At the end of one year and the beginning of another, it is
appropriate to step back and take a hard look at certain areas of our lives.
I would like to encourage us to focus for a few minutes on our families –
the ones we grew up in – the ones we may be in today. An important
point to remember here is families today come in all sizes, shapes and
varieties.
From being in a family myself and listening to the stories of many
families, I would like to share with you three brief thoughts to consider:
First, it is very easy to criticize the families we are part of as not
being all we would like them to be – it is easy to notice our family
weaknesses. We all have them. When was the last time we took a little
time to genuinely appreciate and affirm the good and positive things
about our families? If we are struggling in our families right now, this
may require a special effort. But I believe it is worth it. I really noticed
that when I did it for myself that I had forgotten a lot of the good things
that I had received from my family – things that money couldn’t buy –
special time spent together, unconditional love and the many sacrifices
they made for me. You might be surprised at what you would find! A
friend of mine made a list of all the good positive things in his life and
kept them in his wallet. Whenever family problems came up, he would
read them and they would help keep things in perspective.
Second point, I notice people who constantly blame their families
for all that has gone wrong in their lives. It is so easy to point the finger
of blame and fault at the parents, at the kids, at social or economic
status. Granted that our families have affected us – some for the good,
some for the bad and unfortunately some for the very bad. I believe a
real growth question to ask ourselves as we begin a new year is, “When
do I stop using my family’s weaknesses as an excuse in my life? When
do I take personal responsibility for my life?”
I close with a third and final point, in the midst of all the wild and
weird conflicts we may face in our families, God wants to be part of
them. In the midst of the shouting matches, doors being slammed,
people pouting and not speaking to each other, holding grudges, and in
Holy Family – God the Holy is there! 12-31-2023
December 16th, 2023A Thought Before Christmas 12-24-2023
December 16th, 2023There is a story that comes out of India which tells of a beggar
whose great hope was that he would meet the king. Then, he dreamed,
alms would be given him unasked and wealth scattered all around him in
the dust. One day, the king’s golden chariot came into the village and
actually stopped where the beggar stood. The king saw the poor man,
got out of the chariot, and walked with a smile toward him.
The beggar was ecstatic. He felt that good fortune had come his
way at last. But instead of giving him anything, the king held out his
hand and said, “What do you have to give to me?” The beggar was
confused and undecided. Then slowly, he took from his loaded
knapsack a single grain of wheat and gave it to the king. The king made
no move to give him anything in return. Disillusioned and dejected, the
beggar walked to his bare room. At day’s end, he emptied his bag on the
floor and was surprised to find a single grain of gold among all the other
grains of wheat. He wept bitterly and thought: “If only I had the heart to
give the king my all.
The beggar found only a single grain of gold in his bag because he
had given away only a single grain of wheat. If he had given more, he
would have received more.
A few weeks before Christmas – in the midst of money being tight,
and the normal Christmas rush and pressure – we have many things to
give – Let us not be afraid to give them. How about these:
1. Remember an old friend
2. Call or write to someone who has lost someone through death
3. Give peace
4. Forgive an enemy
5. Set differences aside in our families
6. Give of yourself – a small bit of quality time
7. Perform an act of kindness
8. Offer a few sincere thoughtful words of encouragement and
affirmation.
9. Give love
and guess what, Christmas will be forever! Wouldn’t that be great!
Remember You Always Walk With God 12-17-2023
December 15th, 2023A few weeks before Christmas, a woman who lived in a New York
apartment building found a greeting card taped to her door. “Merry
Christmas from the custodial staff”, it said.
“How nice”, she said to herself and promptly forgot about it. A
week later she came home to find another card taped to her door. It was
the same message, “Merry Christmas from the custodial staff”. But this
time stamped right in the middle in big red letters, were the words,
“Second Notice”!
Many of us are terribly forgetful. We immerse ourselves in our
daily tasks of life as we must-we can forget almost anything: birthdays,
anniversaries, appointments, our bank balance, our glasses. You name
it, we forget it. We make lists so we won’t forget and then we forget the
list.
But our forgetfulness isn’t limited just to the little things. We
forget the big things as well; who our real friends are, what really
matters in life, who loves us, who needs us, what we were made for. We just forget.
I believe that is why we need to gather here – week after week; to
help each other remember who we are, remember what really matters,
and remember that we aren’t walking this long road alone. We’re
walking it with the Lord who is right at our side.
And what is this Lord like who walks at our side? Does God walk
with us as a critic? Police officer? A judge? Or maybe just an impartial
observer? In fact, the Lord is none of the above.
The Lord walks with us as a partner and mentor who wants to see
us succeed and who understands that it’s going to take us a while. Now
what more could we ask? How can we not celebrate and rejoice as
today’s liturgy urges us. How can we not be confident and hopeful and
put all fears behind us. After all, God is with us and for us!
And there’s still more. Having God walking with us as partner and
mentor gives us the opportunity to be in close conversation hourly. With
simple words like, “Well, Lord, what do you think about this?” Or,
“Lord can you help me see this clearly?” Or simply, “Help, Lord, I can’t
do this one alone.” Those are the kinds of words that partners and
friends speak very often.
All of that is what we have to come together here to remember.
First, remember to rejoice and forget all your fears because God is with
us. And second, remember to listen to and talk to God about the real
stuff of our lives because God cares more than anyone else…and God
knows the way home.
I would like to close by sharing with you my idea of what God’s
special Christmas card would say to each one of us;
“Remember what you’ve seen me do”, says Jesus. “…the blind
see, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, and dead men raised
to life”. If you’ll let me, I’ll do the same for you”, he says. “I’ll heal
what is sick in your spirit, if you’ll let me”.
“I’ll open your eyes and your ears so that you’ll know what really
matters so you’ll know that happiness and peace are available to you
everyday, even on the worst days. I’ll show you that and let you
experience that, if you’ll let me.
“I will not insulate you from adversity, challenge, or pain. But I
will always see you through them, and never let you come to ultimate
harm. I’ll take you by the hand, and raise you up; I’ll help you to walk
and I’ll walk with you until your journey is complete, if you’ll let me.
“All that is my promise to you, my solemn pledge. And I will not
take it back”, says the Lord. We have a lot to rejoice about today!
Don’t we!!
