An Attitude of Gratitude

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Charles Schulz

          "What kind of Thanksgiving dinner is this? Where’s the turkey, Chuck? Don’t you know anything about Thanksgiving dinners? Where’s the mashed potatoes? Where’s the cranberry sauce? Where’s the pumpkin pie?”[1] With those harsh words, Peppermint Patty berated poor Charlie Brown for failing to deliver the kind of Thanksgiving dinner she thought she deserved. It sounds like Peppermint Patty lacks an attitude of gratitude – just like nine out of the ten lepers in this evening’s Gospel passage.

          In tonight’s reading, Jesus cures ten lepers who begged for his mercy. It seems surprising, then, that only one would return to praise God and thank Jesus when he realized that he’d been cured. In Jesus’ time, leprosy was one of the worst diseases you could get. Lepers were outcasts, forbidden by law to approach anyone; and there was no known cure for leprosy. Lepers had no hope of rejoining their family and friends, other than a distant hope in the coming of the Messiah. So when the Messiah actually shows up and heals them, you’d think all ten of them would've at least shown a little gratitude. But maybe even more surprising to our sense of justice, is the fact that the one grateful leper got no more than the others did. Or did he? To answer that question, we have to understand what gratitude is all about.

          According to Dictionary.com, gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation, as for gifts or favors. But gratitude is deeper than that. Gratitude is an awareness and an appreciation that we are loved. “The grateful person reveals a humility of spirit and sensitivity to love expressed by others.”[2] Through gratitude, we acknowledge that we need God’s love and the love of others; and through gratitude, we accept the love that accompanies the acts of kindness we receive.

          Ingratitude, on the other hand, “reveals self-centeredness or the attitude that I deserve more than I ever get.”[3] Let’s face it, sometimes we get so caught up in our good fortune that we fail to see where that good fortune comes from – like the nine lepers. At other times, we get so caught up in what we don’t have that we fail to appreciate the wonderful things we do have – like Peppermint Patty. And when we’re ungrateful, we’re unable to accept the love that has been given to us. And without love, good grief, we’re in a pretty sad place.

          So when we sink to this level of unhappiness, we need an attitude adjustment – we need an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude opens the door to a new way of living. “Academics have long theorized that expressions of thanks promote health and happiness and give optimism and energy to the downtrodden.”[4] I love when academia finally catches up with what the Bible has taught us for millennia. Why do they think we designated a holiday for the sole purpose of giving thanks? It’s good for us. But the trick is, we have to show gratitude more than just one day a year.

          Through the eyes of gratitude, we see life, health, friends and family as gifts, as “an overwhelming grace to be treasured and guarded.”[5] Through the spirit of gratitude, we acknowledge that all good things come from God, and that we need God to survive. Through the heart of gratitude we accept that God sustains us not because he needs us, but because he loves us.

          You know, that one grateful leper did receive something more than the others received – through his gratitude, he received a life-giving relationship with God through Jesus Christ. An attitude of gratitude secures us in a loving relationship with God and with each other. I’d have to be a blockhead to miss out on that. 

Reading:  Luke 17: 11-19
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[1] Charles M. Schulz, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, 1973.

[2] R. Alan Culpepper, “The Gospel of Luke,” New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. IX (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1995) at 327.

[3] Id.

[4] Matt Sedensky, “Giving Thanks,” The Associated Press (November 24, 2009).

[5] Culpepper at 327.

I Thank You

+ For a life that brings me such great joy, even out of sorrow and tragedy.

+ For the stars and the moon that grace the night sky, and for the sunrise and sunset that make the sky burst with color.

+ For the miracle of creation that sustains me, and never ceases to amaze me.

+ For a wife who’s just sane enough to keep our life under control, but just crazy enough to keep it interesting.

+For two perfect little girls who go out of their way to let me know they love me, and who laugh at my stupid jokes (sometimes).

+For parents who raised me right, and for a brother and two sisters who together with me had a lot of fun trying not to be raised right.

+For my mother’s meatloaf, and my wife’s brisket.

+For friends who make me laugh, and neighbors who make me apple cake.

+ For men and women who risk their lives to protect me and my family, and for all who have died for our freedom.

+ For a Church with wonderful traditions and ancient rituals, and for chubby, squealing babies who remind us that our Church is alive and has a future.

+ For priests and deacons who show me the way to God, and for parishioners who show me the face of God.

+ For the gift of prayer, where I meet you in my heart.

For all of these things, and many, many more, my Dear God, I thank you.

What are you thankful for?

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Last week I had the privilege of visiting the 5^th Grade Religion classes at Immaculate Conception School for a Question & Answer session.  I was really impressed with the breadth and depth of the questions the kids asked me and how spiritual and thoughtful they are.  At 11 years old, they’re already yearning for a clearer understanding of our God and his ways, asking many of the same questions we ask as adults.  I’d like to share some of their questions with you:

+ If Jesus was Jewish, why aren't we?

+ Is heaven different for each person or the same for everyone?

+ How long does it take to get to heaven after we die?

+ How many miracles did Jesus perform?

+ Do animals go to heaven?

+ If being a Christian was illegal in the Roman times, why is it legal now?

+ Where is heaven? Where is hell?

+ When Jesus died, why did he descend into hell?

+ Are stories like Heaven is for Real real?

+ Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?

Pretty good questions, huh?  How would you answer?

Loving Presence - A Blessing for my Great Aunt Louise's 100th Birthday

          When I was studying to be a Deacon, we were taught that one of the most important ministries we would ever perform is the “ministry of presence” – simply being there for people.  Well, as I was preparing this blessing, I realized that what I appreciate the most about you, Aunt Louise, is your powerful ministry of presence in our lives.

 

Let’s just think about it for a minute, for many of us here, Aunt Louise has been present for our entire life, and for some of you, that’s a really long time!  But Aunt Louise, you haven’t simply been present in our lives; you've been lovingly present in our lives.  You’ve been lovingly present in our triumphs and in our failures; you've been lovingly present in our sickness and our good health; and you've been lovingly present in our mourning and in our rejoicing.  What a tremendous gift your loving presence is to us.

So I offer you God’s blessing in honor of your 100^th Birthday, and I thank him always for your loving presence in my life.

Let us pray:

God of all creation,

we offer you grateful praise for your many gifts.

We thank you especially today for Louise, your servant,

as we celebrate her 100^th birthday and rejoice in your gifts of life and love, family and friends.

Bless her with your presence, as she has been lovingly present to us throughout our lives; and surround her with your love that she may enjoy many more happy years, all of them pleasing to you.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen

May the Lord bless you and keep you;

May the Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

May the Lord look upon you with kindness and give you peace.

And may almighty God bless you all,

            The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen

Loving the Lord - Homily for Holy Hour in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines, November 14, 2013

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said
"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still, and said "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men."
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.[1]

This beautiful poem, by James Henry Leigh Hunt, makes a connection between loving God and loving our fellow men, which is exactly what Jesus teaches us in tonight’s Gospel.

          Our Gospel passage this evening is known informally as the rehabilitation of Peter.  We remember that Peter denied Jesus three times before the crucifixion.  But now Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to redeem himself by professing his love for Jesus three times.  But something more is going on here.  After each profession of love, Jesus gives Peter a mission:  “Feed my lambs; tend my sheep; feed my sheep.”  Jesus makes clear that “Peter’s love of Jesus will be evidenced when he cares for Jesus’ sheep.”[2]

          Love of God and love of our neighbor is our mission as Christians.  But this Gospel passage links the two together.  Jesus and Leigh Hunt’s poem remind us that simply saying that we love God isn’t necessarily enough.  Our words of love for Jesus have to be matched with lives of love for each other.[3]   And there’s no shortage of opportunity to love God by loving our neighbor.

 

          One such opportunity brings us together tonight.  We come together this evening before the Blessed Sacrament to pray in solidarity with the people of the Philippines who have suffered from the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda.  What a powerful expression of love for Jesus’ sheep.  Through the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, we unite ourselves with Jesus, and we unite ourselves with all people.  That’s the purpose of the Eucharist and the meaning of communion.  By spending time with the Bread of Life, dedicating our prayers to the people of the Philippines, we’re spending time with them, feeding them, tending to them, loving them. 

Over the next several months we’ll be asked to contribute money, clothing, food and personal items to help the people of the Philippines - these are all wonderful and important acts of love.  But not everyone can afford to do these things.  But we all can unite ourselves with the people of the Philippines through Jesus in prayer and communion.  We all can love them and thereby count our names among those whom love of God has blessed.

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[1] James Henry Leigh Hunt, “Abou Ben Adhem,” 1838.

[2] “The Gospel of John,” The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. IX (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1995) at 864.

[3] Id.

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us.  What we have done for others and the world is and remains immortal."  Albert Pine

Blessings on all of our Veterans.  Thank you for your service.

Love’s True Form: Homily for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 10, 2013

By day one way,

By night another.

This shall be the norm,

Until you find true love’s first kiss,

And then take love’s true form.

          Under this spell, Princess Fiona from Shrek The Musical, passed her days as a beautiful princess and her nights as an ugly ogre, locked in a tower, waiting for her one true love to rescue her.  Fiona knew exactly how she’d be saved – she believed the storybooks she’d read by candlelight:  A princess is rescued by a handsome, brave knight, he slays the dragon, he takes her hand on bended knee, bended knee, BENDED KNEE, and then they share true love’s first kiss.”  Well, the story doesn't quite play out the way Fiona expects it to, and her strict adherence to the Fairytale happy ending she’d read about so many times nearly makes her miss her one true love.  It sounds like Princess Fiona has been spending too much time with the Sadducees from today’s Gospel reading.

          In today’s Gospel, Jesus is challenged by a group of Sadducees about the resurrection.  The Sadducees of Jesus’ time were a conservative religious group who only believed in the authority of the Torah.  In other words, they only believed what they read in books, like Princess Fiona.  So they refused to believe in the resurrection of the dead because they couldn't find it in the Hebrew Scriptures.  “They were so caught up in their rendition of reality that they could not conceive the possibility of something else.”[1]  But Jesus proves them wrong, explaining that “rising to life . . . is about the children of God believing in the living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  In this God who created us, we are all alive.”[2]

 

          So what is resurrection?  Well, I think the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it rather nicely:  The resurrection of the dead is “the raising of the righteous, who will live forever with the risen Christ.”[3]  This means that resurrection is not resuscitation; resurrection is not reincarnation.  Resurrection is a whole new way of living.  “The resurrected life goes beyond the dimensions of earthly existence.”[4]  Now that sounds pretty cool, but what’s this new life like?  Some of us may have pretty creative ideas about what our resurrected lives will look like:  heavenly choirs; naked angel babies floating around on fluffy, white clouds playing harps.  And for me, a chocolate fountain on every corner.  But our Gospel tells us that resurrection is so much more than that – so much more than we can even imagine.  “When we resurrect into our new life, our relationship with God will be transformed.  We will love God passionately.  We will experience his unconditional love enthusiastically.  We will love and admire his entire creation unreservedly.  Our joy will be overflowing, and nothing will be able to take our joy away.”[5]  In other words, in the resurrection, we will find true love, and we will take love’s true form.

 

          This is what we believe as Christians.  And for our Confirmation candidates who are making their commitment this morning, this is what you’re signing up for.  This is what we've all signed up for.  So please remember that like so many of God’s gifts, resurrection isn't just relegated to eternity.  Resurrection should be experienced here and now.[6]  Don’t be like the Sadducees or Princess Fiona.  Don’t get so caught up in your own version of reality that you miss out on true love.  Believe in the resurrection, and take love’s true form.

Believing in the resurrection is life-changing; it’s empowering.  It transforms us.  “Resurrection makes it possible to live in hope and trust in the future.”[7]  We experience so many hardships in this life – sickness, death, broken relationships, and apparently for ogres, extreme body odor, flatulence and flaming heinies.  But believing in the resurrection brings with it the sure knowledge that we’re loved by God and carried by God through it all.  Believing in the resurrection lets us see that we live in “a big, bright, beautiful world with possibilities everywhere.”  Believing in the resurrection assures us of a perfect, happy ending.

    

          Princess Fiona gets her happy ending.  If you want to know how, you’ll have to come see the production of Shrek The Musical at 2:00 pm this afternoon in the Immaculate Conception School Multipurpose Room.  I will tell you, though, Fiona’s happy ending didn't turn out the way she expected it to.  But she does find her one true love, and she takes loves true form.  And if you’re a believer in the resurrection, like “I’m a believer,” we will too.

Readings:  2 Maccabees 7: 1-2, 9-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-35; Luke 20: 27-38

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[1] John Shea, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers, Luke, Year C (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2006) at 311.

[2] Mary A. Ehle and Margaret Nutting Ralph, Workbook for Lectors, Gospel Readers, and Proclaimers of the Word: 2013 Year C (Chicago, Liturgy Training Publications, 2012) at 288.

[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, Glossary.

[4] Michael F. Patella, “The Gospel According to Luke,” New Collegeville Bible Commentary, Daniel Durkin, ed. (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2009) at 293.

[5] Keith E. Grabner, C.S.C., Living Faith (June 3, 2009).

[6] Patricia Datchuk Sánchez, “Experiencing Resurrection,” National Catholic Reporter, vol. 50, no. 1 (October 25-November 7, 2013) at 28.

[7] Id.

Who is God? Part III

                Now that I've given you sufficient time to absorb the second installment of my presentation on God (follow these links for Part I and Part II), I thought I’d close out this trilogy on God with an explanation of the implications of believing in God.

                Believing in God, as I've described God in the previous postings, is an exercise in humility.  If we accept that God created all things, then we believe “that all realities exist in and through God.”[1]  Said another way, nothing exists apart from God.  That means that everything we have and everything we need comes from God.  We’re completely dependent on God for our existence and for our survival.   “Without the Creator, the creature vanishes.”[2]  This reality may be tough to swallow for the proud, independent, self-sufficient bunch that we are these days.  It’s downright humbling.  But it’s not denigrating in any way because of one simple word that is synonymous with God – love.

                It’s true that God needs nothing from us; God would be complete and completely happy with or without us.  But God is love, and love is dynamic, not static.  Love has to move; it has to be shared.  And God’s perfect love is love in infinite abundance.  So God creates as an act of love, as an opportunity to love in infinite abundance.  God loves mice and mosquitoes.  God loves dogs and dinosaurs.  God even loves broccoli and Brussels sprouts.  But most importantly, God loves us.  God loves us so much that he created us in his image and likeness.  (Genesis 1: 26-27)  God loves us so much that he gave his only son that we may have eternal life.  (John 3:16)  Feel better?  You should, because there’s nothing more we could ask for than to be infinitely and eternally loved.

                Believing in God comes with responsibilities too.  Our total dependence on a God who loves us obliges us to love God in return.  It's the least we can do!  Loving God means thanking God for his many gifts and taking the time to worship him.  Loving God means making good use of creation, respecting our universe and showing proper stewardship over the animals, plants and the environment entrusted to our care.  Loving God especially means that we must love each other.  All people share a unity and dignity because we are made in the image of God.  From paupers to princes, our human dignity is bestowed on us by God, and it can never be taken away or diminished by anyone.  We must treat each other accordingly.  Loving God also means trusting God in every circumstance:  trusting that God keeps his promises; trusting that, through all of the pain and suffering that this life may bring, we will live in peace and happiness with God forever; and trusting that God’s love never fails.  (1 Corinthians 13: 8)

     

                That’s the price we pay for believing in God, but the rewards are out of this world:  "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."  (1 Corinthians 2:9)

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[1] Fr. Robert Barron, Thomas Aquinas, Spiritual Master (New York, Crossroads Publishing Company, 2008) at 80-81.

[2] Catechism of the Catholic Church 49.