Cosmic Perspective

Deacon Tom Writes,

Cosmic Perspective

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

The first reading today is taken from the Book of Wisdom. If you have an opportunity, treat yourself to some quiet time. Take a few minutes to reread this passage (Wis11:22 – 12:2). If you have seen any of the pictures from the Hubble telescope, you may realize the challenge this reading presents us, visualizing the “whole universe as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew before the Lord”. This insightful passage from the Old Testament helps open our minds up to the immensity of the universe and of creation. A creation that gives witness to the magnitude of God’s love for everything he has fashioned.  

Astrophysicists now realize that the universe is still expanding, is still being formed. Yet, as we read today, it appears to God as but a small grain. More amazing still is that it is God’s very gift to us. It is in our small part of the universe, mother earth, where we come to know and experience the awesome wonder of God’s love for us who are the masterpiece of his creation. The sacred writer tells us that God sustains everything he has fashioned, all that he has brought into being; everything that God willed to exist; otherwise, he would not have brought it into being.

It is truly amazing that the Creator of all that is has so much love for his creation that he allows us to be co-Creators with him. With that privilege comes the responsibility of being good stewards of all that “the lover of soul” has brought into being. Our Creator calls us to be good stewards of the environment and all that it entails. Pope Francis affirms our need to be faithful stewards of the environment in his Encyclical, Laudato Si, calling us to, “a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. In addition to caring for the world around us, God also calls us to be good stewards of his justice and peace, so that all can share equally in the bounty of the earth’s abundance. He calls us to be good stewards of his forgiveness so that wickedness may not occupy any space in our hearts. And, he calls us to be good stewards of his love so that his Spirit can move among his children and keep the fire of his love burning brightly.

Teilhard De Chardin, the visionary French Jesuit, paleontologist, biologist, and philosopher had this to say in regard to our use of God’s gifts: “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire”.

The next time you look at the sunset or the dark winter sky, be assured of God's presence and know that he created all this to remind us how great his love for us all.  

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Look Into My Eyes

Deacon Tom Writes,

Look Into My Eyes

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

This picture of a Syrian boy bruised and bloodied during the recent fighting in Aleppo has touched the hearts of people around the world.   

Kids have a way of letting their faces show their emotions as I think this picture indicates. I look at it and I feel a sense of loss, the loss of another generation of children who have inherited the legacy of war, poverty, hopelessness, and desperation. Are these horrible conditions helping formulate young minds into believing that the future holds no hope for them or their loved ones? In the absence of hope, the violence and devastation will continue. 

                     

In our Old Testament reading from Sirach today we hear that, “The Lord is a God of justice….who,“hears the cry of the oppressed”. Sirach writes further, “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds… and the Lord will not delay”. 

This thought that the Lord is a God of Justice should inspire us and encourage us never to miss an opportunity to reach out to the hopeless and despairing. Those who believe in God’s justice seek to cooperate with him in helping to answer the cries of the poor. Faithful people do not lose hope! Rather, they look to inspire and generate hope in the most desperate of situations.

There are many volunteers whose efforts engender hope to the war torn cities, the many refugee camps, and those fleeing the devastation. Any help we can give to the many charities is desperately needed. Catholic Relief Services does an excellent job in these much-needed supplies to relief areas.  Also, don’t forget to continue to offer prayers and sacrifices for an end to this and other conflicts around the world. Remember, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor”. 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Prayer In Action

Deacon Tom Writes,

Prayer In Action

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Francis Cardinal Spellman gave us a unique perspective on prayer when he wrote, “Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon you.” In today’s readings we see Moses and the woman plaintiff working very hard to get the results they wanted. Prayer is very much a part of the solution. But as we read today, so is being active in pursuing the desired outcome.

We know that God wants us to pray because Jesus was a man of prayer. The gospels tell us that Jesus often went off early in the morning and prayed. It was through his prayer life that Jesus was able to know what God asked of him and formulate what his response would be. Jesus’ prayers animated all his thoughts and actions.   

It is this understanding of Jesus and his ministry that gives rise to Cardinal Spellman’s insight calling us to prayer inspired action. This is a very practical example for anyone trying to live the gospel message. How else can we do what Jesus asks us to do? Can we truly expect to love our enemies if we are not prepared to take some steps toward bringing about a peaceful resolution?  Do we think that we can merely say a prayer that someone we have hurt will forgive us and, zap, everything will be all right? Or pray for the hungry in the hopes that others will feed them? I seriously doubt it. Forgiveness, reconciliation, peace making, changes in our attitudes and behaviors, all the real activities of spiritual maturity, take both much prayer and much work. That is probably why St. Paul said to “Pray without ceasing”, and why we have the “spiritual exercises” of St Ignatius, to encourage us to pray and work for a Godly balance in our lives. This will enable us to discover God’s priorities for us this day and to discover his Presence in ourselves, in others, and in everything around us while keeping us from being overwhelmed by it all.

Central to our faith and essential to our spiritual growth and maturity is the constant need to maintain a proper balance of prayer and action in our lives. Doing so will deepen our relationship with our Lord who desires our constant love and who seeks to be our life long companion.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

An Attitude of Gratitude.

Deacon Tom Writes,

An Attitude of Gratitude

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

When is the last time you gave yourself permission to sit down and reflect upon all the good things that God has given you? I know, there’s just not enough time in the day. It seems that we are all stuck in overdrive, racing from one commitment or obligation to another. If we can just” be still”, set aside some quiet time each day to think about the many ways we have been blessed, we may experience yet another gift ….a profound sense of gratitude toward God from whom all good things come.

Gratitude comes from the Latin gratitudo or gratus meaning “thankful”. It is related to the family of words that express the sense of “favor”, “grace”, or “gift”. Thanksgiving is an active response to another’s favor or gift and it implies a desire to respond graciously to our benefactor. How fitting is this attitude especially when it is directed to God, the giver of all gifts.

The gifts of a loving and caring family, good health, long and enduring friendships, painful failures that have changed the paths of our lives for the better, or hearing the whisper of the breeze and seeing the playful smile of a little child or the tender love in the eyes of an elderly person. These countless blessings that are always before us should fill us with awe at just how great the Father’s loves is for us.

Here is an easy family exercise to help us increase our awareness of the things we have to be grateful for each and every day:

 

·  Have everyone in the family recall their experiences throughout the day.

·  Write them down in a journal every evening and discuss them at dinner.

·  On day three, write down how our sense of gratitude has increased by this exercise and how we may continue to be thankful for each and every blessing that comes our way.

I know you will have a long list, but that will only be the beginning. Soon our sense of gratitude will start to grow as we begin to count our blessings one by one, as if we were picking a bouquet of beautiful wild flowers. The more we recognize the blessings we have received, the easier it will be for us to recognize many others we were not aware of previously. Gratitude is a gift that keeps on giving; the more grateful we are, the more we will be thankful for all that comes to us from the hand of God, who enjoys hearing our thanks and gratitude.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom