Hope for 2021

 

Yesterday, I was standing in the back of church with my mask on and social distancing, greeting parishioners when with a big smile on her face Mary says, “I feel hopeful for this new year.” You could hear in her voice that she was ay peace and joyful for she really believed that we are on our way of healing.

 

I believe that hope does not disappoint.

 

The last year has been tough. Many of us feel battered and bruised, some of us in our bodies, but most of us in our spirits. We can boast of our afflictions over the last year. We can see how they refined us and how they built our endurance and our character. Not that it did not hurt. It hurt. And yet, we realized just how strong we are. We can boast in hope.

 

We don’t know what this new year will hold. We hope for healing for ourselves, our families, our communities, and our nation.

 

St. Paul reaches out from the pages of his letter to comfort us, telling us of what he reminded those first-century Christians, that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)

 

We can imagine all the things we think separate us from the love of God and add them to Paul’s list: our fears—of now and the future—our fear of media, of leaders, of ourselves. None of that can separate us from the love of God that has been poured into us through the Holy Spirit.

 

May we cling to that love.

 

May it heal us.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Frineds that as we prepare to receive our vaccines, we live in the spirit of hope that we have become what You have always seen in each of us. Hearts full of gratitude and compassion and reaching out to those in darkness and despair to offer them Your Love and Peace.

 

 

Not a Perfect Holy Family

 

It was cold, snowy Sunday and only ten people showed up for church. This is a story I wanted you to hear. Two older people started walking slowly, carefully up the aisle.  The entire way up the aisle, they never stopped holding each others hands, and as they passed pew upon pew of people, you could see how their eyes were filling with tears.

When they arrived at the foot of the altar, I asked them how many years they had been married – the wife responded “60 years ago today.”  I followed up asking “where did you get married?” and the wife proudly responded “Right here,” as she pointed her finger to the floor marking the very spot in front of the altar where they had stood all those decades earlier.  I was surprised and said “You’ve been here in this parish for 60 years?” and they simply nodded their heads as the wife said “we’ve been here together every week since we were married.” What was even more moving was that as they began to renew their wedding vows, no one could take their eyes off this couple as they lovingly held each others hands, but could barely look at each other as they tried holding back tears as they said to each other once again “I take you to be my wife… my husband… I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad; in sickness and in health… I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”

 

Listening to them, you couldn’t help but wonder what must be going through their minds – what had they lived through?  What struggles which must have seemed insurmountable at times had they conquered; what joys and moments of pride, what sleepless nights of worry over their children had they endured?  What twists and turns, ups and downs did they encounter?  How often did they think “I don’t think I can do this anymore” – but somehow found the unconditional grace of God to strengthen their resolve to try once again?

 

So often whenever the Church speaks of family life, I think there’s this erroneous impression that it automatically implies that perfection is expected out of every marriage.  And that’s why this feast can be a bit off putting for so many people.  Just the title, “The Holy Family” seems like a really high bar to measure ourselves up to.  Exacerbating the fact that so many people have had painful family circumstances – abusive, dysfunctional, destructive and unhealthy relationships – all of this sadly results in the beautiful institution of marriage being another area where many people, understandably feel disconnected from our faith…

 

But a more practical understanding for unmarried and married couples is a call not to perfection, but to faith… which is often times the complete opposite of perfection.

 

Joseph and Mary expressed astonishment, doubts, and fear to their invitations and directions from the Lord.  Yet somehow in the midst of all those questions, all those worries, all those challenges – they much like that couple renewing their marital vows after 60 years, held each others hands, trying to maintain faith in each other and in God… so much so that in hindsight, they almost couldn’t believe any of what they were able to endure was ever possible.

 

No matter what our personal family stories have told us to this point… whether we’re married or we’ve never been married, suffered divorce, or experienced a myriad of challenges that’s a mix of all of the above – the beauty of this glorious Christmas feast reminds us that Jesus willingly enters into all of this human messiness that can be found in every family because of His love for us.  In Jesus’ birth, God entered into human history in a unique and profound way – and human history changed forever after that.

 

That doesn’t make us perfect here and now… but it does inspire us to hold on to a faith in which everything and everyone is transformed in the love of our God who humbles himself to become one of us, so that one day we might become like him for all eternity.

 

 

Do you Believe in Angels?

 

Do you believe in angels? In today's gospel, we hear the famous story about the angel, Gabriel, appearing to Mary.

 

The angel Gabriel says, "Mary, you're going to have this baby." Mary doesn't say, "Hey, that's impossible. I haven't been with a man. That's not going to happen." No, she doesn't say that. This is her question, "How can this be since I have no husband?" She assumes that it can be. If God's angel is coming to her and saying, "This is what's up, Mary," she doesn't say, "No, it's not possible." She assumes with faith that, "Okay, I believe what you're saying to me. But I'm not sure how it's going to work. Can you help me out with that?"

 

Can you help us out with the question, why this pandemic?

 

And, of course, the angel goes on to explain. If you've got questions for God, great. We have plenty of questions for God, like why is my business shut down, or when can we go back to work, or when can I feel it safe for my child to be back in school, or worse why did my family member have to die. The questions are heart wrenching and endless.

 

 

But let's ask our questions like Mary with faith. I think it's okay to be a bit skeptical about stuff. I think that's good. I think that's healthy sometimes. But there's a difference between skepticism and cynicism. There's a difference between questioning.

 

And I think the difference is this: are we seeking the truth? Are we skeptical but still seeking the truth because the cynic isn’t? The cynic isn't seeking the truth. The cynic has put himself or herself in this place, which is a really unhealthy place psychologically and a really unhealthy place spiritually.

 

And so yes, we have questions for God. Great. But let's ask them boldly. Let's ask them with faith. And let's ask them with the hope that God is going to reveal to us what we don't yet understand. And he's going to do it in his own time. And let's be patient as we wait for that.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who struggle with their questions, why so much sickness, why so many deaths, why do we have to wear those uncomfortable masks and keep our distance. Yes, we want to celebrate our Christmas with family, we like to be in church for Midnight Mass with our neighbors but let’s ask with faith and truly listen to what is our angel is telling us?

 

Receiving Advent

 

One year during Advent, a parish priest invited his parishioners to write down on a slip of paper a word that named something that is keeping them from getting closer to God. He suggested it might be a fear, a resentment, or an attitude that shuts us off from the love God so wants to give. They were to fold the paper over a few times, grasp it tightly in one hand, and make a fist around it while he began to preach on the Scripture readings.

 

After a minute, a parishioner's hand began to ache. At two minutes, his hand grew numb. At three minutes, the hand started shaking uncontrollably. The priest told us to open our hands. He found how hard it was to do that. After grasping the piece of paper so tightly, his hand had stiffened and seemed to have a mind of its own.

 

He could not remember what else the priest said that day, but he never forgot that lesson. Hold on to a resentment, fear, or bad attitude long enough and you will become paralyzed.

 

As we begin Advent every year now, we start with the realization that we need to let go of any and all spiritual impediments we are hanging onto. Advent is a time of receiving. It’s hard to receive if your hands are clasped shut. So let us begin Advent once again with this prayer: Holy Spirit of God, open our hands, our eyes, our ears, all our senses, and all of our heart so we will be ready to receive your Advent blessings.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who need to let go of the past hurts and allow Our Lord's grace to heal the wounds of your past.

 

Thanksgiving during a Pandemic-Are You Serious?

 

Somewhere in the Bible, it is commanded, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 

 

Does that include the pandemic that pins this planet and nation down this Thanksgiving?

As far as I can tell, the command does not indicate an exclusion clause. Though let's be quick to recognize this is not a command to “give thanks for all circumstances”—it is a command to “give thanks in all circumstances.”

 

After all, how could we possibly thank God for the disease that has taken away our loved ones (1.34 million deaths globally—248,707 deaths across this nation as of three hours ago)?

 

No, the command is specific—“give thanks in [not for] all circumstances.” After all, how could we possibly thank God for the disease that has stripped away our personal economic security? 

 

“A new Pew Research Center survey finds that, overall, one-in-four adults have had trouble paying their bills since the coronavirus outbreak started, a third have dipped into savings or retirement accounts to make ends meet, and about one-in-six have borrowed money from friends or family or gotten food from a food bank. As was the case earlier this year, these types of experiences continue to be more common among adults with lower incomes, those without a college degree and Black and Hispanic Americans”

 

The apostle Paul, himself no stranger to economic deprivation and intense personal suffering, is clear in his apostolic command: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

But really—we’re supposed to find a reason for thanksgiving in the midst of this Covid-19 onslaught—are you serious?

May I make a humble effort to suggest a small list of possible gratitudes this Thanksgiving? Perhaps your own list will look quite different:

• I am grateful for the technology that enables me to worship remotely with people I can’t see—somehow knowing, in a divine sort of way, we are actually connected to one another, though very much physically distanced.
• I’m also thankful for the people who put up with the bother of wearing a face mask when they’re around me—what an “I care about you” kind of gift!
• I’m grateful for the cell phone that lets me reach out to people I otherwise wouldn't have been able to reach during this pandemic.
• I realize more and more the simple truth embedded in that old saw, “I complained to God about having no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.”
• I’m grateful for the lesson this pandemic is trying to teach me—that what really matters most in life—more than professional success, more than economic comfort, more than even religious or theological correctness—what really matters most of all is relationships—and I want to treasure the ones I have all the more—especially the one with God.
• I’m thankful that as a result of this I will start online cooking classes to become a first-class, homemade-bread specialist.
• I’m also grateful that my Covid-19 test a couple of weeks ago came back negative.

Perhaps there is more truth than poetry to an “attitude of gratitude.” Consider these three one-liners I found in the chapter “Mind Cure” in Ministry of Healing:

• “Nothing tends more to promote health of body and of soul than does a spirit of gratitude and praise” (251).
• “When you open your eyes in the morning, thank God that He has kept you through the night. Thank Him for His peace in your heart. Morning, noon, and night, let gratitude as a sweet perfume ascend to heaven” (253).
• “This command [1 Thessalonians 5:18—see above] is an assurance that even the things which appear to be against us will work for our good” (255).

Did you catch that? What appears to be against us “will work for our own good.” That’s what God did at the cross—took the enemy’s absolute worst and transformed it into salvation’s absolute best—as only Jesus can do. Gratitude? Are you kidding? A blessed Thanksgiving, indeed!

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that on Thanksgiving Day we offer our prayer of gratitude for all our relationships that have brought us closer together and to your love.

 

Prayer Group for Holy Family Parish

 

 

Welcome to the Holy Family prayer group. We will be praying the Rosary tonight for each other’s intentions. It is my intention for this prayer group to have a “Holy Pause” during our busy week. Our “Holy Pause” will allow us the space to encounter God. Psalm 46:10 reminds us to “Be still and know that I am God”. Please invite your family and friends to join us for a “Holy Pause” on Wednesday nights at 8:00pm each week. I look forward to seeing how the Holy Spirit continues to inspire each one of us. 

 Introduction to a “Holy Pause.”

Pray the Rosary including: The Apostles Creed

Announcing each Glorious Mystery Fatima Prayer after each decade Hail Holy Queen

Blessing:

May the Lord bless you and keep you;

May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Please encourage your family and friends to join us next Wednesday at 8:00pm for our “Holy Pause” the space to encounter God.

Good night.

 

God is Our Great Hope

 

Having faith and hope seems almost absurd in times like these. The brokenness, darkness, and suffering of our world are in plain sight. Uncertainty looms and lurks around us. Fear rears its head way too easily.

 

I hear the cries of despair in my daily comings and goings. I see the pain as I listen to people, helping them hold it all as we seek to find God in all things, even in these times.

I am not naïve to what is happening. Yet, I am full of hope.

 

I witness the way hope appears in the darkest of times, the way mercy slides into the tiniest crack and softens hearts, and the way love makes its presence known in places I thought it never could. I watch God labor to help people reimagine their ability to forgive and receive forgiveness. I see God inspiring new and creative ideas in people to work for justice and to care for all humankind. If there is one thing I know for sure, God does not give up on us. Ever.

 

God is our great hope.

 

Our human history is a long story of God laboring to reimagine our lives: Birthing new life into unthinkable places. Freeing slaves. Changing human hearts. Reinvigorating relationships. Healing the brokenhearted. Inspiring scientists to develop a vaccine, new inventions and medical advances. Helping people hope in times of despair.

 

God brings hope to our lives. God invites us to see new horizons we never dreamed possible. The photo you see in this meditation was my last Autumn walk in the woods. The leaves have fallen, but to my delight, the sun rays were sparkling through the trees and I was able to capture this magical moment. I know I am not the only one looking at the world. God sees what I see, what we see, and so much more. God is laboring to bring new life and reimagine our lives.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, help them never to despair As it says in Isaiah, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (43:19)

 

You’re invited to follow the link below to enjoy the beauty reflected in images captured in the photography of Father Matt.  Today’s Sonshine image is a new 2020 image that can be found in the Autumn Gallery. Proceeds will support the ministries of our parish and comfort home: www.frmatt.com

 

 

Hope in Time of Uncertainty

 

Holy Family has been hosting an annual Spaghetti Dinner and raffle for the past 10 years in North Java. The Spaghetti Dinner is schedule for this Sunday, October 18^H starting at 11:30. However, due to the Covid-19 virus, I received information from Steven Perkins, the Wyoming County Director of Environmental Services, that we could not host any eat-in event but “take out” only according to county health regulations. The safety of our parishioners is the most important priority and the parish committee decided that we would offer our parishioners and their friends “take out” only and cancel our in-house basket raffle to keep our community safe.

 

To prepare for this event, we asked our parishioners to make advance reservations so that our Executive Chef, Sandy Janes and her church volunteer crew, would know how many homemade meatballs to prepare in advance.

 

We mailed 1400 invitations to homes in several local towns to invite residents to join us for our annual celebration. On the day of the event, 338 dinners were served in 90 minutes by 20 volunteers. Then later in the day, another email was circulating that an anonymous donor had ordered 125 dinners to be donated to poor families in our Wyoming County area. 

 

 

Kari Sears, the Director of Angel Action, was contacted to help in this effort and she put together a list of families in need and that the agency would arrange distribution of the dinners to their homes by their volunteers. On Saturday, October 17^th at 10 am, Sandy Janes, has requested volunteers to come to the North Java Fire Department to help prepare salads and package cookies for the event.

 

What started as an annual fund raiser for the parish that normally would have brought locals together to share a meal and offer their donated raffle baskets had been transformed into a county community wide event to help feed the poor of our community. Instead of surrendering to the fear and uncertainty of this pandemic, one person of faith had sparked this parish into action to be a sign of hope and hospitality knowing that we are not all in the same boat. Many families are unemployed, others are alone and isolated and we are all feeling frustrated and worried that we fall victim to this deadly virus. Sadly, the number of both confirmed and presumptive positive cases of the disease in the United States has reached almost 7.7 million with over 213,00 deaths reported among those cases.

 

We are a resilient community where wearing a mask and practicing social distance is a sign that we truly care about our neighbor. This invitation to come and take a dinner to a hurting family who feels frustrated and exhausted by the past seven months is a sign of hope that is needed to persevere during these uncertain times.  You will know that we are Christians by our love is a familiar hymn sung by many faith communities that expresses our faith to reflect the love of God for all people.

 

As shepherd of this dynamic Catholic community that welcome all especially anyone who feels uncomfortable coming to any church, know that you are in our prayers and welcomed always. The people of Holy Family practice social distance and wear masks at all their Sunday celebration but since March our worship services have gone virtual and over 25,000 people have clicked onto the parish website to pray with us. Every Sunday we Zoom and record our Mass celebrations. You can find us online at http://holyfamilyncchurch.org   

 

 

 

 

 

Have No Anxiety

 

With being the start of October, someone posted online: “Good News, 2020 is 3/4 over!”  Which was quickly followed by messages ranging from “it’s only 3/4 over… “don’t know if we’re going to make it thru another quarter…” “Where do we forfeit the rest of this year and just get to 2021?” 

Undoubtedly, by any measure this has been a historically challenging year on seemingly every level.  Whether it’s the viral pandemic… civil strife and growing polarizing division we experience whether virtually or in person… horrific weather events from wildfires to hurricanes.  And that’s not even considering the challenges, the struggles, the setbacks and difficulties so many people are dealing with on a local level in their homes, their families.  It’s understandable that there’s been widespread weariness, frustration and even depression.

 

With all those and probably a list of other challenges that escape the mind right now, it can be hard not to have a somewhat dismissive reaction to St. Paul’s words when he says, “Have no anxiety at all.” Imagine posting that online you can already hear the responses – “easy for you to say Paul…” “For Real?”  

 

Paul, we believe was inspired by God to do so.  That the Holy Spirit guided Paul’s mind, heart and hand to compose those words and that this divine message was not limited to just the people who were suffering persecution, but addressing these words to us, here, in North Java, in Wyoming County, in October of 2020.

 

So, take a second to just think of whatever it is that is causing you anxiety right now.  Whatever the list of worries, concerns, doubts and fears you’re experiencing… short term or long term… things for yourself, for your loved ones, your neighbors, our community, our nation, our world.

Paul says… God says: Have no anxiety at all.

 

Have no anxiety at all – because Paul reminds us, we have a God who loves us… Who is waiting for us to acknowledge His presence… Longing for us to recognize His history of goodness… and to cast our prayers, make our requests known to Him.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, let this be our daily mantra: “Seek to do God’s will and you will be free of needless worry and anxiety.” 

 

You’re invited to follow the link below to enjoy the beauty reflected in images captured in the photography of Father Matt.  Today’s Sonshine image is a new 2020 image that can be found in the Autumn Gallery. Proceeds will support the ministries of our parish and comfort home: www.frmatt.com

 

 

 

I Am Simon

 

Last Thursday with it being the start of October, someone posted online: “Good News, 2020 is 3/4 over!”  Which was quickly followed by messages ranging from “it’s only 3/4 over… “don’t know if we’re going to make it thru another quarter…”  Undoubtedly, by any measure this has been a historically challenging year on seemingly every level.  Whether it’s the viral pandemic, civil strife and seemingly growing polarizing division we see, or horrific weather events from wildfires to hurricanes.  And that’s not even taking into account the challenges, the struggles, the setbacks and difficulties so many people are dealing with on a local level in their homes, their families.  It’s understandable that there’s been widespread weariness, frustration and even depression. Despite this chaos, I receive the following email.

 

Thank you so much Matt.  I needed this to reset my compass and the direction I am going. I guess that I am somewhat of a religious person even though my ass rarely finds its way to the church. I think I have told you this before.  For many years, I have had a favorite station of the cross. it moves me as much today as it did when I sat and had that revelation some 20+ years ago. I was brought to that station again recently. I went to a funeral a week or so ago. It was assigned seating and mine happened to be in front of my favorite....Number 5.... Simon helps.

 

Jesus was on his way to his crucifixion, weak and bloodied, stumbling and falling. Simon is a “dufus” like me wandering along, minding my own business. Suddenly, he is pulled from the crowd and told to help Jesus.  Why him? Why was he there at that place and time? He was for a reason and it was to help Jesus when asked. To do what God had ask...to help his son.

 

In my years of volunteering, I have always looked at myself and all volunteers as we are the modern-day Simons. We don't know why we are asked to help, but we are.  I always have felt that this is the hand of God resting on our shoulders asking us to help...to do his will...... without whining or complaining much. For what we are asked to do is not for us, it's not to fulfill our egos, but rather to do the work of God on earth as asked. 

 

I am Simon. 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who find themselves being invited by God to be another Simon. Taking a neighbor for their flu shot, volunteering at our Comfort Home for the dying, caretaking our mother-in-law, helping our kids with their virtual homework, making our meal reservation ahead of time for the Spaghetti Dinner so Sandy knows how many “meatballs” to order.  Transform our “dufus” and whining brains and infuse your humility and compassionate spirit so that we simply say yes: “Your will be done.” 

 

You’re invited to follow the link below to enjoy the beauty reflected in images captured in the photography of Father Matt.  Today’s Sonshine image is a new 2020 image that can be found in the Autumn Gallery. Proceeds will support the ministries of our parish and comfort home: www.frmatt.com

 

Five Surprising Places to Meet God

 

 

Many of us fall into the subtle trap of thinking the only place to find God is at church. If we’re not expecting to find God everywhere, we might just miss great opportunities for help, healing, and spiritual growth. Here are five places where God awaits you:

At Work

The relationships you have, the results you achieve, the quality with which you do your work can all be the stuff of holiness. Each day we “suit up and show up” at work we get opportunities to learn more about ourselves and to contribute our gifts to the good of the world.

In Difficult Relationships

It’s easy to love other people when everything’s going well. But when there are hurt feelings, mistrust, or clashing wills, relationships don’t feel very much as though they are of God. Yet it is at just those times, that we can witness the movement of God in our lives, leading us to healing, trust, and cooperation.

 

In Our Failings

 

We all like to be heroes. But it’s a given that each of us will fail in our lives. Nevertheless, when we hit our limits or even when we sin, we can turn to God for acceptance, mercy, and the strength to make amends and sin no more. In that turning to God and in our opening ourselves up to God’s grace and forgiveness, we become better people.

In Loneliness

Rather than trying to fill the emptiness with mindless entertainment or indulging our cravings, sit still and find God in the emptiness. It takes patience and courage and humility, but you will hear the “still small voice” of God even in the midst of your emptiness responding to your loneliness and restlessness with the only love that fully satisfies.

In Pleasure

Many people seem to think that if something’s fun, it must be at least partially wrong. Yet God gives us the world to live in and enjoy. In the words of St. Ireneaus, the “glory of God is a human being fully alive.” Therefore, pleasure is a place to meet God, whether it be the pleasure of nature, of playing, of loving one another, of beauty, or of the occasional overwhelming conviction that we are loved by God.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, that they experience your warmth in these surprising moments. The image comes from a Sonshine Friend who took this stunning photo in Maine. Take a moment to meet God in the glory of His creation.

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You’re invited to follow the link below to enjoy the beauty reflected in images captured in the photography of Father Matt.  Let the vibrancy of color and the clarity of vision refresh your spirit and elevate your mood.  Proceeds will support the ministries of our parish and comfort home:

www.frmatt.com