Could You Do It?

 

  John watched his daughter, Kendra, sitting at the kitchen table, staring at her homework assignment. John asked his daughter, "So, is this an assignment on staring, or does your teacher expect you to write something?"

 "Hilarious, Dad." Kendra let out a big sigh before answering. "I'm supposed to write a paper on how to obtain world peace. But I have no idea how that could ever happen. There is conflict everywhere. I want to write that I think world peace is a myth. It is unattainable. People talk about world peace to have hope for a future that will never exist. But I'm sure I would flunk the assignment if I wrote that."

 "I agree with you on that. That you would flunk the assignment, that is. But, hey, I know a famous historical figure that would disagree with you. I'll be right back. " Five minutes later, Tom returned with a book in hand.

 "Seriously, Dad, the Bible? I go to public school, remember?"

 "Just hear me out. Read this line right here." John set the Bible on the table while holding his finger on Mark 10:34.

 Kendra began reading, "But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves in the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and servant to all." So what am I supposed to do with that, Dad?

 "You said you had no idea how peace could come to this world. Jesus gave us the answer some two thousand years ago. We have to care more about others than ourselves. He said we had to be servants to all, not just to whatever group we feel affiliated with."

 "So you want me to suggest that society has to become more humble and caring before we will know peace? Do you have any idea of how social media works? No one is following the humble, do-gooder. No political leader is going to rule because their greatest attribute is humility. You really don't get this at all, Dad."

 "I didn't say I had all the answers. You said it yourself there is conflict everywhere. The conflict must be answered on a personal level first before it can spread worldwide. Are you strong enough to put the needs of others before your own? It takes work to do that. But I like to imagine a world like this. It sounds very peaceful to me. It's worth considering."

 "It's definitely not the answer I was looking for, but it may be something to consider."

-Susan

 

That's Not My Problem

 Kristy and Don pulled into their favorite breakfast place after Mass. The restaurant was unusually crowded today. They waited a little longer to get seated, and once they ordered, they were informed the kitchen needed to catch up on orders. Polite as always, Kristie smiled at the waitress and told her that would be okay. After that, Kristy and Don had no problem filling the time talking about their kids, jobs, and upcoming events. After a while, there was a lull in the conversation. Kristy found herself thinking about the priest's homily. "What did you think of Father Tom's homily today?"

 "It was pretty good," Don replied. "Except I just don't know why having a good faith life is not enough. Why do you have to go out and tell everyone about it? That just makes me uncomfortable."

 "I understand what you're saying, but Jesus did ask us to go out and make disciples of all nations. A good disciple wants to share the good news of Jesus with others. Aren't you glad someone shared their faith with you? It didn't just happen on its own."

 Don made a face. "Well, parents should share their faith with their kids, and we've done that. I don't think it's up to me to tell everyone to go to church."

 Kristy took a sip of her coffee before she replied. "So what if your parents hadn't shared the faith with you because their parents never shared the faith with them. How will these people ever learn how amazing God's love is?"

 Don shrugged and said, "That's not really my problem." 

 "I think God would disagree."

 "I'm not about to hand out flyers inviting people to come to Mass. It's not my place to judge them."

 "I think you're looking at this wrong. Sharing your faith is different than telling people they should have faith. I find little ways to let people know my faith is important. You would be surprised how many conversations have begun because people notice my cross necklace at work. When people tell me about a problem, I give advice if I can, but I always let them know that I will pray for them. Sometimes people are surprised when I mention that I am still praying for them months later. My coworkers know I prefer to eat lunch alone to pray the Rosary or listen to my podcasts. Those are just some little ways. I may not exactly be yelling. "Hey, go to church!" but people know my faith is important to me, and some have even come up to me when they have questions."

 Don thoughtfully looked at his wife. She obviously had a better handle on this than he did. "Hmm, I see what you're saying. I'm not really sure how that would work for me. I'll have to think about it."

 Kristy smiled and added, "Oh, I think our waitress is coming with our food."

-Susan

Praying For Better News

  

 Abbey grabbed an apple and sat down at the kitchen island. Her mom was busy making dinner while the 5:00 news played in the background. Abbey bit into her apple, listening to the news reporter describing a downtown crime scene. After listening to the report, Abbey put down her apple, unable to finish eating the fruit. The story had disgusted her and robbed her appetite. “ Why do you watch this stuff, Mom?”

 Her mom turned around, “ Why do I watch the news? So I can stay informed.”

“Well, it’s just one depressing story after another. What’s wrong with these people? Who could ever do that?”

 “I agree, that is a horrible story. I wish things like that didn’t occur in our world. After watching the news, I always feel like so many people need prayers.”

 “Ya, Mom, you should pray for that poor girl.”

 “ Well, you should pray for her, too. And pray for the person who did that to her.”

 “What? I’m not praying for them. They don’t deserve any prays. I’ll pray for that girl, but I can’t believe you would want me to pray for them,” declared Abbey.

 Abby’s mom stopped sautéing the vegetables and thought for a minute. “Abby, you’re right. A good person would pray for that girl. But a good disciple would pray for her attacker, too.”

 “Why? Why would I do that?”

 “Because that’s what Jesus asks us to do. He said to pray for your enemies and those who hurt you.”

  “Well, that’s ridiculous. The thought of it makes me sick.”

 “I know, I get it. It doesn’t seem to make sense. I find it hard to do that, too, but it’s what Jesus has asked us to do. We have to pray for the one who has been hurt and the one who did the hurting.”

 “Why would God want to help people who are evil?”

  “Maybe the only way they will ever change their ways is with God’s grace. I’m not saying I condone what they have done; I think they should be held accountable for their crimes. The world improves when good people turn to God, but wouldn’t you like to live in a world where immoral people turn to God, too? I think that’s the only way to stop more evil from occurring. You know what I mean?” asked mom. 

 Abbey made a face while shaking her head back and forth, “I don’t know, I’ll think about it.”

-Susan

 

Spending Time With Those You Love

 

 Mark jumped in the car and picked dinner before heading to his grandma's house. He pulled out the key to his grandma's house as he walked up the steps. Just before unlocking the door, he called his grandma on the phone. "Hi grandma, it's me, Mark. I picked up dinner for us. I will let myself in, so stay on the couch."

 "Oh, thank, Mark. That was so sweet of you."

 Mark was inside and unpacking dinner on the kitchen table two minutes later. "That smells really good!" said grandma as she emerged from the family room.

 "Your favorite, French Onion soup in a soup bowl. I got Mac & Cheese. How are you feeling today?"

 "Much better today. The doctor switched my medications, and it's working this time. I feel bad I missed Mass yesterday."

 "Grandma, you were sick. God doesn't expect you to go when you're sick."

 "I know, but I miss being at Mass. I watched it on tv, but I prefer to be there in person. You know what I mean?" Mark shoveled another forkful of Mac & Cheese into his mouth instead of answering. "So tell me what your priest said in the homily."

 Mark knew better than to tell his grandma a story. "I didn't really get a chance to go to Mass this week," Mark said aloud and inwardly said, "nor the last six months."

 "Oh, really?" Granda asked, "What were you doing? Did you have to work all weekend?"

 "No. I didn't have to work this weekend. I just worked all week long, and I needed a break."

 "What kind of work do you do that makes you feel like you need a break from God? If you ask me, it sounds like you need a new job."

 "I didn't mean it like that. My job is fine. I need time to unwind and get caught up on things."

 Grandma slowly took a few spoonfuls of her soup while considering her response. "I never felt like giving the Lord one hour a week was too much."

 "Grandma, things are just different these days. Hardly any of my friends go to church anymore. I can still be a good person and not go to church. I still pray all the time."

 "I'm glad you are still praying, but being a good person is not the same as being a good disciple. Mark going to Mass is really important."

 "Grandma, I know it's important to you, but I just don't really get anything out of it."

 "I have never understood when people say that. What could be more precious than reaching the Body of Christ? What about all the graces the Lord blesses you with. That alone is more than any of us deserve. So let me ask you something, Mark. When you come here to visit me, do you do it to get something from me?"

 "Of course not, Grandma. I like being with you."

 "What about your parents? Do you get something out of every conversation with them? I know I don't. Sometimes we talk about ordinary stuff, but I still like being with them. Do you see what I'm getting at Mark? We spend time with the people we love because we like being with them. We like being near them. We definitely have had some great times together, but lots of times, we don't really do anything special. But my life is better because I have kept the people I love and the relationships I value close to me. Sometimes, I feel my heart soaring when I go to Mass, but many times I don't. Sometimes the priest's homily is exactly what I need to hear, but sometimes it barely holds my interest. But it doesn't matter if I think the priest is interesting or if the music is inspiring, you know what matters?"

 "What?"

 "What matters is my attitude. I go to Mass because I want to praise and thank God. I want to be near Him. I love Him. I'm not there to be entertained or to obtain some spiritual high. I go to Mass to give, not to get. I know life can be busy, but you should never be too busy for those you love. Trust me, Mark, being too busy for God is a bad move. I hope missing Mass doesn't become a habit for you. That would make me really sad."

 "Grandma, please, don't put me on a guilt trip."

 "Oh, that wasn't a guilt trip. I mean, I will probably be praying on my knees for an extra hour for you every day for your mind to be open to God no matter how much my arthritis hurts me," Granda said with a smile.

 Mark started laughing, "Ok, ok, you win. Spare your knees. I promise next week I'll get to Mass. Will that make you happy?"

 "Yes, it would," Granda said, laughing. "Now, let me eat this soup before it gets too cold."

-Susan

A New Season To Love

   

  It's hard to believe, but there are only a few more days until the new season starts. Are you ready? Lent often has a way of sneaking up on us. Sometimes we are caught off guard. But that is the whole purpose of Lent-to deepen our faith and love, so we are not caught off guard one day. No one knows when that "one day" will come for them. Jesus tells us to stay alert and be ready.

 This Lent is a new season. Don't just replay what you did last year. Instead, try to gain some unique insight. Ask yourself what gets in the way of your being a better disciple? Remember being a good person is not the same as being a good disciple. Why not? The answer to that question is worth mulling over. Pray about it and see where the Holy Spirit leads you. 

-Susan  

Smile!

 

My four-year-old granddaughter was looking at my cell phone when she asked, "Can I take some pictures?"

 "What do you want to take a picture of?" I asked.

She looked around the room, "I want to take a picture of Jesus."

 I smiled. "Of course, you can." (Like, I'm going to say no to that request.) She then proceeded to do a photoshoot of my picture of Jesus. I could hear her hitting my camera button repeatedly. "I think you got Him!" I suggested. "Let's see how you did." My granddaughter was all smiles as she showed me her pictures.

 "Should we send a picture to my Mom?" she asked.

 "Yes! Let's put it on Snapchat! (our family group chat). I posted the picture with the caption, "Isabella wants to tell you all that Jesus loves you!" I looked at Isabella and said, "Do you know what you are being right now?"

 "What?" she asked.

 "You are being a fisher of men!"

 "I am? I'm a fisher of men just by taking a picture of Jesus?"

 "Yep! You wanted to share Jesus with others. That makes you a fisher of men! The more you tell others about Jesus, the happier He will be."

 I'm sharing this story because we often get intimidated by the word evangelization. We might think that it is something others do, or we don't know where to start. I want to suggest you follow Isabella's lead this week. Send someone a picture of Jesus and remind them that Jesus loves them. You will instantly make someone smile. Evangelization doesn't have to be complicated. Keep it simple. We all know the little things in life make our day.

-Susan  

Getting Back On Track

 

 I've spent the last couple of weeks a bit under the weather. Nothing serious. I've just been battling a cold that won't go away. I, of course, recognized the early symptoms but failed to realize what it would cost me- sleepless nights, lack of energy, headaches, and a "To-do" list left undone. It's easy to recognize when the body isn't doing well. This got me thinking...how easily do we realize when our spiritual life has caught a cold?

 Does a spiritual cold happen because we catch someone else's bad attitude? Is self-indulgence easy to pick up? Do distractions break down our spiritual cells? If our prayer life is dry, how do we hydrate it? What doesn't happen on our spiritual to-do list when our attitudes are cold?

 This week ask yourself how you are feeling spiritually. We have a few weeks before Lent begins. This is an excellent time to see what we should do to get back on track. Keep your soul healthy. You know what they say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

-Susan