Regrets, I Had a Few

It’s amazing how much people will reveal about themselves online in various internet forums, blogs, facebook. Looking on a Google search, one of the suggested search results turned up this page called “Regrets – If you could do it all over again…” On it, people posted all types of things.

“I should have listened to my professor and finished my thesis and get my degree. I should not have filed for that divorce. I should have bought the farm, instead of working on these boring machines from 9 to 5. I should have gotten our kids baptized like grandma asked. I should have had my camera ready for those birds flying over the bay."

Some were a bit more serious, for example, one individual said I would go back to when I was 20 and NOT smoke that first blunt. There were more than a couple of people who agreed with that post.

Some were truly heartbreaking, like this one: I wish I could go back and tell my daughter that she would be OK and stay in treatment instead of getting the news that she committed suicide from an overdose. Or, I wish I could go back to the person I married and tell them I regret being addicted to my alcohol and drugs and get back to my family and have my kids respect me.

Regrets, I’m sure, we’ve all had a few… Some in the grand scheme of things aren’t too big a deal (I should have gotten that tractor in green instead of blue); while another might be a life-altering moment that puts us on a different track - that, in hindsight, is a bad decision. A decision that because of our blindness, stubbornness, ignorance, whatever the reason – we made that choice and it has affected us for the rest of our lives.

Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said “this saying is hard; who can accept it?. . . as a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.

I’m sure for Jesus that it was hard watching someone make a decision that he knew, eventually, they would regret.

What is striking though is that the choice here is whether to stay and continue to follow Jesus or not. The choice to stay didn’t mean that the doubts disappeared (really, we are going to be eating your flesh?). The choice to stay didn’t mean perfect understanding that what Jesus was saying would eventually come to light (how does that piece of bread that cup of wine at Mass become Jesus’ body and blood?).

But then again, just look at those who did stay. Peter and the twelve would prove more times than not how little they understood what Jesus was saying to them, and how often their doubts would re-appear and make them screw up.

Yet, they stayed despite all of those doubts and confusions because Jesus hadn’t given them any reason not to trust Him. Yes, “this saying is hard” – but Jesus offers that if we trust him, stick with him, continue to follow him – it won’t make things easier – in fact things will probably become harder. But it’s a choice we will never regret. Because we too will come to make Peter’s words our own – We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are troubled with regrets from their past. May your spirit of understanding and truth bring people back to the church. May the faith community, your parish and neighbors welcome you back with open arms and the spirit of God’s love and mercy.

The Face of Joy

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Last Sunday, this parish community was beaming with joy and happiness. The sunshine, the children playing and visiting neighbors, relatives and friends were like a healing elixir. There was a moment when I was taking pictures of the kids trying to hit the piñata with a baseball bat to get at the candy. At best they could, they did not have the strength to knock the candy out of the bag. While taking pictures, I heard voices, let Father Matt take a swing. My first thought was, no way. I know what’s going to happen. So, like a good sport, Brandon took the bat, but first he had to be blindfolded. Then he went up to the batters box and felt the bag with his bat. He took a mighty swing and sure enough, someone, no names, grabbed the rope and raised the piñata ten feet above his head. He swings and misses. Yep, my instincts were right, make fun of the priest and that counts as a mortal sin. Make fun of poor Brandon, its only venial.

It seems some people were making fun of Jesus in the gospel. He’s teaching again about bread and this time he says, “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you will have no life.” The response from some of the people was that this teaching is outrageous. Eating someone’s flesh and blood is barbaric. Why is Jesus saying this?

Let me share a little history about bread. In Scotland the finest white bread, known as "manchet," was reserved for royalty and the great landlords. "Cheat," the second finest grade, was found in the homes of the upper-class tradesmen. "Raveled" bread was made from the whole grain flour just as it came from the mill to be consumed by the country folk and villagers just above the servant class. "Mashloch" was baked for the very poor and the servants. It contained only coarse bran mixed with rye. In the castle, the mistress or housekeeper carried the keys to the food safe where the fine bread and best grades of other food were kept to avoid tempting the servants to acquire a taste for the higher priced products. Later, the government passed a law requiring the brown bakers to add a certain percent of wheat germ to the mashloch to improve the health of the working class.

This history story speaks of “reversals.” What we think is good for us, may not be. And in the end, it may turn out that those receiving the 'worst' are actually receiving the very best: the best, which leads to life. I think of this when I think of the bread that is Jesus --- of how in Jesus things are always getting turned upside down. And that you and I eat the bread: the body of the Unlikely One who was shamed, crucified, on a cross. And this leads to life.

God prays for us as we reflect:  “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.” Proverbs 9:5

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are need of a little joy to meet the challenges of life. Next time, you need a boost to your spirits, come back to this Sonshine message and take a look at the sheer joy on the face of this child. Remember, that’s how God wants you to feel at this moment, simply put your faith in God’s love and mercy.

North Java Church to dedicate playground Sunday

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North Java church to dedicate playground Sunday

By Matt Surtel msurtel@batavianews.com | Posted: Monday, August 3, 2015 12:53 am

NORTH JAVA — All it took was 37 days.

When Holy Family Parish’s congregation first started considering a playground, the idea was very well-received, and everybody got behind it. The playground and park space are nearly complete, after instant and dedicated work by the parishioners and surrounding community.The area will be dedicated Sunday, Aug. 9 as “Clayton Park,” with a Mass and “old-school” community picnic.

“This playground isn’t just for parishioners or the church,” said parishioner Molly Haungs, who was part of the effort. ‘This is the church’s gift to the community, to show we’re here, we’re family oriented, we’re open and we’re here to stay.”

The playground and park are in memory of infant Clayton George, who died at 15 days old in March 2013. They include a small rock wall, several swings, some slides and monkey bars.

Parishioners and local residents raised $15,000 for the effort, with the playground located on the church property. The church is hoping to add a new sidewalk and some additional equipment — such as teeter-totters — in the future.

Mass will be conducted at 10 a.m. Aug. 9 at the church on  3416 Route 98. The park’s sign will be dedicated at noon, and the picnic following through 3 p.m.

As with the picnic’s old-fashioned community nature, the church will provide meat, while those attending are asked to bring a dish to pass. The afternoon will also include some traditional games and a face painter.

“What people like about Holy Family Parish is its sense of community,” said Rev. Matt Kawiak, the church’s pastor. “Clayton Park is a reminder that while the tragedy of a death of a child is devastating, the faith community can provide comfort and support to grieving parents.” Kawiak — who’s now with the Polish National Catholic Church — was chaplain for Pediatrics at Strong Memorial Hospital in the 1990s, and said he’s acutely aware of the anguish parents feel when a child has died.

“The dedication of this playground is intended to bring healing and restore the joy to the hearts of all people whose hearts have been broken by the death of their loved ones,” Kawiak said.

“In the midst of great sorrow, the local families of North Java and the neighboring communities who represent many faith traditions have joined together to make Clayton Park a visible sign of God’s love and compassion,” he continued. “I want to extend my personal invitation to all families in the area to come to Holy Family to play, learn and pray with their children. We need these kids to inspire us and bring joy back into our churches.”

Holy Family Parish was founded after the closure of the former St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in 2007, and the congregation has worked actively to open new people.

“We don’t care who you are, what you do, we just want people to always feel welcomed, and that’s the other reason we’re doing the dedication at noon,” Haungs said. “People can arrive and stop by. See you at the dedication and enjoy the picnic.”

The Voice of the Shephard

A devout and beautiful young parishioner told me that he would not be at Mass because he was helping the local fire department with their chicken barbeque for their summer festival. He said that he would get my homily from the Sonshine. So here are some thoughts about the “Good Shepherd.”

Jesus tells us that he is the “Good Shepherd” and that his sheep will recognize his voice among all other voices. In sharing this metaphor, he is drawing upon a practice that was common among shepherds at the time. At night, for protection and companionship, shepherds would put their flocks together into a common enclosure. They would then separate the sheep in the morning by using their voices. Each shepherd had trained his sheep to be attuned to his voice and his voice only. The shepherd would walk away from the enclosure calling his sheep, often times by their individual names, and they would follow him.

Ask yourself, how do you discern the unique cadence of God’s voice? Which is the voice of the Good Shepherd that you follow?

• The voice of God is the one that most challenges and stretches us, I get a call to go to a college where an employee’s daughter has died of a drug overdose. When I chat with his co-workers, they share that when tragedy strikes, they find peace in the woods or by a stream that speaks to them that God is near and cares about them.
• The voice of God is recognized when another co-worker shares his fears that his son hooked on cocaine will overdose. He promises to be that voice to offer compassion to that father who most likely is blaming himself for his daughter’s death.
• The voice of God is recognized whenever one sees life, tragedy with a sense of humor. Another co-worker shares that he doesn’t practice any religion but his co-worker is a lapsed Catholic. I share that church is about people who welcome one another with open arms despite our imperfections. The young man asked me where do I find this church?
• The voice of God is recognized wherever one sees dying, suffering and poverty, and we are called to bring comfort, support and generosity.
• The voice of God is recognized in what calls us to what’s higher, sets us apart, and invites us to holiness, whether we are building playgrounds for the next generation or opening our doors to the dying with a hospice program or bringing food to the hungry.
• The voice of God is always heard wherever there is genuine enjoyment and gratitude, even as it asks us to deny ourselves, die to ourselves, and surrender all our selfish attitudes and behaviors.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and those who missed Mass this Sunday because they were barbequing chickens for their neighbors to know that God is calling you to come near to Him and never be afraid for He loves you with an everlasting love.

Green Fog of Envy

Once there was a monk who lived in a cave in the wilderness. He had a great reputation for holiness. His reputation reached Hell itself, whereupon the devil took three of his key demons with him to tempt the monk out of his sanctity. Annoyed that the demons failed, the devil barked, "Step aside, and I will show you what has never failed." The devil strolled up beside the monk, leaned over and whispered, 'Have you heard the news? Your classmate has just been named bishop." And the face of the monk scowled.

Be honest with yourself, everyone envies someone sometime. We envy those who get the promotion we sought or get to retire. We envy those whose talents seem better and whose families seem more intact. We envy those whose personalities glisten and whose gifts sparkle when placed next to ours. If envy is natural, like being left-handed, what's wrong with it?

Scripture offers several reasons to beware of envy. First, envy is not good for you. Proverbs 14:30 puts it bluntly: A mind at peace gives life to the body but envy rots the bones! Envy is numbered among the deadly sins because it can kill you. It can kill your joy, your hope, your peace, and your capacity to love. It can kill your faith and the sense of the nearness of Christ. It can kill your sense of fulfillment because, no matter what you do, someone has done more, or done it better, or done it faster, or done it with greater recognition and praise. Left unchecked, envy can kill everything that makes you a 'human' being. Envy rots the bones.

The second problem with envy is that it lures you into doing stupid things. I read about a merchant in a small town who ran a store across the street from another merchant. They were keen competitors and the one merchant began to envy the other. One night an angel appeared to the envious merchant and said, "I will grant you one wish but with the proviso that, whatever you want, your rival will get twice as much. If you want more wealth, more business, or more happiness, your rival will get twice as much. Now, what do you want?" The envious merchant replied, "Blind me in one eye."

A third problem with envy is that it can drain our sense of gratitude. We get mean and nasty when others accomplish some great task. Gratitude for those who had helped overcome a problem is washed away by envy over their success. Envy drains our personal contribution and saps the spirit of thankfulness for what others have accomplished.

How does one respond to the temptation of envy? Envy is a poisonous but powerful motivator in the lives of some people. If our feelings toward others are turning to envy, we must acknowledge this is happening. Excuses and alibis just don't cut it. "But he really is a jerk .. and .. she really doesn't deserve that recognition" are statements we can cloak in pious and professional language, but we do so at the price of evading the truth. If the temptation to envy or the spirit of envy is working in your life, name the beast. Do not perfume it, rationalize it, or excuse it. Call it by name. There is a big difference between calling a physical problem a 'boo boo' and calling it 'cancer.' Envy is spiritual cancer. Call it what it is.

In Philippians 2:3-11, Paul offers a response to envy. Do good to the one you are tempted to envy: "Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4).

If you are tempted to envy someone because of the position they hold, or the success of their accomplishments, double your efforts to help that person succeed in that position. If envy creeps into your relationships with others because of their higher performance, or their success with their career or relationships, or whatever, intentionally seek to do them some special good. "Count others better than yourselves," not as a put-down to your gifts but as a defense against the cancer of envy.

The problem with green eyes -- with looking at life through the lens of envy -- is that it turns everything it sees into the same shade of green. This is not green, the color of life, but the sickly green, the color you turn during a very rough day at sea on a very small boat. It is gradual. First you feel well, then you feel unwell; then you feel as if you are dying, then you wish you were dead, and finally you start to envy the dead! "Envy rots the bones."
Envy does not have to tint the life of the Christian. Call it by name when it tempts you. Do good for those on whom envy would have you cast a sneering stare. Refocus on the priority of Christ in your life. Channel your thought life into what builds up rather than what tears down. As you seek to do these things by faith, and with the help of God's Spirit, you will find the sickly green fog of envy lifting from your vision. You will begin to see life clearly, as God intends you to see. And the view is magnificent.

Ice Creme Scoops

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On Father’s Day, I shared the following story with our dads about searching for the best “tool” that reflects a dad’s love for God and family. I began a tenacious search for the perfect ice crème scoop. It was 2001, and I contacted Wegman’s, but on Thursday, the manager sadly responded that it was “too late” to order any ice crème scoops on time before Father’s Day.

On Friday morning, I was driving to St. Agnes Parish for a school Mass when I spotted this truck along the road with a sign “Looney Vending” and took down the phone number company. I wondered if it was a novelty company that sold ice crème scoops. I called the company to learn that they don’t stock any scoops, however, they gave me the name of a company in Batavia that sells commercial kitchen supplies. Next, I’m on the phone with the Buffalo Commercial Kitchen Company. Stefan, the sales guy, reported they have an account with a vendor In Ivyland, Pennsylvania that sells ice crème scoops. He puts me on hold while contacting his vendor in Pennsylvania. In a conference call, we made the deal for 150 ice crème scoops that would be delivered next day air to the Mercy Motherhouse for $356.69.

In 2015, at Holy Family on Father’s Day, I asked all our “nurturing fathers” to stand while our First Communion class gave them an ice crème scoop and prayer book. These dads smiled and I asked their beloved spouses and woman to touch their shoulders as I offered this special blessing from 2001.

A Blessing Prayer for Ice Crème Scoops for all dads on Father’s Day 2015.

“Lord you are the Creator of Rocky Road, Cookie Dough and Panda Paws, These ice crème scoops are tools of joy that bring comfort on hot, sticky days, May they remind us that we are your tools to bring peace, joy and love into our homes; May all division in our homes melt away as we load up on sprinkles and butterscotch sauce,

As we scoop out dishes of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, may each gesture sweeten our attitude, May we be thankful for all the laughter, the smiles and desire in our hearts for peace. For mountains of cherries, bananas, hot fudge and whip crème topping let us give thanks,

May God the Creator of my favorite Pistachio, the Son who brought the sweetness of God’s love and Holy Spirit encourage us to bless these nurturing men, their ice crème scoops and make them holy."

The Wedding Photographer

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Last Thursday, I received a phone call from a Mexican farm worker who works on a dairy farm taking care of Belgian horses. He asked me to take pictures of his wedding. I don’t remember advertising in the Attica Penny Saver that I was looking for extra work on weekends taking wedding pictures. However, he was desperate and needed someone fast.

I humbly told him that I am not a professional. My usual spot for weddings is behind the altar where I’m pointing out to the wedding photographer when to get ready for a “Kodak moment” during the ceremony. Roberto, our groom, said that I would work fine and that the service would begin about 7.

I arrived at 6:30 and to my surprise the fire hall was empty. The minister and his wife arrived ten minutes to seven, but there were no guests or wedding party in sight. Roberto said there would be a slight delay since many of his friends work at the others barns and they had to go home and change.

It was now eight o’clock and I strolled outside to scout for the bride who I found standing next to a pick up truck in her bridal gown. At about 8:15, a crisis occurred. The bride slipped and her ring fell on the ground under the truck with millions of tiny pebbles. “Oh my God,” she scream, “I lost my ring.”

Now while the wedding guests are inside the hall wondering when will the ceremony begin, we have her godfather in his tuxedo on his knees searching for the ring. Then the bride’s maid of honor comes running out the door to join in the search. Yes, I’m looking right behind them when the Holy Spirit came to the rescue when the maid of honor found the ring amidst the stones. It was a miracle. Mind you, it is now 8:30 and the wedding guests are inside the fire hall wondering when will the bride make her entrance.

As the wedding service finally began, the bride’s son was running around the hall playing with a pink balloon. I gently pushed the balloon behind me so that I could focus on the couple, but he got mad and ran to his mommy who was standing in front of the minister. At that very moment, the bride and groom were exchanging their vows. This little boy wrapped his hands around the hands of his mom and new step-dad. It was the shot of a lifetime. It was a sacred moment when this family was united as one in their vows of marriage.

Today’s feast of the Blessed Trinity can be rather vague and mysterious, but this sacred moment at the wedding gives us a glimpse about the meaning of the Trinity. Imagine: the bride is the mother (Creator of life), the groom is the Son (Savior who redeemed us by his love) and the child who holds his mom and his step-dad hands is the Spirit that unites them together.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are waiting for a sign that God is present in their life. In our sorrows and our joys, may we know that God is as near as the touch of a child who holds his parents in the palms of his hands.

Hugging Prayer for First Communion

I don’t know when this is going to happen, but unlike today in which you are all smiles and looking your best, there will come a moment when you are sad and if your mother asked you “What’s the matter? You probably would answer: “Leave me alone.” She would, but you would keep on being sad.

There are going to be times in your life when you are going to be sad, and you won’t know why. You won’t understand and neither will anyone else. You can be with the nicest people in the world, but at times like this, even they won’t know what to do to help you stop being sad.

So I am going to teach you a prayer for the times when you are sad and you don’t know why. I want you to get up (imagine our First Communion kids doing this for the first time) and put your arms around yourself. Put them all the way around yourself. Cuddle your body. Hold yourself the way you would hold a baby in your arms.

Now, after you have a real good hold of yourself, close your eyes and begin to rock yourself. Rock yourself real good, the way you would a baby, and just keep doing it. When you grow up, no matter how old you are, and you find yourself sad and you don’t know why, I want you to rock yourself just like this. And as you do it, remember that you are God’s little girl, little boy, and that God understands why you are sad even if no one else does. Holy Communion is God holding you close to himself, because God loves you very much. Then just keep rocking yourself and be comforted. That’s what it means every time you receive Holy Communion, it is God’s way of comforting us in this life.

Isn’t that a good prayer? I would ask everyone in your family, your parents, your grandparents and relatives to do this when they feel sad. I recommend that everyone who receives Communion imagine that God is hugging them.

This morning, you mom and dad, your grandparents and relatives and all of us in this church are very proud of all the hard work in learning about Jesus love for you. We grownups promise you that we will always be there to guide and support you. From now on, whenever you receive Communion, it is how Jesus loves us with are with all our sins and weaknesses, with all our talents and skills.

Tanner’s asked his dad if Fr. Matt baked the bread that he would receive in Communion. I told Tanner that I did not bake the bread, but I wrote this little blessing prayer for all of our First Communion children.

"Help me, O God, to live the recipe of good deed.
Give me the kneading strength of your Spirit to work your words into the doughy recesses of my life. Help me to let it rest awhile in my heart so that it can rise. Help me not to fear the oven of life, so that it can bake through and through. And grant that in the baking, the world would be able to roll down its window and savor the aroma of freshly baked bread, your bread of life."

Surrender your Shame

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A wise person knows what it means to forgive –he was bullied by his supervisor for many years at work until he finally left his employer for another job. He offered three somewhat earthy bits of practical advice that are worth sharing. He said, "I'm not very good at spiritual discipline, but after being called by a friend to practice what I preach, I sat alone in my study and made believe I was a priest in the confessional. I said out loud, 'Boss, in the name of God, I forgive you.' I felt kind of foolish at this creative hypocrisy, but it did get the juices of forgiveness going. I felt the caricature I had made of the boss change. Oh, a year later when that same boss drove past my house I had to go through the whole forgiveness process again. Forgiveness by fallible creatures is repetitious." That's real wisdom. For us weak creatures forgiveness indeed turns out to be a repetitious affair. 

The second bit of wisdom he offers is this: "Don't forgive too fast." By that he doesn't mean to harbor lingering revenge. He means that we have to allow time for the hurt to surface, for the hatred to be visible and recognized and acknowledged to the point when perhaps we can say out loud, "I hate you." It is only when the hurt, the enemy, is out there and regurgitated that we can feel its full impact and come to terms with forgiveness. That's what our friend means by saying "Don't forgive too fast." Otherwise our forgiveness is too shallow. It hasn't grabbed sufficiently hold of the evil.

And finally he gives this delightful advice: "It's good to remember that when you pray for your enemies it doesn't automatically make them your friends. They are still your enemy. They're still out to get you. They still hate your guts." And he adds for emphasis: "They are still your enemies and you'd better guard against them because they might wallop you when you're down on your knees." But that's their problem.

And yet, despite our Lord's example and his command to forgive, there are people who cannot bring themselves to offer forgiveness. And there are people who cannot bring themselves to accept it. Some people get so caught up in their own guilt that they cannot accept forgiveness, even from God. They feel there is no hope for themselves either in this world or the next. They spend their time hugging their guilt to themselves, thereby blocking out the forgiveness of the Christ who is on record for forgiving others. 

There was a mother whose daughter had not talked to her in ten years. It seems that the mother’s son-in-law was a real pompous jackass. She remembered attending her grand-daughter’s high school graduation and this son-in-law asked to see the girl’s diploma. When he looked at it, he said to the graduate, you’re too stupid to graduate from any school. Crude and rude, this mother had no love for this man’s illusion that he was better than God.

Then on Holy Thursday she gets a call from another daughter to call her estranged daughter. She was aware that her daughter had a serious operation, a stroke and multiple medical complications. She called and only got the answering machine and left a message to call back. To her surprise and delight, this daughter called back and they had a pleasant conversation for 45 minutes. It was like they had been always been friends. She learned that her daughter survived a life-threatening surgery and had a cadaver vein transplanted that saved her life. They promised to stay in touch. When I asked this mother how did she felt after ten years. She was grateful she had forgiven her daughter for not wanting to talk to her for ten years.  

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we allow the grace of God’s mercy to reach inside our souls to surrender the shame and forgive ourselves and one another. Fr. Matt

Easter Grass

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One Easter morning a mom learned that God cares about all the seemingly unimportant details of our everyday lives.  We often think of praying to God when our lives are turned upside down by a tragedy or a problem that we will never be able to fix.  But God cares about the little things too.  I mean the really little things that somehow make everyday life really special and really worth smiling about. 

This story is about a single mom with five kids.  Easter was one day away, and she had yet to fill the Easter basket for her children.  She only had one that they could share.  So she got the eggs, and some small goodies, and then she remembered.  Easter grass!  She didn’t have any!  So she ran to the store on the Saturday before Easter, and they are all out.  She ran to another store, same thing.  She went to every dollar store that she thought might have some, but no one did.  She had waited too long.  She returned home feeling really bad.  She wanted a special basket so much for her children.  She said, "God, what am I going to do?"  In her distress, and still trying to figure out how to make their basket look “grassy” there was a knock on the door.  There stood the neighbor’s boy, with a plate of Easter cookies.  He said, "My mom thought you might like some cookies." Her eyes almost popped out of her head, and her eyes filled with tears. Not so much because she had a plate of cookies, but because underneath the cookies, on the plate, was a pile of green Easter grass!  She believed God smiled as she took that grass and excitedly put it in on her children’s basket, and filled it then with the others treats she had put away. She would never forget that moment! 

What are the Easter moments in your life that you will never forget? Like the time you found your first Easter egg hidden against a tree in your backyard. Or, the news that your baby with a defective heart could be healed with surgery and live a normal life.

There are many Easter moments where God helps us find the joy and happiness that brings us peace. Today, Christ is risen. So too, our grandparents and parents, our sisters and brothers and all who have died for we believe that “love is stronger than death.”

Come to think of it, if God can find a little Easter grass for a good mother trying to make Easter special for her children; how much more will your Heavenly Mother bring you the joy that comes with the Resurrection.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that despite another snowy, cold day on this Easter morning, our hearts are filled with the warmth of your promise of eternal love. A Blessed Easter to all my Sonshine Friend!  Fr. Matt

Who Do You Want By Your Side?

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Who do you want by your side when the Lord comes for you on the day of your resurrection? In the old days, when someone was dying, I would get the call from a family member to come and pray the “last rites.” To be honest I think you want someone by your side who you feel very comfortable.

Besides your spouse or best friend, your kitty, dog or horse, I wonder if there might be one religious or holy person you met in this life that you would request to come to your bedside to say some prayers and keep you company.

One person that comes to mind is a retired bishop whose humble personality I admire very much. Just yesterday, while driving him home from the Chrism Mass, we decided to visit a Polish meat market to buy our smoked and fresh kielbasa for our Easter baskets. This shepherd has been a priest for over 50 years and he served as bishop of parishes around the world. However, here we are in a meat market simply waiting our turn to be waited on and out of left field he says to me this reminds him of a story.

There once was an old lady who came to church to pray to the Blessed Mother. The janitor of the church was inside the church standing behind the statute of Our Lady. He started to speak to the old lady pretending to be Jesus and telling her what she prays for. Pray for your pastor, pray for the sick, pray for your neighbor. Finally, the old lady shouted back at the voice: “Shut-up, I talking to your mother.”

Here is this man of God with a sense of humor, visiting with the people in the market, telling one lady about how good kisha is with scrambled eggs. To another lady she shares the history of Poland colored eggs and says they cost $4.95 each in the store but he bought his in Poland for a buck.

No longer burdened by the responsibilities of administration, he enjoys his priesthood and better yet enjoys being in the company of ordinary people sharing with them how beautiful they are in the eyes of God.

Tonight on Holy Thursday, we will pick up a pail of water—cleaner than the well water used by Jesus and take a towel to wash the feet of one another. Remember this story because nobody would have ever foreseen in a million years. He washed their feet.

What I like about this retired bishop is that he never wanted to be Godly in the way you might imagine. He understands that only humility can love and be loved. So when my time comes, and this bishop will already be in heaven, I humbly ask that he reach down from heaven and pull me up with him and Jesus. That’s the best kind of friend you can have in this life.

God loves us into eternity as we pray: “In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. Father, into your hands I command my spirit.” (Psalm 31:2

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends at this Easter Season that they know someone as kind and humble as the bishop to be by their side at the hour of death to bring them Your heavenly peace.

A Special Palm Sunday

I knew we were in trouble when the deacon told me that the palms on the altar had shriveled up and look liked they were dead. Not a good omen before the start of Holy Week services. Perhaps, our fresh palms were picked too early and didn’t survive the trip from down south, or more likely,  the church heat went off during the week and the palms froze.

No time to worry about small details, I had invited our religion teacher to bring the kids up to the altar and bless palms and have the kids walk the procession. Later, I would ask this same teacher to walk the Stations of the Cross with the children in place of the traditional long Passion reading. Of course, rubrics were stretched in this matter, but I had observed two weeks earlier before the parish retreat, the children walking the station with much reverence and wonder. Now I'm sure you remember the typical Palm Sunday service that includes your infamous response to the question: what shall we do with Him? and you shout back or more likely, mumble your response: “crucify him, crucify him.” So for a change of pace, I asked the parishioners to imagine themselves as a child  listening to this passion story for the first time.

This is exactly what happened this Palm Sunday, as the children’s teacher explained each station and asked the kids what each story on the walls of the church was all about.

There was one difficult moment for this teacher when she started to explain the moment "when Jesus meets his mother." She shared this was her favorite station and started to cry-holding back the tears. I learned what all women must be feeling at that moment. To look into the eyes of your son and realize that you have no  power to save your son from the pain of cruxificion.  I’m sure our children noticed how upset their teacher was feeling but they could not understand why. Yet, the humanness of that moment brought tears to the congregation. I cried with them. For no mother wants to see her child suffer at any age. With great courage and determination, this teacher continued her lesson and she was simply "awesome."

After the services, as the parishioners were leaving the church, they shared their profound appreciation for the creative way the Passion had been brought back into their life. Interesting, no one complained about the shriveled up palms.

God loves us into eternity as we pray: “But you, O Lord, be not far from me; O my help, haste to aid me.” (Psalm 51: 14).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends this Holy Week that they remember Your love for them despite the personal pain and suffering that sometimes makes them weep.