ONCE UPON A TIME: God’s Perfect World

         Once upon a time there was a beautiful little girl. She had gorgeous blue eyes, golden locks and all who saw her fell in love with her. Her’s was, indeed,  a story book life. Her parents listened to her every word and sought ever new ways to gift her with their love and admiration. Her brothers and sisters sought to do all to please her. If she wanted to play Monopoly, gladly they would roll her dice. If Follow the Leader was her preference, they would do all that she desired. They knew she was the best sister possible and were ever thankful that she was their’s. Her peers flocked to her side and yearned for her friendship. It’s bestowal became the greatest blessing and sought by all who lived in her time.

                Yada Yada Yada.

                Does this sound familiar?  It does to me. Let’s look at the Book of Acts (4:32-37).

                “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the Apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.

“Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas (which is translated ‘son of encouragement’), a Levite, a Cypriot by birth, sold a piece of property that he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.”

         Amazingly, in those 6 lines of Scripture, we have the end of poverty, discord and need of any sort. We have complete and abased trust in the authority of the Church and her leaders.

                Wow.

               Now, I don’t know about you. However, when I first read that reading, I was kind of waiting for the other foot to fall.

                Then, I recalled, Chapter 4 is at the very beginning of the Book of Acts. This particular reading is at the end of Chapter 4. Chapter 5 begins right away with the story of one couple, Ananais and Sapphira, who sought entrance into this wonderful, utopian community. Actually, ….who wouldn’t? They, too, sold their property and laid it at the feet of the Apostles ….and just as quickly, actually within the first 5 verses of Chapter 5, were carried away dead – after suffering heart attacks. They had held back a portion of the profits on that particular sale.

                Perfection comes at a price. It is also very short-lived.

               Now, we know what to expect. We no longer believe in fairy tales. We’ve already read the book and we know how it ends. We have heard of the many arguments among the early Church as documented throughout the remainder of the Book of Acts.  We live through these same types of disputes and arguments within our own parish communities.

             Yet, this description of the early Church retains its appeal.

             Why do you think this is so?

             I think it is because we all long to live in the kind of community described here – a place of unity, blessing and peace. And that is because God himself has placed that desire for community in all of our hearts. Although he loves each of us individually and has called each of us to a very personal friendship with him, he has also given us a longing to share our lives with others. He has given us a desire to find a richer, fuller life together – a sense of belonging and fulfillment that goes beyond what any one of us can achieve on our own.

                If we are honest with ourselves, however, we will admit that we don’t have the wherewithal to create such unity. We are painfully aware of our own selfishness and the shortcomings of others. As Jesus puts it in today’s Gospel, new life in Christian community requires being born “of the Spirit” (Jn 3:8). Christian community is a work of the Holy Spirit. Only by the power of that Holy Spirit can we find the patience, creativity, and wisdom we need to build an authentically Christian community.

                To what communities have you been called? Don’t just think about your parish community. Remember your family and your circle of friends. Even your workplace and your neighborhood can become starting points for new avenues of fellowship. In all of these situations, it is good to ask:

           “How can I actively contribute to the up-building and the welfare of this group?

           Can I share more with them about what I’m doing, facing, feeling, struggling with?

           Can I open myself to their ideas and help?

           Can I take a more active interest in what matters to my brothers and sisters, taking            their burdens as my own?

           And what can I share that might brighten their day?

                A tool,

                A snack,

               A suggestion,

               A Scripture passage,

               A word of encouragement?

                No matter your talent, know that you can use it to build up the body of Christ. And that will only make you feel happier and more fulfilled!

                We recognize that the details given in today’s reading are a bit of a fairy tale. That does not mean that I do not believe them to be true. I do believe them to be true. I just think that so long as we are living on this earth, the details as given cannot be long lived. We are not perfect people. We, like the two characters of Ananias and Sapphira, who tried to cheat the early Christian community, also have difficulty each day trusting wholly in God. We make mistakes. We are selfish. We tire. We act in anger.

                However, just because we realize that a perfect world will not exist on this earth, does not excuse us from trying to do our part to make it a perfect world — by acting as Jesus in our own neighborhoods and communities – or to prepare for that perfect world of the future once we are with Jesus and His perfect Kingdom is established on this earth.

                This reading does fill us with hope that we can do our part with the help of the Holy Spirit.

              That we can act as Jesus in our own present communities.

              That we can set aside our fears, shyness, selfishness, whatever, and become                       more united with those who also work toward God’s perfect Kingdom.

Indeed, today is a new day. What would be a better day to think of how much our action, on behalf of our brothers and sisters of all faiths, races and creeds, is needed in our world!

HELPING JUST THAT ONE: Grace Under Pressure

Simply put, a leader, to be a leader, must have compassion. One can never lighten the load of another, unless one has first felt pressure in one’s own soul. You may never be used by God to bring blessing, until God has opened your eyes and made you see things as they are. One must first experience pressure before one may have such compassion that he or she may then work to alleviate the pressure felt by the neighbor for the purpose of bringing peace.

                Those needing compassion seek out those who have experienced what they have and are feeling. For example, I believe we all know the story of Joni Eareckson Tada. She was paralyzed as a result of an accident and is now a very well known Christian speaker. She doesn’t even have to say a word to minister to those many handicapped individuals that attend her conferences. She need only approach the microphone and smile. All know that she understands where they are coming from and the type of issues they encounter. There is perhaps no one better to comfort those in a wheelchair than one who is herself similarly handicapped.

                The Gospels show us that Jesus — the One who promises us peace— indeed felt and experienced its opposite. He was surrounded by those with needs. In fact, Jesus was so pressured by the needs of the world around Him that, at least on one occasion, He sought out the use of a boat so that He could fulfill His true ministry. And it was indeed the pressure of the world—the crowd consisted of Jews from Galilee and Judea as well as Gentiles from Tyre and Sidon. The pressure was from North and South, East and West. The pressure figuratively already placed a cross upon the shoulders of our Lord even at the very beginning of His ministry.

           Jesus did not cease His ministry as a result of these pressures. He devised a way to continue the true purpose of His ministry —the revelation of the Kingdom of God —despite the pressures imposed by those around Him.

                We, too, have the need to be compassionate. To recognize the needs of others and to step up and out to help those in need. Still, this can be extremely overwhelming. How can we help the poor of the world, when it would cost so much just to give just minimal assistance to those living in our own community? How do we clothe the naked in New Orleans, when we have homeless shelters just a few miles away downtown? Of what use is sending money for medical assistance in Haiti, when the leaders take and squander what is sent for their own personal gain?

                Once upon a time a businessman and his wife were busy to the point of exhaustion. They were committed to each other, their family, their church, their work, their friends.

                Needing a break, they escaped for a few days of relaxation at an oceanfront hotel. One night a violent storm lashed the beach and sent massive breakers thundering against the shore. The man lay in his bed listening and thinking about his own stormy life of never-ending demands and pressures.

                The wind finally died down and shortly before daybreak the man slipped out of bed and took a walk along the beach to see what damage had been done. As he strolled, he saw that the beach was covered with starfish that had been thrown ashore and helplessly stranded by the great waves. Once the morning sun burned through the clouds, the starfish would dry out and die.

                Suddenly the man saw an interesting sight. A young boy who had also noticed the plight of the starfish was picking them up, one at a time, and flinging them back into the ocean.

                “Why are you doing that?” the man asked the lad as he got close enough to be heard. “Can’t you see that one person will never make a difference – you’ll never be able to get all those starfish back into the water. There are just too many.”

                “Yes, that’s true,” the boy sighed as he bent over and picked up yet another and tossed it back into the water. Then as he watched it sink, he looked at the man and smiled, and said, “But it sure made a difference to that one.”

                A difference to that one….

                We are not god (thank God!). But,  Jesus is. While Jesus was well capable of withstanding pressures beyond our capacity, we still are capable of withstanding those which he gives us. We can help just that one. With His help, we can even  help as many as he places before us. The Lord that multiplied the loaves and fishes, is fully capable of multiplying our acts of love and compassion in the world. It does require us, however, to take that first step: to reach out in faith to help that poor child through one of the Christian international organizations; to send that care package to one soldier serving far from home; to assist one day in the soup  kitchen  downtown.

                Let the following never be said of any one of us:

I was hungry

                and you formed a humanities club

                and you discussed my hunger.

                Thank you.

I was imprisoned

                and you crept off quietly

                to your chapel in the cellar

                to pray for my release.

I was naked

                and in your mind

                you debated the morality of my

                appearance.

I was sick

                and you knelt and thanked God

                for your health.

I was homeless

                and you preached to me

                of the spiritual shelter of the

                love of God.

I was lonely

                and you left me alone

                to pray for me.

You seem so holy;

                so close to God.

But I’m still very hungry

                and lonely

                and cold.

So where have your prayers gone?

                What have they done?

                What does it profit a man to page through his

                book of prayers, when the rest of the world is

                crying for help? [1]

 

Instead, let us all go out — at least for today— and help just that one.

---

[1] M. Lunn, 1,500 Inspirational Quotes and Illustrations

Does God Comfort Us When We Are Sad?

God certainly offers us comfort whenever we are sad or experiencing difficult situations. However, it may well depend upon timing and how we define comfort.

There are many occasions in the Bible where particular characters experienced severe hardship without apparent immediate consolation or comfort. Job lost his children, his servants, his health, his livestock, and all of his worldly possessions. While he underwent this loss, he suffered the ridicule and accusations of his peers. Even his wife told him “to curse God and die.” (Job 2:9). Joseph was sold into slavery due to the jealousy of his own brothers. He was accused of rape by his employer’s wife and sent to a presumed life-time of prison and misery. He lost his family, freedom, and reputation.

Most importantly, consider Jesus. There are many stories in the New Testament that describe the experiences of Jesus:

*    Jesus went into the desert to fast and pray in anticipation of commencing His mission. Forty days of fasting with no food and little water would cause pain and discomfort for any individual. In addition to the physical rigors of this fast, Jesus was attacked spiritually through the temptations of the devil. Despite His physical weakness, Jesus stood strong in His faith and successfully withstood these temptations.

*     It is an incredible blessing that the Bible includes the story of the Passion of Jesus. It serves as an example that we, too, may passionately ask God for help should we experience sorrow or suffering. It removes any stigma of acknowledging our pain and confusion. If Jesus could express His hope that the will of God be changed, how much joy can we take from knowing we can follow in the example of our own Savior? Yet, it does exemplify the extreme suffering of Jesus. Fear and dread of circumstances can cause great affliction and sorrow. The Father did send an angel to Jesus. However, the angel was sent not to comfort Jesus, but to offer Him the cup of agony and pain.

*     How much more pain and sadness can be experienced than that of Jesus on the cross when he said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46)? Here, the one without sin and blemish is masked by the sin and blemish of each of us. The Father has turned His back on His own Son. He cannot recognize Him for the sin that has been placed upon Jesus’ shoulders. The Father cannot accept sin into the Kingdom. Never has anyone been as alone as Jesus: bearing the sin of all as well as utter disregard by His Father.

Yet, all of these stories have one thing in common.

Despite outer appearances,each character retained his faith and found spiritual comfort and nurturance from that faith. God did console Job and reward him for his faith. He raised more children, hired more servants, and saw his material wealth multiply greatly. Joseph was recompensed for his faith and hope in God. He served as the advisor to the Pharaoh and ultimately saved his family as well as many of his own kinsmen from the impact of a horrendous drought. Jesus did receive the comfort and consolations of God. The Angels ministered to him in the desert. He fulfilled the will of God and, as a result, sits at the right hand of the Father. He rose from the dead and, through His redemptive act, has opened wide the gates of Heaven to all who believe and place their trust in Him.

If comfort is accorded the secular definition of a “relief in affliction, consolation, solace,… a state of ease and satisfaction, of bodily wants, with freedom from pain and anxiety…”,  then one might not be said to experience it at the actual time of suffering. Yet, if it is defined as hope, then it exists even prior to our acknowledged need. It is this hope and faith which is evident in the experiences of Job, Joseph and Jesus and which assures us of God’s presence and caring even while we endure severe hardship.  It is faith that assures us of God’s promise and sustains us to persevere.

No one expresses this concept better than David through the Psalms. We are all familiar with the 23rd Psalm. Consider these verses and reflect on how they assure us of God’s presence and comfort even when and while we confront evil and pain around us:

Even when I walk through a dark valley,

I fear no harm for you are at my side;

your rod and staff give me courage. (Ps 23:4)

So long as we keep our faith and trust in the Lord, we will indeed receive the spiritual comfort and assurance of the Lord (Ps 121).

Why does God seem to dally in providing comfort? Jesus has also provided that answer. God seeks persistence in prayer. Jesus expressed this desire through many of His parables. Consider, just for example, the man begging bread from his neighbor in the middle of the night (Lk 11:5-8) or the woman begging the unjust judge for relief (Lk 18:1-8). If we received immediate relief, there would be no need for such persistence and we might not even recognize the answer as having come from God. Neither would we be given the opportunity to offer God the gift of our faith and hope in His providence and love.

Secular experiences of comfort may not come when we want it and when we most feel its need. In all cases, though, where we retain faith and hope in the goodness and love of God, as did Job, as did Joseph, and as did Jesus, comfort will come in the time directed by God. We can exemplify our faith through our persistence in prayer and supplication. Then we, too, may expect to receive the consolations and comfort of God in response to our own acts and expressions of faith.