Good news must be shared...

A friend of mine is reading a book and she said they are comparing the woman at the well to Martha and Mary (sisters of Lazarus).  As she was saying she'd like me to do a talk on this subject I was thinking it was strange to compare those three women.  For me, I was leaning toward comparing the woman at the well to our Blessed Mother.

It may not make sense to compare the Blessed Mother to the woman at the well either, given they come from two completely different backgrounds, but it's not their backgrounds I want to compare, but what they did after they encountered our Lord.

Our Blessed Mother is of course without sin and we know this because St. Luke tells us in his gospel that she is "full of grace" and you cannot be full of grace and have sin in you.  The Samaritan woman; however, is a sinful woman.  Two completely different backgrounds, but their futures (once they encounter Christ) are full of similarities.

Mary's encounter with Jesus starts with the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel.  He appears and tells her she has found favor with God and that she will become the Mother of His son.  She consents and the Holy Spirit descends upon her and she becomes pregnant (I'm paraphrasing of course, the full story can be found in the gospel of Luke).  Once she is with child, she immediately leaves for the hill country to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who is with child as well.  When she arrives, the child within the womb of Elizabeth "leaps with joy".  Mary spends three months with Elizabeth, helping her prepare for the arrival of John the Baptist. 

The Samaritan woman has also found favor with Jesus (and we have too, He loves each and every one of us).  She, like us, cannot accept Christ as easily as Mother Mary did though.  When she encounters Jesus, she argues with Him (have you ever done that?) and wonders out loud how He can do all He promises to do for her (again, I'm paraphrasing, see John 4:7-42 for the "rest of the story").  She is confused about this encounter with Jesus but when Jesus tells her what her sins are, she completely understands He is who He says He is.  He has shed light on her sins and the darkness is banished.  She leaves Jesus and heads into town and tells everyone about Jesus.  Many Samaritans came to know Christ because of this woman.

Two women, two completely different backgrounds, but both bring others to Jesus immediately after they receive Him.  They don't keep Him to themselves, they take the light He has given them to others, to share Him (evangelization).  Christ is too great to be contained within us and if we truly have Christ within us, we will not be able to contain ourselves.  He will come forth from us, just as He did with Mary and the Samaritan woman.

Mary will live many, many years with Jesus and after His crucifixtion, she lives her days with John, the beloved disciple, praying and continuing to lead others to her Son.

The Samaritan woman, scripture tells us, was responsible for bringing many to Christ through her acceptance of Him.  We can imagine she lived at least a few more years and continued to love Jesus and bring others to Him. 

As I was writing this, I thought of another who received our Lord and immediately evangelized.  He failed to convert anyone as far as we know, but he was able to save his own soul.  Remember the good thief?  He came to know Christ while he was hanging on this own cross next to Jesus and he rebuked the other thief for mocking Jesus and then he confessed his own guilt.  He asked our Lord to remember him when He came into His kingdom (Luke 23:32-43) and what did Jesus say?  He assured him he would be with Him that day in paradise.  The "good thief" saw the light of Christ, the truth, evangelized to another, confessed his own sins and was able to gain heaven.  Some say that was his last act of "theft", to be able to "steal" heaven at the last moments of his life.  Gotta love divine mercy!

I still need to read my friend's book to see how the woman at the well compares to Martha and Mary, but for now, I'm happy comparing myself to her and learning not just from her example, but that of our most Blessed Mother and the good thief.

Loving God and Neighbor

“May it be done to me according to Your word.” Luke 1:38

“His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever He tells you.” John 2:5

            The greatest commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) tells us how we can make our way to heaven.  Love accomplishes and overcomes all things.

            In the first Joyful mystery of the rosary, the Annunciation, we meditate on the words of Mother Mary, “May it be done to me according to Your word.”  She is teaching us love, obedience and humility.  Because she loved God, she was able to be obedient and humble and we were able to have a savior who would redeem us.  I love meditating on this verse and in fact, making it my prayer.  I also want to be the handmaid of the Lord, though I fall so far short of what our Blessed Mother did.  She, who was full of grace, did not have sin in her.  I find myself repeatedly going to the confessional to beg mercy of our Lord and ask Him to lift me up again and again.

            Immediately upon finding out her cousin, Elizabeth, is also with child, she journeys to visit.  She spent 3 months with Elizabeth, helping her to prepare for the coming of John the Baptist.  Love of neighbor. 

            This isn’t the only time Mary shows us how to love our neighbor.  In the second Luminous mystery of the rosary, “The Wedding at Cana”, Mary tells Jesus there is no more wine.  She then very simply turns to the servants and tells them to do whatever He tells them to do.  She knows running out of wine at a wedding can be very embarrassing to the hosts and she wants to avoid that, so she simply turns to her Son.  Her command to the servants is also a command to us.  We should, at all times, do whatever He tells us. 

            My spiritual director once told me that the only correct answer when God asks something of us is Yes!  If we’ve even heard Him talking to us, that is not usually our first response.  We tend to think of ourselves and how what He wants is going to interfere with what we want for our lives, as if we know best.

           At times I can be impressed with myself for listening to what God tells me to do, being obedient to His holy will for me.  Unfortunately, the pride of sin is no help to my salvation.  It also dawns on me that it is not the things I’ve done for God I’ll have to answer for, but the things I did not do (in the Confiteor we pray, “…in what I have done and in what I have failed to do…”).

            Each night before bed I pray, “The Prayer for Daily Neglects” (I won’t put the whole prayer here, it’s on page 16 of The Pieta Prayer Book) and in essence, I am asking God to expiate all the sins I have committed each day and during all my life, to purify the good I have done badly each day and to supply for the good I ought to have done, but neglected to do.  Unlike Mary, I am not full of grace. 

            “Be it done unto me according to thy word.” That is my prayer, my daily prayer.  What I also pray for is holy hearing so I know what God is asking of me.  Then I pray for obedience and humility and an increase in faith, hope and charity.  No wonder we are told to pray without ceasing.

           “Do whatever He tells you.”  Definitely easier said than done, but not impossible!  What does He tell us?  Love God with all your hearts, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

            Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Francis Xavier.  He certainly taught us love of Christ and love of neighbor.  So did Blessed Mother Teresa, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. John Vianney and in fact, all the saints.  With the help of all these beautiful saints and our Blessed Mother, we can learn to love God and love neighbor, just as Jesus taught us.

Black Friday

This week is the last week in Ordinary Time and next week, Advent begins.  What a beautiful time of year it is!  Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, a feast instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI to honor Christ’s Kingship.    He was trying to combat secularism which was overtaking us, even a century ago.

This Thursday of course we celebrate Thanksgiving.  A time to reflect on all the gifts we have received from our Lord, our lives, our families, homes, cars, jobs, etc.  It is also a time to pray in thanksgiving for all those wonderful graces and blessings we have received.

So in the midst of this celebration of Christ the King, Thanksgiving and in anticipation of the Advent season, we have what has commonly been called Black Friday.  What is Black Friday?  Some say it is the largest shopping day of the year (and has been since 2003), some say it is the day most retailers get out of the “red” and into the “black” on their ledgers, I say it’s a shame.

This is a day which seems to be solely dedicated to obtaining “stuff.”  I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t need anymore “stuff.”  In fact, I’ve been slowly getting rid of “stuff” and certainly not with the intent to replace it, but to just simplify.  To rid my life of things I no longer need, use or desire.  I’ve discovered that there is no tangible thing on earth I can take with me when I die and that most of the things I do have, really aren’t of value to anyone except me.  Except my books maybe, I do like my books! Hey, no one’s perfect!

Black Friday has gotten so out of hand that it has actually started on Thursday for some retailers.  Thanksgiving!  We can’t even be thankful for one whole day without rushing out to obtain more stuff!  What could you possibly need so badly that you must go out for it on Thanksgiving, when you should be spending time with family and friends?

Aside from obtaining more “stuff” I can’t figure out what is appealing about Black Friday.  Keep in mind, I don’t like to shop even on a good day, but this day seems to be crazy.  People are cranky because they’ve gotten up before the crack of dawn to get to the stores, they are bound and determined to obtain the item for which they cannot live without, no matter the consequences in some cases and many people have been injured.  There has even been a death contributed to Black Friday, when a store employee was unlocking the doors he was trampled. 

So we celebrate the beautiful Feast of Christ the King and then a mere 5 days later we forget our Lord in order to pursue things of this world.  Things that will mean nothing to anyone in 100 years or even 50 or 10 or 5 or maybe not even in 1 year.

I’m not saying you cannot buy Christmas gifts and enjoy the beautiful season leading up to the birth of our King; but let us remember the spirit in which these gifts should be given, received and enjoyed.  Let us also remember those who are less fortunate.

Matthew 25:31-46 says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”

As we celebrate the Advent season, visiting family and friends, buying gifts and other items and preparing for the arrival of Christ the King let us remember what St. Matthew teaches us. 

“For I was hungry and you gave me food.” 

Donate to a food pantry;

Serve a meal at the mission;
Purchase scrip and leave it at the rectory so the priests can donate as the need arises;
Help someone in line at the grocery store who needs extra help making their purchases;
Say a prayer for someone, or better yet, with someone because they need spiritual food too.

“I was thirsty and you gave me to drink.”

Each day show your love of others in new ways by giving your children and spouse a blessing when they wake up and before bed;
Give more hugs, not just to your family, but to your friends and even strangers, if you are so moved.

“A stranger and you welcomed me.”
Smile at people and look them in the eye.  Say “hello” to them or “Merry Christmas” or “God bless you.”
Shake hands with people.

“Naked and you clothed me.”

Take your children’s old coats, hats, gloves, etc. to a local elementary school for children who are without.

Go through your closet and get rid of those things you are not wearing.  Donate them to St. Vincent de Paul or Goodwill.  If you haven’t worn something in a year, you probably never will.

“Ill and you cared for me.”

Do you have neighbors who might need your help? 

Everyone knows someone with cancer or some other debilitating illness, help them.  Take a meal, help them vacuum and dust.

Take a bowl of soup or a handmade card.

“In prison and you visited me.”

Go to a nursing home and talk to the residents.  They hunger and thirst for attention.  Say a prayer with them, let them visit with your children.  Let the children make small crafts and pass them out.

Find out who the homebound members of your parish are and see if you can visit.

Visit Jesus, who waits for you in the tabernacle day and night.

Use your imagination.  When Christmas day arrives, Jesus’ birthday, what gifts (spiritual and corporal works of mercy) are you going to offer Him?  May the Holy Spirit guide you in all you do.

Remember, to whom much is given, much will be expected.