Oct. 20, 2009: Tuesday Ordinary (B)

The other day, I spent some time chatting with a seminarian at the Coffee Call by College Drive. We were on our way out, and a disheveled man approached us saying that he was hungry. I told him that I will get him a meal from McDonald's. I worried that if I gave him cash, he might have simply gone out and got some alcohol. I ordered him a deluxe breakfast meal with a large glass of orange juice which came out to be around $8. When I drove back and handed him the breakfast, he said, "I don't want orange juice. I want a root beer." I was speechless. I learned that beggars CAN BE choosers.

$8 dollar is not much of a security for any of us, only enough for a good breakfast at McDonald's. What if that's all we had left? How insecure would we feel? Earlier today, I did a funeral for an 83 yr. old lady. She was not married, and spent most of her life taking care of her sickly father, mother, brother who was mentally challenged, and friends who had cancer. When all of her family died, there was no one to take care of her except her two friends. The two friends told me that she was a giving person. Perhaps too much so. She has been giving her money away for some time. Her mailbox was always full of envelopes from charitable organizations that requested donations. Every week, she would withdraw $300 in cash and mail $10 here, $20 there to all these organizations. The two friends were alarmed that she would not have anything to live on, so they took stamps away from her. But she would ask another friend to get her some stamps. The day she died, all she had was $8. At the funeral today, we didn't have her body because she gave away even her body to the science.

Jesus tells us in our Gospel today, “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival." The lady who only had $8 left wrote this poem for her friends to read at her funeral. And it reveals a person who was ready for her Master's return.

A Proud Catholic

Thank God that I'm a Catholic,

and ever so proud to be,

I thank the Lord my parents

saw fit to baptize me.

Though I don't remember it,

it was the day that I began

my journey as a Catholic

in quest of the Promised Land.

I've lost my mom and dad,

my brother left me too.

I've lost dear friends and relatives,

but God will see me through.

I'm proud to be a Catholic,

to follow the Jesus way,

to go to mass and communion,

and with my rosary pray.

To ask the Lord to help me,

with the problems I have had,

to lead me on my journey,

and to help me when I'm sad.

I'm proud to be a Catholic,

and one day I hope to be

united with my family

in blissful eternity.

(by Carrol Jennaro, RIP 10/14/2009)