguishers needed to be inspected and he gave me the name of someone who inspected all the dealership fire equipment. I shared that I was able to get several grants for my local fire department to upgrade equipment. Didn’t he share that he reviewed fire department grants for FEMA. Another helpful connection that goes on my “building team” file. Oh yes, I have a list of contacts with 1600 names of builders, carpenters, tractor repair the list goes on. Most important is the person who is listed at the top.

 

Back to my new connection for fire extinguishers. Jim has been in this business for three decades. I have my five fire extinguishers ready for him to test and evaluate for their readiness.  He gives me a quick review lesson on how to use if needed properly. I like this connection a lot. Tells me where to place in the home and suggest we add one more for the garage where the lawn mower and tractor fuel are housed. Makes sense. I go back to my “building team” file and add a new category “fire extinguisher.” and our new connection Jim is list as #1.

 

Who are your connections that you value in life?  Brad is my #1 builder, Jeff my #1 tractor repairman, Russ my #1 doctor, Tim is my #1 bread baker, Dave my #1 internet installer, Dick my #1 farmer, Louis, my #1 computer guru. Oh yes, the dryer after 11 years is making strange sounds so a appliance repairman is showing up tomorrow. I pray this person becomes my #1 appliance repair person. And when things really fall apart, like when my body sputters and rattles, I call on Our Lord, for He’s my #1 healer of a troubled body, mind and soul.

 

And then Jesus starts this discourse about food, and He says, "Do not labor for the food that perishes but for the food which endures to eternal life." And He talks about how He has come to bring them this lasting bread, this lasting food, this food that doesn't lead to more and more hunger.

 

Was there a situation you were dealing with where you thought, "I need Jesus' advice? I need Jesus' counsel. I need His wisdom"? Did you seek Him out for that? Or when's the last time you just sought Him out just to spend time with Him just like you do a great friend? The people were seeking Jesus. They were looking for him. The people said, "Lord, give us this bread always. We want this bread all the time, Jesus. Give us this bread." And then Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." Were the people satisfied? No. Because they were looking for the passing. Jesus was trying to call them into the lasting. What's it about?

 

It’s like Jim, my fire extinguisher expert, showing me how to hold the fire extinguisher if God forbid there is a fire to put out. You point at the base of the fire. It’s like Jesus giving us advice that will satisfy our yearning for the truth on helping us to become all God created us to be. God places these yearnings within us. They draw us down a path that He wants to draw us along. And so, we're being invited to take off our limited worldly mind and to put on the mind of God and ask ourselves, "Okay. How does God want me to deal with these yearnings that are naturally a part of my life?”

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they seek lasting food that comes from the wisdom and counsel of God. May we seek lasting and not passing answers to deal with the yearnings that are a call to be the best spouse, the best parent, the best parishioner and the best friend that we can be. By the way, Dan is my new #1 dryer repairman.

 

PS I am still searching for a connection to help me use our enchanted forest with a purpose for education. Any leads from your college or organization would be greatly appreciated. Have your connection email me at drmattkawiak@gmail;.com

 

 

 

All Things Are Possible With God

 Five loaves and two fish. The skeptical disciple Phillips says, "How in the world are we going to feed these people? Are you kidding me? Five thousand people." But that's what the little boy had and he offered it to Jesus. Five loaves and two fish. Kind of hard to believe what happened next. Jesus blesses those five loaves and two fish. He asks the 5000 people to sit down and he told his disciples, "Distribute the food to the people and feed the people." They did. So much so that after the people had eaten, Jesus had the disciples collect the leftovers and filled 12 baskets with the bread left over. The lesson is very simple with Jesus, a little becomes a lot.

 

On Thursday, Fr. Adam was dining at the table of Bishop Mack in his home. The bishop had drove this young priest to Scranton where the Prime Bishop received him as a priest in the PNCC. He was now being served the bishop’s signature dish, pork chops with mashed potatoes. Fr. Adam Kotas’ vocation to be a priest started in Chicago where he studied his theology at the Polish seminary, SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake, Michigan founded in 1885. He shared that once he graduated he had to find a diocese who was willing to accept him to serve in parish ministry.

 

His first assignment found him serving in the Diocese of San Jose in California. In his seminary studies, he learned about Fr. Houdur and the struggle of the Polish people in their generation. As he continued to work in California, his suffered from a severe asthma condition due to the smug and unhealthy air in that state. He requested a transfer for his health and the diocese sent him to the Diocese in Las Vegas where his health improved due to the drier climate. It was here he met a parishioner from our cathedral in Lancaster who shared her love for the Polish National Church and once again Fr. Adam found him being drawn to inquire about the PNCC.

 

He contacted Bishop Mack who welcomed this young priest with open arms and invited him to serve in our diocese. But surprising, Fr. Adam had no church but he had this inspiration to start a Polish Catholic parish in Las Vegas. He had met many Polish National Catholics who were sheep without a shepherd.  Only 36 years old, this enthusiastic young disciple was willing to start a new church from scratch. Like the disciples who wondered how would they be able to feed such a large crowd with so little food. Fr. Adam trusted Our Lord and with the help of his dad and some Polish people found an abandoned building that once served as a church. But it was empty building, no stain glass windows, no statues of saints, no holy water fonts, no altar or candles. Then the miracle occurred, Bishop Bernie in New Jersey had a church that had closed. Fr, Adam inquired if the church had anything he could take with him to fill his new church. Bishop Bernie agreed and a plan was set in motion.

 

The five loaves and two fish became a baptismal font, stations of the cross, statures of St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, an Easter candle holder, a pulpit, holy water fonts, even a tabernacle that somehow, he would have to figure out how to pry out of the marble altar. So, our young priest changed his flight plans and instead of visiting his parents in Chicago, he rerouted his plane ticket to fly to New Jersey. A parishioner from Las Vegas would join him in New Jersey and the two men planned to rent a U-Haul truck and bring their new-found church supplies to the empty building and create a scared space where Fr. Adam would call his new church “Divine Mercy.”

 

Fr. Adam plans to start celebrating Mass in September when the building officially becomes church property. He will still need to search for an altar, a sound system, computer, copier, chairs for the congregations and what he would like is a painting in the image of Jesus as Divine Mercy.

 

Only God knows what the five loaves and tow fish two fish will become. From an abandoned church, this parish could become a campus for medicine and healing, a hospice or hospital, or a school for physically challenged children or a recovery center for people with various addictions. I shared with Fr. Adam that there are many hurting people in the world and his sacred space would be a sign of hope that God is in our midst to bring comfort and strength to his community in Las Vegas. He shared that he liked that vison. I encourage all of you to pray that the Lord will bless this young priest and his new community that from so little, many will come to join this faith community. Like the multitude who followed Jesus and grew hungry, people would be fed with the Bread of Life and find a home that will bring them closer to the heart of Christ.

 

You get my point. Jesus Christ lives in you. With you, he can do extraordinary things because all things are possible. Think like this. You and that U-Haul are travelling from New Jersey to Las Vegas with all those holy sacred vessels that just might change the world. 

 

Lord I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are starting out on new adventures. Help us to realize that creativity is everywhere you look for it. And it is in you. Learn how to feed yourself a steady diet of inspiration and you will live and love more creatively.

 

 

What Kind of Shepherd Are You?

 

It’s raining outside and I am shepherd of an enchanted forest.

 

I have trimmed thousands of grapevines to keep the trees from being strangled, Last Sunday afternoon while it was raining I decided to walk alongside a deer trail to pick up the litter and garbage from the past hundred years. You see if you are a shepherd of people or land, someone has to pick up the garbage. Along the path, I find rubber tubing, glass bottles, electric outlets and assorted pieces of plastic. The path is slanted, I need to be hugging the ground with a trash bag in one hand and my other hands grabbing onto a limb or tree truck to prevent from falling. As I follow the deer trail, it reminds me of Our Lord who as our Good Shepherd leads the way.

 

However, God thunders against the human shepherds who are failures at shepherding. 

 

Every person has many of God’s children in their care.

 

Who are these miserable shepherds, these failures, with whom God is so indignant? Well, you can tell who they are by what God is angry at in them. They are the human beings who have not cared for the sheep, and those sheep are God’s people.

 

Well, what did the shepherds fail to do when they failed to care for the sheep? They didn’t help the sheep get nurture; they drove the sheep away. They led the sheep in wrong directions. They scattered the sheep, so that instead of being one flock, the sheep were divided against each other into diverse small groups.

 

So, think about it this way. 

 

Do you spend your time on foolish, frivolous things that help nobody? Do you babble about things in your family or church on Facebook that are not your business?  Do you think you are caring for God’s people when you do this? Do you gossip and undermine the reputation of others? Do you sow discord in your neighborhood, in your church, in your family? Are you a divisive presence in your community? Do you think you are caring for God’s children when you are doing this stuff?  This is like the trash that I was picking up in my enchanted forest. It had been put here by people who were not mindful that their actions would harm the land.

 

Surely no one of us is so stupid or ignorant as to suppose that God’s thundering against miserable shepherds is meant only for priests who aren’t good enough. We priests read about our feet of clay every day. However, that thundering is a warning for each one of us.

 

Every person has many of God’s children in his care. The people who collect your trash and recyclables on your street, the child in the row behind you who kicks your seat on the plane, the annoying non-stop talker at your dinner table, your grouchy parishioners who blame politicians for the Covid pandemic, your old and highly dependent mother-in-law, your very imperfect spouse—each of these is one of God’s children, and each of them is in your care—a little or maybe even a lot.

 

I had collected 40 pounds of trash when I came across a piece of wire on the ground, I pulled and another three feet came out of the ground. Next to this wire I spotted barbed wire wrapped around a tree trunk. I thought I had gotten rid of all the barbed wire. Yes, there always seems to be more trash that comes to the surface that needs to be removed. For this job, I would have to come back with some wire cutters to complete this cleanup.

 

I imagine that barbed wire is like all the people you are ask to shepherd especially, the ones that don’t bend and are hard to work with. But all things are possible with our Shepherd, whose grace we need to do it well.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we be more careful not to be miserable shepherds. You are welcomed to borrow my barbed wire cutters anytime if you need to remove some nasty habits and trash from your life. May Our Lord bless you with the humility to admit your weaknesses and may we be grateful for His mercy that inspires us to be the best of shepherds to those in our care and to one another in this cathedral.

 

 

When Failure Turns to Hope

 

On the Fourth of July, my wife and I were invited to a picnic at my sister and brother’s in-law’s home in Buffalo. Mary, my wife’s sister, brings out desserts and she is a fantastic cookie baker. On the tray are a variety of cookies, so I reach for one and it was delicious. I ask what’s in the middle of the cookie and Mary responds “cinnamon.” Well, since I am in my “senior status” learning new hobbies, I asked for the recipe. Didn’t need rhubarb, but where does one find “cinnamon chips.” So off I search at TOPS in the baking section and wouldn’t you know it, they have chocolate chips, butterscotch and mint, but no cinnamon. Yes, there I go to Google and it says Wal Mart carries cinnamon chips, but once again I come up empty handed for they have a dozen variety of chips but no cinnamon. Lucky for me I know there’s a bakery supply store called Lori’s In the Rochester regional market. I ask the clerk and he immediately shows me to a section with hundreds of jars that contain all kinds if spices including to my delight cinnamon.  

 

Today’s gospel is a challenge for some of Jesus closest friends, he tells his apostles, time to get going and spread the good news. Notice, he didn’t say advertise on TV, go on the internet, buy billboard space, organize a community fun festival to pack the synagogue. He simply sent his disciples to the villages and we learn that they are able to perform miracles.

 

Nice story you say, but what does that have to do with us. Don’t you know? Something that Jesus does in all his amazing miracle stories. He collaborates with humanity. He needs Mary to be born in her womb. He needs his disciples to pass around two fish and five loaves to feed five thousand hungry people. He sends his disciples out two by two to spread the good news of God’s love that comes through by their compassion for the sick and possessed. 

 

You are being asked by God this morning to spread the good news and perform miracles. What is the miracle...to pack the pews with young faces who are lost, to bring families and their children to this place to find rest from their chaos of their lives. Believe me, just ask any young parent and they will tell you their life is a rat race. 

 

But you have tried how many times in the past, and when you look around how do you feel? More like a failure. Sounds like Jesus from last week, he had performed amazing feats, brought a child back from the dead, healed the blind, forgave sinners and what’s the response of his neighbors in his own village. Rejection. Did he think he was a failure?

 

I had this idea that I would bake cinnamon cookies for all of you in church and hand them out after Mass. Following Mary’s recipe, I mixed the ingredients using the cinnamon chips, rolled them out into logs and placed them on the cookie tray into the oven. As I am making the second batch, Susan, my spouse, notices the chips and says are they the right kind for the recipe? In my mind, I’m thinking the clerk said these were cinnamon chips. So, the first batch of cookies are done and I pulled out of the oven. I tasted one cookie and sure enough, she is right. The clerk did not sell me cinnamon chips like chocolate chips, but these were hard like bark, the kind you brew to make herbal tea. I never knew the difference and of course being a novice baker never checked. I had to throw out the whole batch of cookies and the ingredients and felt like a total failure. Maybe I need to give up baking anything. What’s the lesson Jesus is trying to teach me this time.

 

What was Jesus response when he was not accepted by his neighbors, he simply left his village, told his disciples I need your help in spreading the good news, that’s collaboration. 

 

The challenge for me in making cinnamon chip logs was finding the right kind of cinnamon chips. The lesson from Jesus was to preserve and not give up hope.  So, this Sunday, I handed out cookies to everyone as they were leaving church and there were lots of smiles and compliments. 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are feeling like a failure in life. Remind them that we have been blessed with spiritual blessings that include love, perseverance compassion and hope. These are the ingredients that will make our lives sweet and joyful again.

 

 

Blood Pressure Off the Roof

 

My dear friends from Nashua came for a visit and left me some rhubarb from their garden. Well our retired or more preferred label “senior priest” looks up grandma’s recipe for rhubarb crumble. It said cheat and buy a pie crust but I decided to challenge myself and found a flaky pie crust recipe.

 

Following grandma’s recipe, we started chopping the rhubarb that called for three cups rhubarb but I had only 2 ¼. No problem I’ll just run down the street to TOPS in Attica and get a few more stalks. To my surprise, no rhubarb in the store. This means we have to drive into Batavia and check the TOPS produce. Again, I see none in the veggie case so I ask a young clerk if they have any rhubarb. His response, I just started working, so I nudge him and said, “Could you go ask someone if there is any in the back.” Somewhat bewildered he walks off, several minutes later he appears and says there’s none in the store. You got to be kidding I say to myself. Isn’t this rhubarb season. Back in my car, I google Batavia, NY farm markets and see several outside of town, so I call the first one and voicemail says, "Hi, this is Stan and Judy we’re not here right now.” Now the blood pressure is really hitting the roof. I’m short three quarters of a cup and no stalk to be found in Batavia. Then I realize what about Walmart grocery. Google again, rhubarb and Walmart and there’s a photo of the plant. So off I drive, walk into the veggie section, scan the aisle and again none to be found. I see two Walmart produce ladies and “kindly” ask: “where’s the rhubarb," and they reply, "we don’t carry rhubarb in the store."

 

At that moment, I wanted to show them my cell phone screen with a picture of the rhubarb in the Walmart store. I held my ground, but inside we were hitting the roof. Whose else might carry this plant. There’s BJ’s but to save time, I call and a young says, “what’s rhubarb?” No, I say rhubarb, it’s a vegetable.” Dead silence, "can you ask if BJ’s carries rhubarb." Several minutes later, the voice comes back and says, "sorry we don’t have rhubarb...have a nice day." That’s it! I’m ready to explode when I turn to our maker and pray: Lord, what are You trying to teach me here. I just need another cup to finish the darn recipe. The farm markets are closed on Wednesday, the groceries stores ran out and I am short. Not only in the recipe but I have a short fuse. I make a left hand turn to start out of town when out of the corner of my eye I spot a food stand along the road with the word printed on the sign:” RHUBARB.” Really, I say to myself, you guys have been hiding all the time.

 

I pull over, get out of the car and shout to this guy. Any rhubarb, he says, I just picked 5 baskets today. Lucky for me he had five stalks left. Now I wonder was there a moment Jesus blood pressure hit the roof.

 

You bet, like the time he started teaching in his own town and the response comes: Who is this kid? Who does he think he is teaching us anything about God. Isn't he Mary’s child down the street, didn’t his dad use to make table and chairs before he passed. Worse, it says, that outside of a few healings, Jesus could work no miracles in his own village.

 

How sad, when you put people in a box. We assume we know all about them and that they have nothing valuable to offer us so we close our eyes and hope they go away. Or worse, we hear and see them and our blood pressure goes off the roof because we fail to take a breath and see things will work out in the end. Like I knew all the time, this guy would be selling rhubarb at four in the afternoon after checking out a half dozen other stores.

 

Lord when we hit the wall, our blood pressure boils over from stuff we can’t control or put people in a box, give us patience and the wisdom to slow down, and let go and allow Your grace to relieve our stress and know good things will come if we just stop being so miserable and stubborn and allow your grace to take root in our hearts.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, know at this very moment I’m getting the rhubarb crumble ready to put in the oven. After it cooled out of the oven, we tasted the rhubarb crumble and to my surprise, it was sweet and yummy. My soulmate said, now aren’t you glad I pushed you to make the rhubarb.. Sometimes all our faith needs is a little courage and perserverance. Sounds like the ingredients Jesus used when his the religious leaders and his own people rejected him. Instead of getting upset and boiling over, in faith he persevered and continued to heal and spread the good news. Courage and perserverance. Sounds like a good recipe to take home today. Don’t you think!