This week is Catholic Schools Week. One of my favorite children’s paperbacks is titled Dear God: Children’s Letters to God? I think of letters such as:
Dear God, Thank you for my parents, my sister Anita, and for my grandma and grandpa. I forgive you for my brother Phil. I guess you didn’t finish working on him.
There’s a story about children lined up in the school cafeteria. At the beginning of the line was a pile of apples. A teacher posted a note on the apple tray: “Take only one. God is watching.” At the other end of the line, there was a table with a pile of chocolate-chip cookies. A youngster wrote a note: “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.” Yes, children do have lively imaginations about God.
The word of God first takes us back to the seventh century before Jesus. Ancient Assyria conquered northern Israel. But now Babylonia was emerging as a new superpower.
In light of this new danger, Zephaniah challenges the Hebrews in southern Israel to seek God in their daily lives: be faithful to their covenant promises, fair in their dealings with one another, acknowledging their absolute dependency upon an all-good sovereign God. Then the author dramatically changes the scene from danger to deliverance. Yes, some Hebrews will survive and live in peace.
The author invites us to be humble and grateful to an all-good God for who we are and what we have.
Paul in his letter to the Christian community in Corinth notes they have little to nothing to brag about. But God does wondrous things through the least likely people to demonstrate that it's the power of God at work, not ourselves. Paul then adds that Jesus is our true wisdom, our sole redeemer. Paul urges us to let people see the power of God at work in our lives.
In the Gospel, Jesus describes what it means to be disciples: they recognize who they are (mere creatures of an all-mighty creator); they seek God in their daily lives; they forgive wrongs done to them; they are peacemakers, bridge-builders; and yes, ready to do right in all things.
The beatitudes are indeed a splendid spirituality for all ages. Jesus calls us to do surprising things: to live by spiritual values, attach ourselves to the things of God; to find our joy and purpose in serving others; to seek what is right; to be compassionate and forgiving; to stop and listen to God's voice speaking in the quiet of our hearts; to work for peace; to bring about the kingdom of God in our own time and place.
What does that mean concretely? If you do something for no other reason than to bring joy to people’s lives, and if you put yourself second for the needs of another, blessed are you.
If you do the “right” thing when conventional wisdom is to do the “smart” thing, forgive someone for wrongs done to you, and think with gratitude about all the good things you have in your life, blessed are you.
If you can diffuse someone's anger, bridge a chasm, bring a positive perspective to a negative situation, endure a scowl from someone because you took a moral and ethical stand, blessed are you.
In the blessings you give, you have been blessed.
We are mortal. I don't want to be morbid but it's true. When did you last think about your life? If your doctor told you, “You probably have about six months to live,” would you live differently. That's why it's spiritually healthy to reflect upon our life and mortality at times. It generally rearranges priorities.
Many people get no warning. But if you think about living and dying, you can get your affairs in order and have the opportunity of saying what you want to say to those you love: sort out important things from the not so important.
There's an ancient wisdom that says God sends each person into this life with a special message to deliver, with a special song to sing for others, with a special act of love to bestow. Perhaps this prayer can be ours:
In a world with sadness, may we be people full of gladness...
In a world that complains, may we be people who care...
In a world that's out of tune, may we be people of harmony...
In a world full of war, may we be people full of peace...
In a world full of crime, may we be people full of honesty...
In a discouraged world, may we be people of encouragement and hope.
Seize every opportunity to do good. Live life well, without regrets. Amen.
