Finding Jesus in Everyone

 

The Bible Study guys this morning talked about anger (Mt 5:22):  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement.  And then, So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go, first to be reconciled with your brother , and then come back to offer your gift.

I know I’ve noted before that there is another passage in Matthew commanding you to seek reconciliation if you have something against your brother, so if he has something against you or you have something against him, either way, YOU go to him to be reconciled.  That seems (to me) to be a strong emphasis against anger, and I’ve grown to try to live that command.  I don’t want to be angry or irritated at anyone, and so I try to avoid situations or conversations which will provoke anger or irritation in me, or others.   One of the ways I actively have done this is by tossing my television when it stopped operating a couple of years ago.  I thought there were mostly things shown there which raised irritation in me or would be topics of conversation which would irritate others.  All I hear today of our evil society seems to support that decision, and so I actively avoid thinking/conversing about those (in my mind) wrong things which cause anger.  But then I had another thought this morning, at mass.

The Psalm reading response this morning was an unusual one: “Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget You.”  The words got my attention, since they were not the usual/rote ones. And, perhaps because of the preceding Bible study on anger, I had thoughts of people I forgot, and how important each and every one is.

Of late, I’ve noticed how my brain is not as sharp as it once was.  It is not unusual for someone to greet me and yet I don’t recall their name or how we know each other.  The recent newly ordained priest said that I changed his life, but I couldn’t remember when we met.  And others have said similar things.  Perhaps my staying away from things and people which might anger me has not been a good thing.  As I left church this morning I saw the large banner picture of Jesus on the wall, with the words:  Finding Jesus among us; Seeing the face of Jesus in everyone. I guess that banner also says something more basic:  as long as we are alive in this world, we are changing the lives of people we come in contact with, or they are changing ours --- often in ways we don’t understand, but Jesus does.  In he Gospel at mass Jesus touched the leper, and healed him, exteriorly and internally.  Jesus restored him to the community.

I’ve written of people I influenced, but I had other thoughts this morning.  I recalled long forgotten memories of a friend who changed MY life.  I recalled our late nights at the jazz clubs, and the listening to special entertainers.  Once, (after after listening to Soupy Sales??) we went for a quiet summer’s walk, and as we passed a display window saw a nice rain slicker/coat, and she insisted on buying it for me.  I wore that coat again last week, and even then recalled events of that night.

Things and people I will never forget, but for people to remember us and the love of God we exhibit, we have to go out and meet them, especially the poor, the lonely, the forgotten.

Mother Teresa: Love: A Fruit Always in Season

 

The above titled book had great words to me this week, so I will place excerpts here, to remember in other weeks.

“No Matter What Religion, What Matters is That We Love
               Some call Him Ishwar, some call Him Allah, some simply God, but we all have to acknowledge that it is He who made us for greater things, to love and be loved.  What matters is that we love.  We cannot love without prayer, and so whatever religion we are, we must pray together.

It is so beautiful that we complete each other.  What we are doing in the slums, maybe you cannot do.  What you are doing in the level you are called, family, college, work, we cannot do.  But you and we together are doing something beautiful for God.

My religion is everything for me, but for every individual according to the grace God has given that soul.  We must not condemn or judge or pass words that will hurt people.

All People are The Same
Looks, education, or position vary, but they are all the same.  They are people to be loved.  The people you see on the streets of India or Hong Kong are hungry in body, but the people in London or New York have also a hunger which must be satisfied.  Every person needs to be loved.

What Mother Teresa said in an interview in China about communism hit the front page of all Chinese newspapers:  “Mother Teresa says a communist is a child of God, my brother, my sister.”

We have absolutely no difficulty working in countries of many faiths, like India.  We treat all people as children of God.  They are our brothers and sisters.  We show great respect for them.  Our work is to encourage these Christians and non-Christians to do works of love.”

I don’t usually limit my blog posting to excerpts of books, but this book, this week of Pentecost --- and of Memorial Day --- are times I reflect on love, love lived out.  In this old book I have on my coffee table for occasional reads, I read her comments this week, and it summarizes my readings and thoughts from the bible and in church when alone with God.  We just need to do works of love; it is how He came and showed us to live.  Just love our neighbor.  All creatures of God, they are our family. 

I want to remember that, when I hear stories of people’s differences and wars.  It’s not something for me to be irritated in any way about, but only to pray about, praying with trust, and love.

The New Evangelization

Only this I want,
But to know the Lord,
And to bear His cross,
So to wear the crown He wore.

Those words of this morning’s hymn echoed in my heart.  Later, as the mass ended, adoration began.  I looked up at the large monstrance and host which now had been placed on the altar, and even as that hymn played on in my heart I felt: “I will be with you always, even to the end of time.”  Those words often come to me while in adoration.  He is here for me; the God of the universe waits for me.  I so want to know Him more.

Today on the radio the host and guest were discussing the history of the term “The New Evangelization,” and said how at Baptism we are all called to evangelize our faith.  “Be a witness,” they said, “not a preacher.”

In recent days I lived examples of witness of my faith, but it was not something I set out to do, to “go and evangelize.”  No, one way I found myself witnessing was when I responded in a positive way to someone asking me for help.  So, recently a friend asked me to find her a good priest, because “I have a question,” and I did.  Another time a young girl in the adoration chapel stared at my old prayer book, and I offered it to her.  And yesterday my parish pastor was on a Catholic radio fundraising program, and when donations were sparse, he made a significant donation, which triggered my heart (and perhaps pride) to call in to double his donation.  I felt these three occasions were requests for my help, and by answering them I was evangelizing, living out the love my faith calls for.

But not all evangelizing/witnessing is asked for.  Recently, I voluntarily changed my plans when: I perceived someone else’s need, and when I helped my Bible Study group, and then when casually walking into church next to someone who asked: “how are you doing?” --- and I cut my answer short to ask her the same, and found out how desperately she needed prayer.  By my being aware of others’ needs and responding in a loving way, I was evangelizing, without being asked.  Evangelizing, witnessing in a loving way, is when you stop putting yourself first, and love your neighbor, whether they ask for it or not.

And then there is a witnessing to God, who we are also called to love.  On Divine Mercy Sunday a local church was having a 3PM Holy Hour.  I went to that church’s adoration chapel to pray before the Holy Hour, intending to follow the priest when he moves the monstrance and host into the church, and there join my friends in worship.  Only for some reason that monstrance and host were not moved to the church, and at the 3 o’clock hour I found myself alone in the chapel, with Jesus.  I recalled “I will be with you always,” and began to pray aloud, and talking to Jesus.  No one else came in, and I prayed a rosary prayer and then, as I said the final Amen, I heard the chapel door open, so I went quiet.  Looking at my watch, it was 4PM.  Jesus was there waiting for me in the chapel that afternoon, and my witness was to Him: “I will not leave You alone.”

Whether asked to help, or “nudged” to help, these were acts of Christian love I lived out.  That is “a new evangelization.”  I preached nothing with words.

 

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In the last couple of days, I have experienced some unusual electronic problems.  As I was turning off my WIFI device, the screen froze, and I could do absolutely nothing, not even turn the device off.  I ended up pulling out the battery, then re-inserting it, and the problem stopped.  Similarly, I was trying to access the text messages on my phone when it froze up.  Again, nothing worked, no matter what I tried, including turning the phone off.  So, I pulled the battery out of that device also, and then put it back in, and things were back to normal.  Nothing like that has ever happened before, to either of those devices.  Reflecting on the events, perhaps what I experienced was kind of a parable of the new evangelization:  the old way doesn’t work anymore. You need to start again.  Evangelize with loving actions, and perhaps the culture will respond as the Roman historian did when seeing the early Christians so long ago:  “see how they love one another.”