What Do I Do When I Fail?

I am struck this week by the very visual nature of the first reading this coming Sunday.  The writer says that the Lord took some of the Spirit that 'was on'  Moses and shared it among the 70 elders that were gathered on the mountain. I imagine God scooping up some of the Spirit in his cupped hands and pouring it like water over the heads of the elders. Quite a picture the writer paints.

We talked a lot this week about how God is generous in giving us all gifts and talents. Some of us wonder what our talents are and how we are supposed to use them for the kingdom. If you don't know what gifts the Lord has given you, here's a clue...listen to what others say they see in you...often times people will recognize gifts and talents in us that we would never see in ourselves. Of course, then you need to trust that they are speaking in charity and helping you to truly discern.

We met with our families last weekend and we touched on this in a roundabout way. Parents have asked how they could speak with their children when they are effected by a lapse in judgement made by some pop star or sports icon that they hear about through social media. Our children hold entertainers like Demi Lovato, or sports figures (you can tell I'm not much into sports if I can't drop a name here...) in such high esteem. What do we tell them when these men and women suffer a very public fall from grace?

I believe we talk about forgiveness. We talk about prayer. We talk about our common humanity. All of us have made mistakes at one time or another. Luckily for most of us we don't live in the public eye and we don't have to deal with massive publicity when we make poor choices. I pity those folks who have to deal with that on a regular basis. It frightens me to think that in our world of constant social media, our children can be shamed by their peers via snapchat or instagram if someone catches them in a less than perfect moment. Gosh, even having a zit can be traumatic if you're a 13 year old.

How do we protect our children from this nightmare? What do we as adults do to shore up our souls so we are not battered by the criticism of others? I go back to the previous paragraph, we learn to not only accept, but revel in our humanity, warts and all. If I believe that God made me good and that God loves me, then no one can harm me with their words. We need to teach our children this too, so that they know that for themselves, and they know how to be kind and accepting of others mistakes.

So when your daughter is so very sad because that awesome young singer has sadly had a relapse, maybe that's the time to stop and say: "let's say a prayer for her recovery. Let's ask God to give her the strength to try again. And let's talk about why this is a situation you don't want to find yourself in as you get older."

May God share a portion of the Spirit of wisdom on each of us, so we learn better how loved we are, and how to graciously live to share the gifts and talents we have been given.

What Does It Mean To Be Humble?

Yesterday we buried an elderly woman who had been a life long parishioner here. I really did not know her at all. I knew OF her. What I learned at her funeral yesterday will stay with me for a long time.
But first, what I knew OF her. I first saw her with her brother a few years back when they could still get out of their apartment. They were on the line coming to reverence the cross on Good Friday. I didn't know who they were yet, what I saw was an elderly gentleman leading an older blind woman down the aisle toward the cross. Slowly, with great care, they both venerated our Good Friday Cross. The picture of them in front of the cross was like something off of a holy card. Quite simply, it was beautiful and profound.

I learned after that who they were, our neighbors across the street, but I still never had a cause to visit them. Others did so and would tell me about how hard it was getting for them to stay in a walk up apartment, but how they wanted to keep their independence.

On one occasion I answered the phone here at the parish and it was her on the other end. When she found out who I was on my end of the phone she told me how happy she was to talk with me. While we had never met, she said she was hearing from others and seeing in the bulletin all the activities that were happening here in the parish and wishing me God's blessings on my ministry. She was so very encouraging.

And so yesterday we commended her soul to God. Her brother had gone before her, can't be more than a year ago. The family gathered to pray our final prayers for her and to remember her. Her nephew spoke of what a beloved aunt she was to them all. How she was always encouraging them in their endeavors and challenging them to be, in his words, the best version of themselves. They miss her already.

This woman lived a simple life with great humility, and her family is different because of her. They will in turn, live their lives in such  way as to make her proud of them, and make their part of the world a bit better. Her life like a pebble thrown into the water, will spread ripples of goodness for years to come. Though she may know nothing about it.

As Christians, this is the life we are called to. Some people will do great things and receive accolades for their work. Most of us will not. We trudge through our every day and try to do our best. Our reward is the satisfaction of a job well done. A life well lived. Jesus says, if we want to be first, we must be last. That doesn't mean putting ourselves down, it means knowing who we are, where we are, and whose we are! It means if I know I belong to God, at the end of the day, that is more than enough.

I wish I had gotten to know Kitty while she was here among us. I am sorry I didn't take the time. I know that I hope I live my life as well as she did. I want others to know I care about them and encourage them to be their best selves. I am grateful for every evening when I can put my head on the pillow and know the satisfaction, the blessing of having tried my best for the coming of the kingdom. For the days when I fall short, I'm grateful for the opportunity to try and do better tomorrow.

St Vincent de Paul claimed humility as one the three virtues he strove for.  As I have always admired his story of conversion and his heart for the poor, humility is something I value as well. Not an easy virtue to cultivate in a world that is always telling us we are the most important person in the universe.

So I am always grateful to know where my center is, and who I belong to. What about you, who do you belong to?

Can You Keep A Secret?

When my Small Christian Community met this past week, we were again mystified by the idea of the messianic secret employed by Mark's writer. How did anyone think that a deaf man with a speech impediment, who is suddenly amazingly healed by Jesus, would keep this miracle a secret? Of course he would go shouting it from the rooftops, along the highways and byways, in his newly clarified speech! He'd be thrilled just to hear himself shout out his good news!

We know the idea of keeping this secret was a literary tool engaged by the writer of the gospel. Jesus really didn't think he could keep these miracles a secret did he? I can see why he'd want to: the more miracles that folks heard about the bigger the crowds around him grew. It became so much more difficult to find time to pray to his father, or gently teach his disciples. Peace and quiet rapidly became a distant memory.

As I think about this I'm wondering, are we, in our day, supposed to keep secret the wonderful things God has done for us? Are we supposed to keep the Good News to ourselves? Of course not! In a world that is sometimes so dimmed by darkness and sadness all around us, are we not compelled to share the joy we feel when we discover how God is working in our lives? Sometimes it's really big things like when you're 17 and you pass your road test after many tearful practices with your parents. Sometimes it's things that seem coincidental like the person who was difficult to work with has been transferred to another building. Sometimes it's a simple as a fine conversation with a colleague.

September is always a new beginning for so many of our children and our teachers. Parish programs kick back into full gear after a lighter summer schedule. Here at St Francis we are super excited to announce that there are new ways to share our good news. Some of our parishioners have been working diligently all summer long to put up a new, way more fun website for us. Along with the new website comes a very cool 'app' for your phone, a new way of supporting the parish electronically, and other neat social media tools. The way our youngsters used Snapchat so frequently...well, let's take advantage of that in the healthiest ways possible. We encourage all of you, but especially our families with pre teen kids, to Snapchat before Mass on Sunday and let everyone know that you're proud to be here with us at St Francis.

Jesus didn't really think that deaf man was going to stay quiet after he was finally healed did he? Surely we're not supposed to keep secret the many gifts God gives us each day. Don't be shy about sharing your good new whatever it may be. We all need to hear some good news!

And Melissa, congratulations once again !