The readings today remind us of the
last days, of judgment and the justice of God. Rather than hear them with fear and
trembling, we might pay attention to the reality that we will each, at some point, need to
give “an account of our stewardship.” Sometimes, it seems as though those who do
evil will get away with it. But in God’s time, not ours, justice will reign.
Justice is one of the signs of God’s reign along with respect for
each person, truth, community, and peace. As a Catholic community of faith, we are called
to reflect the values of the kingdom, to be that light on the mountaintop for all to see.
We can learn from what our children are being taught in terms of conflict resolution. They
are being told when they are hurt or offended by someone to stop, get in touch with
what they’re feeling and then decide how to respond appropriately. They are
encouraged to use words (instead of fists) or to walk away instead of engaging in a fight.
How different this approach is from reacting to violence in word or action by more
violence!
We adults could surely benefit from this practice. If someone has
spoken to us in a tone of voice that hurts us or has sent an e-mail with an edge to it, we
need to stop, ask ourselves if the person intended to be hurtful (an additional step from
the process with children), and tune into our feelings. If my feeling level is way out of
proportion to the perceived affront, then I need to ask myself another question: why am I
so offended/hurt/angry? Am I exhausted from too much work and not enough sleep? Do I feel
put-upon generally? Have I been ignoring my very human need for visits with friends, time
to myself, the refreshment which comes from nature? Am I coming down with something? I
need to respond to whatever is out of kilter in my life and thank God for this incident
which has helped me realize that. If my feeling level is in proportion to the perceived
affront, then I need to decide what response might be an honest and appropriate one.
Especially as we head into the busier days of Thanksgiving and
Christmas, we owe it to ourselves and to each other to try to be more centered than
usual. I personally can’t imagine how those of you with full-time jobs outside your
home and a spouse and children to care for can do it all without some piece of time, at
least occasionally, for yourself. Hopefully, you’ve let go of the
“super-Mom-who-can-do-everything” myth and share a Thanksgiving dinner where
everyone brings something. Hopefully, if you’re part of a large family, you draw
names and don’t have scores of people to buy for! So often we say (truthfully) that
Christmas is for the kids, yet we pull our hair out trying to find the “perfect”
gift for someone who has everything. Might we agree with some of our friends not to
exchange gifts, but to make a donation instead to St. Vincent de Paul or Catholic Relief
Services or Bread for the World? If you find your calendar crammed with so many
“Christmas” engagements that you can’t fit them all in, why not move some
of them? The Church celebrates Christmas from the Eve until Epiphany and it would prolong
the joy of Christmas.
Here I am talking about Christmas when we are in the midst of November!
Especially for those of us who are older, time really does fly. We are surrounded by the
names of those we love who went home to God this past year and blest by the photos of so
many others at Mary’s shrine. As the pumpkins and cornstalks remind us of the
harvest, so do the lives of these holy ones remind us that we, too, shall one day be
harvested home and enjoy God’s presence with them.
Eucharistic Ministers Needed
If God is nudging you to serve our parish as a Eucharistic minister, please call Gene
May or Sr. Sheral at 589-2800.
