Amid the destruction and death in the Ukraine, it’s hard to imagine
anything remotely revealing the presence of God. But if you look with
the eye of the heart and listen with the ear of the spirit, you’ll see and
hear God at work even in the horror taking place in Ukraine. Some
signs of God’s presence:
Vladyslav operates a bakery in Kyiv. He employs adults with
psychological disabilities. His shop specializes in cakes and pastries, as
well as serving lunch. On the day before Russian troops stormed their
country, Vladyslav gathered his staff together. They would stop selling
baked goods to individual customers; instead, they would bake bread for
all. They produce 300 loaves a day, bread that they give away to homes
for the disabled and volunteer organizations. “I am not militant in my
nature,” Vladyslav says simply, “but I can bake bread.” The love of God
is in every loaf that Vladyslav bakes.
In Krakow, Poland – just across the Ukrainian border – a community
of 40 Dominican sisters have opened their convent to refugees: children,
women, the elderly – even their dogs. Things are getting a little
cramped, but the sisters tell the refugees they are welcome to stay as
long as they need to. In Poland and Ukraine, more than 1,000 religious
communities of women are providing housing, food, clothing, and
emotional support to thousands of Ukrainians who have been displaced
by the war. These sisters, like so many of their Polish neighbors, reveal
in their kindness and compassion the Gospel Jesus.
This is Hanna’s first year as a teacher. The 23-year-old never
imagined teaching her class of fifth graders in the middle of a war – but,
despite the bombings and airstrikes, millions of children in Ukraine are
still going to school. Hanna is one of hundreds of dedicated and creative
teachers who are managing to keep their students engaged in learning.
Some students can’t attend every day because they’re constantly on the
move from shelter to shelter. Many of Hanna’s students are signing in
on their parents’ phones. Hanna says that the routine of school and
seeing their friends online is helping. “Even if I’m not teaching the full
curriculum,” Hanna says, “It’s good that they’re talking to me and to
each other…. It reminds us of something normal.” The sacrifice and
courage of many good people trying to make things “normal” for their
fellow Ukrainians – “normal” is the Spirit of God alive in their care of
one another.
On this Trinity Sunday, we celebrate the God who reveals himself not
only in the wonders of nature and the miracles of science, but in every
experience of love and expression of compassion. God’s Spirit opens
our eyes to see all women and men as daughters and sons of God the
Father of all; the Spirit opens our hearts to embrace one another as
sisters and brothers in God’s Christ. May our own hearts and minds be
opened to the Spirit of God revealing such love and hope in our own
lives, however small and ordinary and unassuming; may the Spirit instill
in us the wisdom to realize the goodness in all things that can enable us
to transform our lives and world in God’s life and love.
Archive for June, 2022
Finding God in Ukraine 6-12-2022
Thursday, June 9th, 2022The Power of the Spirit 6-5-2022
Wednesday, June 1st, 2022
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my
class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked
like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, “Why would
anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a
nerd.”
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my
friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They
ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he
landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the
grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible
sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled
around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed
him his glasses, I said, “Those guys are jerks. They really should get
lives.” He looked at me and said, “Hey thanks!” There was a big smile
on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it
turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him
before. He said he had gone to private school before now.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We
talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out
to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football
with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I
got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same
of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of
books again. I stopped him and said, “Boy, you are gonna really build
some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!” He just
laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we
were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on
Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be
friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a
doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about
being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation.
I was so glad it wasn’t me having to get up there and speak.
Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys
that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually
looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls
loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous.
Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about
his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy,
you’ll be great!” He looked at me with one of those looks (the really
grateful one) and smiled. “Thanks,” he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began.
“Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through
those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a
coach…but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a
friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell
you a story.”
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first
day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He
talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn’t have
to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and
gave me a little smile.
“Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the
unspeakable.”
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy
told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking
at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I
realize its depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. Never underestimate
the Power of God’s spirit working through us. With one small gesture
you can change a person’s life. For better or for worse.
