Can I Make a Difference?

The modestly-dressed grey-haired woman sat in the pew two rows in front of me, as she did most mornings before mass.  This day, however, she stood up and walked back to me.  “Hello.  My name is Naomi , and I will not be here next week.  Would you please pray for the safety of my travels, and the safety of my mother whom I care for?”  I replied, “Of course,” but then felt a compulsion to ask: “Where are you traveling to?”  “To Africa,” she replied.  “I am going to visit the children I care for there, through the little charity that God asked me to start a couple of years ago.”  And she wrote down the website of the charity for me, so I could read more about it.  And then mass began.

Later, looking at the website, I read how this simple woman --- like any of us, really --- felt called by God to love his children in need in Africa.  And (somewhat like me, I confess) she felt she that she had to verify that need herself: she had to see it, and so she traveled to Africa.  As a result of that first trip she has gone on to help many individuals, including recently a little boy needing surgery to remove a huge tumor on his neck.  She convinced the University of Michigan hospital to donate the surgery, and so she brought him here, found him shelter while he recovered, and is taking him back to his mother.  Neither she nor any of the few others who help her take any salary or cost re-imbursements; they donate their time and money for any administrative or travel costs.  They raise a relatively small amount of money each year, and then ensure it is used to help those in need, that it is put to the most good use --- in Africa.

Naomi had no brochures or business cards to pass out promoting her charity, just her simple website.  I have seen her come to church each morning for years now, and never knew her.  I support many charities, some of which are very far away and remote from me, while here my parish neighbor was working and praying and could really use my help in helping others --- and she was sitting right in front of me.

I’ll drop my monthly support for one of those remote worldwide charities in favor of the one run by this little woman who I see at daily mass.  I WILL love my neighbor, as I am called to do.

This is Naomi’s charity website:   http://childrenwaitingeverywhere.org/

People often ask me what charities I routinely support.  There are many local ones I support with periodic donations, but if you are interested, these are the ones I feel worthwhile enough to support monthly:

 http://www.maggiesplace.org/

http://franciscanfriars.com/

http://fundforvocations.org/

http://asimplehouse.org/

https://avemariaradio.net/

http://www.lingapcenter.org/

http://www.guadalupepartners.org/

https://unlesssomeoneguidesme.wordpress.com/

All of these charities have one thing in common:  they were started by a single individual (who I know) who thought he/she heard God’s call, and answered --- and through them He has done marvelous deeds (well, in one case it is just a guy starting out; but I expect he will accomplish marvelous deeds).  And through these people many thousands of God’s children have been and are beingloved.  No one in any of these charities makes big salaries; most work very long hours, and they love and are loved.

Who do they help?  They help the unborn (whose lives were saved), unwed mothers, the poor, people who are searching for God, orphans, students on a college campus, people in despair, and people who would like to dedicate their lives to God by entering religious life, but they couldn’t --- but now they can. 

And who are these miracle-workers who have started such wonderful charities?  Well, one was a college student whose boyfriend dumped her; another was an executive vice-president of a global corporation, another was an atheist, alcoholic drug abuser, another was a poor Franciscan friar, another is a recent college grad dissatisfied with the God-bashing college atmosphere, and yet another is a top grad of an Ivy-League college who was quickly earning a large six-figure salary --- and who gave it all up.  Who are they?  They’re young; they’re old; they’re rich; they’re poor; they’re married; they’re religious.  Some have families and work jobs, and some are dedicating their lives to their charity.

And of course, there’s Naomi, caring for her mom --- even as I did mine.

And I can’t forget the organization which I recently volunteered to become involved in, which is just a group of people making modest salaries, working long hours, and being loving people who care for lovable people.  This is their website:  http://www.cocliving.com/

Is God calling you to use your talents for His work?  Can you make a difference?  How many might you help; how many lives --- and souls --- might you save?  How many people are waiting to hug you?  None of these people whose charities I support felt especially religious or important --- or had any idea that God might have some plan for them.  A few DID ask: “Lord, what would you have me do?”  But most just one day found themselves in a strange situation: they saw someone who needed help, and then they began. 

God did the rest.  They are beautiful people, and I feel blessed to know them, and support their work in some small way.

Review: Finding True Happiness

The subtitle of this book, “Satisfying Our Restless Hearts” is a concise summary of how and why we find true happiness.  The dedication page says something similar in the words of Augustine: For Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.

This is the first in a series of four books aimed at “those who feel themselves to be at an impasse -- not knowing whether to take their faith seriously or to let it slip away.”  Spitzer intends to provide logical and scientific proofs for our yearnings:  for happiness, for meaning in life, and for a relationship with God.  These books are written to help all to deepen their faith.  He begins the series with this book on happiness, since it is the key to most major decisions made in our lives.

Spitzer points out that our desire for happiness is a natural yearning, but it is also a choice.  He identifies four levels of happiness, the first two (material and ego-comparative desires) are our self-seeking happiness desires: “I’ll make myself happy.”  The latter two higher levels of happiness (contributive-empathetic and transcendental-spiritual desires) are a form of reflective happiness: “I’ll find happiness in making others and God happy.”

The first third of this book is focused on explaining these levels of happiness, how they are achieved, and problems which are often encountered in achieving them --- one of the key being our inability to move beyond the second level of happiness because so much in our culture supports the supposition that we must focus on our own happiness, and not that of others.  To the degree that we DO focus on other’s happiness, it is often over our concerns about their “rights” to pursue their own happiness --- and no one better get in the way of anyone’s rights.  Spitzer, with supportive studies, shows how distorted is that perception of life’s priorities.

The latter two-thirds of this book is focused on how we measure and achieve that transcendental level of happiness: having a relationship with God.  This section starts with a chapter titled: “Is Level Three Enough?”  Spitzer makes it clear, just achieving level three of happiness is NOT enough.  But he also gives guidance on how someone wanting to grow in his friendship with God can do that.  He gives you actions, steps, and ways to measure your progress toward the book’s final chapter: “The Assurance of Eternal Life with God.”

And along the way, Spitzer is reminding you: “These are steps to even higher levels of happiness; you will be glad you took them.”  And I’m sure he’s right.

I liked this book, and the many scientific, philosophical, and theological studies he quotes and analyzes.  The next book in this series has even more references to studies, proving the points he raises.  

The Sin of the Lamb

The Gospel this morning (Luke 15) concerned the Good Shepherd, who on seeing one of His lambs missing, leaves the 99 and searches for the missing one, and rejoices over finding it: even as “there will be  … rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner.”  How many times had I heard that Gospel, and found comfort in recalling that God is always there for me; that He fiercely loves me, and He rejoices even as (in another parable) the father of the Prodigal Son did upon his return.

But then, this morning, I thought about and saw a difference between those two parables:  the Prodigal Son chose to return and to ask forgiveness, but the lamb didn’t.  The Prodigal Son’s sin seems obvious, but what was the (innocent??) lamb’s sin?

It occurs to me that the Prodigal Son’s sin was very overt; he chose to reject and leave his father.  He may have realized it was a sin, but he chose to strike out and leave his father anyway.  He may have known how hurt his father would be --- and yet still he left.  I’d like to think that I know The Father and would never choose to leave Him, and am always trying not to disappoint Him.  In many ways I’d like to believe I am not at all like that Prodigal Son, and never will be ---- or at least not any more.  But what of that lamb:  Am I like him?

From one point of view I’d like to think the lamb was innocent, like a young babe in the woods, if you will.  It wouldn’t choose to sin (and neither would I, of course).  But elsewhere it was written about how the lamb knew the voice of the Shepherd, and came when He called --- but yet this lamb didn’t.

I perceive that the lamb in the story in Luke exhibits what we call concupiscence, a tendency to sin which came upon man as a result of the Fall of Adam.  Adam very deliberately chose sin, kind of like the Prodigal Son, and so he was cast out of the Garden of Eden, lost eternal life and further, he was given to concupiscence.  In effect God said to Adam: “Since you deliberately chose sin, I will now give you a ready openness to sin --- you wanted these things, these earthly things, so now you can readily have them, but if you really want Me and eternal life, in the future you will have to deliberately choose Me.  The choice will be yours.

And so we were left knowing the Good Shepherd, knowing His voice, His love for us, yet still having a tendency to wander away, kind of like the lamb.  Is it a sin, this tendency?  No, but it is a sin to act on it, to not choose the God who wants to love and care for us, to wander, thinking we can care for ourselves.

But is this really a serious sin, this naivety?  Certainly we’d like to think not, but if we’ve been exposed to the Shepherd’s voice and know it, the innocence of our wandering is gone.  Our choice to leave is no different than that made by the Prodigal Son.

But this sin seems so subtle, like our curiosity about things --- we almost can’t help it.  How do we avoid it?  I’m reminded of St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment of Spirits (I wrote about them in the past).  One of the rules talks about what we should do when we are in times of consolation --- when we know that God is with us and our actions --- kind of like when the lamb is in the presence of the Good Shepherd.  Then, when all is well, we need to spend some time thinking about what could go wrong:  what are our weaknesses; what temptations might we be prone to give in to: concupiscence temptations that easily appeal to us.  Then, Ignatius states, we should be developing defenses to fight these temptations when we first feel them.  (Perhaps like the lamb, looking for the Shepherd’s words or His face for confidence; these might be part of a long term plan.)

And then Ignatius had another rule:  what should we do when we realize we are given in to sin and are lost?  Ignatius rule:  Don’t change anything!  When you feel you are in the sway of an evil spirit, continue to do all you were doing; like the lamb was near the Shepherd, seeking His face or words.  For us, that might mean continuing to pray as before, and then trust that the Shepherd is looking for us --- and so don’t wander further astray.

I think that many of my sins these days are not deliberate, but that does not mean they do not exist.  It does mean, however, they are more subtle, more natural to me, like the lamb wandering off.  They are sins that arise without my even thinking or desiring them.

Like St. Paul, I know right from wrong and I choose right --- but sometimes still do wrong.  And sometimes I forget:  There are wolves out there! 

And so at times when we are tempted to “try something new,” it is wise to remember this parable of the lamb which wandered off to try someplace new, and ask ourselves: “Where is this temptation coming from?”   And as we go, are we listening for the Shepherd’s voice nearby?

A Lesson in Evangelization

The guys at the Friday morning Bible Study continued in John, Chapter 4.  Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, and then to the villagers who came to believe in Him.  And then He told His apostles that the fields were ripe for the harvest --- He had shown that to them, with the quick conversions of the woman and the villagers.

The Bible Study guys discussed how the woman, although not a Jew, had previously had some “seeds” sown in her life which led up to the harvest --- she knew of Jacob’s well, and of the coming of a Messiah and obviously had thought some on these matters; she was ripe for harvesting.  They guys then stumbled a bit in their conversation, talking about their attempts at evangelization – through preaching the Word --- in their families, workplaces, and even to people they just met.  “Starting a conversation about God is hard,” one said.  And after a bit I chirped in about our Catholic pope, Francis, and how he wrote a letter which mentioned the evils of capitalism and the importance of global warming.  “I didn’t agree with him,” I said --- and then suddenly a man a couple of tables over stood up in the restaurant:  “And what’s wrong with talking about global warming?” he asked loudly.  But I raised my hand to quiet him as I continued making my point: “But perhaps,” I said to the Bible Study guys, “the pope brought up capitalism and global warming to begin a conversation, kind of like Jesus began the conversation with the woman not by preaching at her but by asking her for a drink of water.  Perhaps the pope brought up global warming” --- (and a hand placed a business card on the table in front of me) --- “to start the conversation, and then perhaps ask ‘Why is that important?’ --- because of people, and then perhaps ‘Why they are important?’ and so the conversation could continue.”  They guys got the point and continued discussing it further --- while I went over to the “global warming” guy’s table.

His “business card” had noted some global warming websites, and contained pointed demands for action.  I didn’t get to say a word to him before he vehemently spoke to me about: “You Christians praying all the time but not doing anything about the most important matter in the world,” and then he told me how much he had studied the matter and mentioned his degree in geography (?) --- and so I interjected that I had one in physics.  “Well, so you should know better,” he said angrily.  I wanted to tell him about a website I liked which presented facts for and against global warming, but he picked up his things and left without another word!

Well, I thought, wasn’t that a great conversation.  And then I showed the other guys the global warming business card, and told them of my short “conversation” with the card’s author and his anger at Christians in general.  “Talk about an opportunity to begin a conversation,” I began, and they picked up the point and discussed it further.

And then as I sat down, it came to me:  I was in the process of explaining how Pope Francis was using a topic of common interest to begin a conversation --- but when the exact same situation (and topic) was offered to me, I couldn’t begin one.  My conversation with the global warming advocate began not with a “well, that’s interesting, tell me more,” but rather with a “well, I’ve got a degree in physics” --- (so there!).

Obviously, although I could repeat the lesson Jesus and the pope had given, I couldn’t DO it.  And that in itself was a lesson to me, a lesson in humility.  If we really want to begin a conversation with someone else to begin to evangelize them, the conversation cannot be about us or who we are or what we do.  To capture another’s attention, we need the conversation to be about them.    Our first witness in effective evangelization must be in humility.  It’s a lesson to remember.

                        - - - - - - - - - -

While I made note of the humility lesson on Friday morning, I think God has been emphasizing its importance to me of late.  Last night I had a dream wherein I was putting a new roof on a house with some people (one I perceived to be a nun?), and as we neared the end a woman showed me how she was going to drive a nail up through the eaves into the last roofing tile “to hold it in place.”  I told her how that wouldn’t work, because it would leave the nail point sticking up at the roof’s edge, an obvious hazard.  She looked at me strangely, not understanding.  So I showed her how the old roof was properly attached, but she still didn’t understand” “But we’re putting on a new roof, so we’ll do it differently,” she explained.  To me, it was obvious she not only didn’t know how to put on a roof, she also didn’t know how to pay attention, and I felt my blood begin to boil.  But I calmed myself, and then said “I think I’m going to bed,” and climbed the stairs to the bedroom.  And below I could hear the conversation: “I don’t know what happened to him; we still have so much work to do …”

And then I awoke with a start.  What was that about, I wondered?  And I perceived, because of my anger, that this was yet another example of me focusing a conversation on “my way” --- and my frustration that others couldn’t see the truth of what I say.  And as the day went on, I continued to mull over the dream, and what it might mean …. But then other thoughts came back to me.

I pray the Litany For Humility prayer each night, and a while back I noted that the prayer was also printed in The Better Part, the book of bible meditations I pray nightly.  Only this week I had gotten around to reading the prayer in that book, and I noted that it had added a line which was not included prayer card:      
                                    From the fear of being wronged, Lord Jesus free me;
                                    From the fear of being suspected, Lord Jesus free me;
                                    From resenting that my opinion is not followed , Lord Jesus free me.

And from the book Divine Intimacy’s readings on the Feast of All Saints (today) it spoke about the beatitudes and how “We all want to become saints,” but we must live the beatitudes, overcoming our self-love, to “the acceptance of difficult and repugnant things, such as quelling the resentments of self-love, renouncing an attempt to make our opinion prevail, submitting ourselves and meekly condescending to one who is opposed to us …”  And in the same book, it quotes St. John of the Cross (p.1015) noting that “to enter the night of the spirit… it is necessary to renounce not merely material things, but spiritual things as well .. renouncing one’s own will or the asserting of one’s personality.”  And he prays:  “Lord, when shall I abandon myself without reserve to Your divine will?”

And I also recalled the play, The Man of LaMancha, about the nobleman who gave up all his wealth and all his noble ways, to totally change his life “to that of a knight errant ….”  He had to totally give up everything, so that he could give up his self-love, his ego, to better love the other man.  And I wondered: Is that what it’ll take to change my heart?

The feast day today, celebrating all the varied saints (many of whom were also great sinners at one time), reminds us that we are all called to be saints; we all have a saintly purpose for our life.  And as they did, we CAN change our hearts, and the hearts of others, if we work on it, if we pray on it.    

I think of what a poor evangelist I am, who can’t even properly start a conversation; I’ve got a long way to go.  But then on the way home from church I heard these words on the radio:  “Evangelization is not accomplished in a moment; it’s a way of living, of focus on the other man.  Evangelization is a marathon, not a sprint.”

And the words gave me some peace.  We are all called to love someone into heaven, and love is the work of a lifetime.  And it is not just “to dream the impossible dream.”