Now and then I receive emails that really make me think. Here are a few points that speak volumes about the intangibles of faith, hope, confidence and attitude.
Once a whole townspeople decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, all the people gathered in church, but only one person came with an umbrella. That's FAITH. Every night we go to bed without assurance of being alive the next morning, but still, we set the alarm clock. That's HOPE. We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That's CONFIDENCE. Finally, on an elderly man's shirt was written 'I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience.' That's ATTITUDE. The lesson is: live life like these stories.
Today we celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
The author of the book of Malachi reflects on the religious situation of Israel in the fifth century BC (the 400s). Yes, the author says, our leaders have rebuilt the temple, but then scolds them for their careless worship of God which jeopardizes the special relationship (or covenant) God made with the Hebrews centuries before. But all is not lost; God never reneges on his promises. God will send a messenger to prepare the way before him. This mysterious messenger will purify God’s people so that they can give true worship to God.
Malachi may challenge us to ask, what is leadership? For me, leadership has three ingredients, three Cs, character, courage, and a “can do” attitude:
Character defines who we are at our core: it involves ethics, a sense of responsibility, a value system and integrity, striving to be true to that inner voice, our conscience, which seeks to do right thing in all decisions, great and small.
But leadership also demands courage: moving beyond our fears and self-doubts to achieve something worthwhile. Finally, leadership presumes a positive “can do” attitude. Leaders, by nature, are optimists.
At different times in life, all of us are called to be leaders: as professionals, businesspeople, parents, citizens, volunteers. The author here may be inviting us to think about the ingredients of leadership whenever and wherever we have to exercise leadership. But how do we measure up against the three Cs: Character! Courage! And Can do!
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews describes how God became human in Jesus. Jesus is indeed the face of God among us. And through his death and resurrection, God gifts us with his divine life; we are, by virtue of the life giving waters of baptism, brothers and sisters to one another and sons and daughters of God our Father; we’re one family.
Yes, God consecrated us in baptism, sanctified us, to be in relationship with God forever. Our faith in Jesus Christ proclaims that one day, God will transfigure us into a new heavenly life as God already transfigured Jesus.
Luke’s Gospel tells us that when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem, Simeon took the child Jesus into his arms, praised God and said, “My eyes have seen your salvation…a light….” Quite an extraordinary recognition of this child Jesus by a devout old man.
Then at home in Nazareth, Jesus grew up--wise; and God’s favor was upon him. Jesus’s family was a vital factor in his human development. Even in his teens and “roaring 20s” Jesus prayed, studied and stayed close to family and to God. That included family activities and house chores.
More than two millennia later, Pope Francis urged, among other things, that families develop “a healthy sense of leisure.” Yes, set aside time to do things together, to communicate. Sundays are for family. Enjoy one another’s company whether it’s at a dinner table or in an outdoor/indoor activity etc. Above all, think positively about one another.
I think of the reflection titled “Children Learn What They Live.” … If a child lives with tolerance, they learn patience. Someone who lives with encouragement learns confidence. Someone who lives with praise learns to appreciate. … Someone who lives with approval learns to like him/herself. Someone who lives with acceptance and friendship learns to find love in the world.
A thought-provoking reflection about all our relationships! Live a life with as few regrets as possible.
Someone wrote: “Twenty years from now we will be more disappointed by the things we didn’t do than by the ones we did.” Think about it. Don’t put off until tomorrow….
Some may remember the popular 1980s lecturer Leo Buscaglia who authored such books as “Living, Loving and Learning.” One of Buscaglia’s students wrote an article with a compelling message, titled “Things you didn’t do,” describing the many times he erred and thought his father would yell at him, but his father didn’t. The article ends like this:
“There were lots of things you didn’t do. You put up with me and you loved me. There were lots of things I wanted to thank you for when you returned from Vietnam.
But you never did return!!!”
A compelling message: don’t live a life of regrets. Remember what the BIBLE stands for: Basic Information Before Leaving Earth. To the extent that our everyday lives are in our own hands, do good now, not later. Life is not a rehearsal. Life is the “real thing.”
A few of you may remember the great 20th century actor John Barrymore (thank God for netflix) who electrified audiences especially with his Shakespearean performances. Barrymore wrote that “a man [and a woman] is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.”
Yes, that line is a wake-up call for us, to use our time, talent and treasure for the good of others today, not tomorrow.
Jesus, and Mary, and Joseph lived a life as a family, a holy family, a life with no regrets.
May God on this feast of the Presentation of the Lord grace us: with trust in God’s unconditional love for us as He did the prophets of ancient Israel; with faith in Jesus Christ, described in the letter to Hebrews as our High Priest, our healer, our reconciler, our pledge of a life beyond this earthly life; and may God grace us, as He did Simeon, with the eyes of faith to see Jesus as our salvation, a light who illuminates the darkness all around us as we journey toward our heavenly dwelling place. Amen.
