June 10, 2018 - Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"But, We Don't Live in Paradise"

Audio Clip

Ok, so my mom's father worked for the Democratic party in Providence for years and those values remain very much alive in her today.  And, my brother is a proud member of the NRA and a strong proponent of the Second Amendment of our Constitution. So, when our family gets together, it's fair to say, I have lots of fun listening to their conversations --- and, yes, sometimes, I am guilty of stoking the fires a little bit to get things going.  

We live in a time of remarkable differences in opinion in virtually all aspects of life.  What is alarming to me is the presumption by some that their point of view is unequivocally correct.  The willingness to suspend this point of view for a moment, to consider that he or she may actually hold a mistaken belief or conclusion, is more and more considered an intrusion on one's identity, on one's value as a person.  A well-known Hollywood celebrity, who in his own right is presently searching for a God relationship, expressed it this way, "The arrogance of me to tell you that I know the answer and whatever answer you have is wrong, I think that's a human fault."  The solution for our times is the antithesis of pridefulness --- it's humility.    

While preparing for this reflection, I was hopeful that I could find an image which we could all grasp and which would provide a lasting image of what humility truly is.  And then, I found a beautiful short video entitled "Change Your Words, Change Your World", which I would like to describe to you. It may be helpful to close your eyes in order to best see these images.

Imagine a homeless man in weathered clothing, sitting on a rug, on a sidewalk, his legs are crossed.  He is blind, and has placed an empty tin can at his feet, and a cardboard sign with a message by his side.  People wander by him, only one in ten stops to drop a few coins in his can. Then, a woman walks past him, stops, and returns to stand in front of him.  The blind man, hearing her steps, reaches out to touch her shoes seeking to identify her. The woman picks up his cardboard sign, turns it over and writes a second message on the back and replaces the sign by his side with the new message visible.  We shift to scene two --- people continue to walk down the sidewalk, but, now, almost everyone stops to fill his can. Later that day, the woman returns and stands before the homeless man --- he knows it's her, because again, he reaches out to touch her shoes.  He asks the woman, "What did you do to my sign?" She answered, "I wrote your message using different words, a different language." He gratefully responds, "Muchas gracias." His message was, "It's a beautiful day today, but I can't see it." 

My friends, humility is the act of helping our brothers and sisters see how beautiful the day is.  I'm not only referring to those who face significant challenges in life, but those who are part of our everyday existence --- our family members, our friends AND the stranger.  As with the lady in the video, are we willing to stop, and go out of our way to make an impact on someone else's life? How well do we reach out to others who need help recognizing how fortunate they are?  In more dire circumstances, how often do we lend ourselves to ensuring that the message of those in significant need reaches those who can help?

How different would the course of humanity have been had Adam and Eve helped each other recognize how beautiful it is to live a day in paradise?  How much happier would they have been had they been thankful for the gifts which they had been given, rather than focus on things which they did not possess?  But, for us, we surely don't live in paradise, do we? We have to balance the good and the bad of our lives each day --- and, sometimes, when we do something we later regret, it was the circumstances --- the time or the place or the people we were with --- they were the forces which were responsible for our lapse in judgment, wasn't it?

Some of us have heard the expression, "Being happy is a choice".  Personally, I believe this to be true, although it's not always an easy choice.  This reminds me of an account which friends have shared following their recent visit to Haiti, one of the most poverty stricken areas of the world.  They've shared that despite the people they met enjoying virtually none of the creature comforts we enjoy, despite them lacking many practical needs such as fresh food, proper shelter and good health care, almost without exception, they are genuinely happy people.  In another example, recently, I read accounts of escalating violence between Christian and Muslim militias in the Central African Republic, Bishop Denis' home country. The United Nations ranks this country as the poorest in the world with average income of $547 per household.  I have no doubt that if our brothers and sisters from the Central African Republic or from Haiti were miraculously transported to Norwell and Hanover, without hesitation, they would look into our eyes and, with a smile, declare that we live in paradise. Isn't it ironic, that we who have been given so much, are dependent on those who have been given so little in material wealth, to recognize how beautiful our day truly is.

As we leave here today, I would like share one final lesson of humility.  A few weeks ago, my daughter was driving home to South Boston and as she approached a red light she noticed two homeless people on alternate sides of the road.  On the left was a homeless man, and on the right was a homeless woman pushing a cart. It appeared as if these two would be competitors for the new audience that had just pulled into their area.  But, then, unexpectedly, the homeless woman crossed the street with her cart in tow, and approaching the homeless man, placed a few dollars in his can. The two of them smiled at each other, and she returned to her side of the road. 

Let us pray --- Lord Jesus, please bless us with the humility of the homeless woman.  As is evident through her, may we come to understand that sometimes through the crosses we bear, we receive a greater appreciation of the gifts you have given us and the awesome ability we possess to make others feel your love through our actions.  We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.