June 28, 2020: 13th Sunday A

June 28, 2020: 13th Sunday A

What were you doing when you were seventeen years old around this time of the year? Think of seventeen-year olds of today; what are their hopes, dreams, and worries? Perhaps these days they’re worried about getting into college, finding a job, playing video games, or where to go for summer vacation. Now think of seventeen-year olds of 1941. In one high school in a small Louisiana town, the entire class of senior boys were given permission to graduate in December of 1941 so that they could enlist in the military to aid in World War II. Remember that the attack on Pearl Harbor happened on December 7, 1941. After rudimentary training, one young man was shipped off on a Navy destroyer ship to Pacific front. In one intense firefight with Japanese airplanes, a Kamikaze plane managed to dive into the main hull of the destroyer and create a giant hole in the middle of the ship. With no power or propulsion, the destroyer ship drifted for six days in the ocean. Faced with uncertainty of starvation and death, the boy from Louisiana took out from his pocket, a tiny brass pocket statue of St. Joseph, and prayed to God that he would save him and the crew. That tiny pocket shrine to St. Joseph is now proudly displayed in the home of one of his children as a testament to commitment, faith, and providence. 

 

St. John Henry Newman said, “Fear not that life shall come to an end, but rather fear that life shall never have a beginning.” This little saying contrasts the attitude of a Christian with that of a non-believer. Those who live in the world and live for the world struggle daily to make this earthly world their paradise. Their ambition is to build up their place in the earthly kingdom -- comfort, possessions, and influence. They fear death, for it means the end to what they have accumulated and accomplished in life. Excess stuff in their lives makes it much harder to focus on spiritual matters. 

Last year at a funeral for a 45 year old father and husband, someone shared a prayer that the young father composed when he was a senior in high school. “Dear Lord, help us realize that it truly is a blessing to live another day… help us to live out our lives to the fullest. Help us to develop the skills you have blessed us with, so we may make life as special and meaningful for us.” We know neither the day nor the hour when God calls us home. A Christian has a different way of living on this earth; not preoccupied with accumulating, acquiring, and making a name for himself. Rather, a Christian sees himself as a humble instrument of our Heavenly Father. He sees the plight of his neighbor and comes to the aid through his gift of time and resources. He realizes that each day the Heavenly Father has asked him to contribute to building His Kingdom. 

Our relationship with our loved ones, our community, and the world finds its proper order when our relationship with God is the top priority. When a Christian lives a life of humility and surrenders to the Heavenly Father’s will, closely following the footsteps of Jesus, a new hope for the Heavenly Kingdom dawns in his heart. Our constant temptation  is to make Jesus in our own image rather than Jesus transforming our image. Therefore, at times a Christian may have to sacrifice his personal ambition, comfort he once enjoyed, and the career that he might have pursued. Jesus’ wisdom is a paradox for all of us who live on this earth. “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me,” Our Lord said. 

The way to life in Christ is through sacrifice, self-denial, and faithfully carrying our daily crosses.  This kind of life is not a drudgery. Our Lord said, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Our lives have been purchased at a great price by Our Lord and thus he claims a special place in our lives. Ponder about what takes first place in our lives - in our daily thoughts, cares, and concerns? Are we preoccupied about taking care of ourselves, what we will eat, wear, and relax? Do we get impatient, argumentative, and angry easily by being inconvenienced and things not done our way? It may be a sign that we’re putting ourselves at the center and refusing to put God as the center of our lives.

I worry sometimes with parents who dote and coddle their children with comfort, finer things of life, and vacations. Are we equipping them to be able to carry their cross when the time of disappointments and hardships come? Or are we preparing them to expect only good and pleasant things in life, running to save them when they face the tiniest of challenges? 

We need a daily reminder, like that small brass statue of St. Joseph held onto by that young man on a drifting ship out in the Pacific Ocean. He prayed earnestly to God for six days before the rescue, and promised to God that out of gratitude he would spend the rest of his life serving Him and helping others. He eventually became a doctor. He was well known by his patients to be generous with his time and often satisfied with payments of fresh eggs, garden vegetables, or the seafood catch of the day if a patient could not afford to pay. He and his wife lived very modestly, never flaunting their financial blessings from the Lord and often giving generously to the poor. 

Do our children see us get on our knees in prayer to give time to God and give our time and resources to those who are less fortunate? Do we truly understand that a life with Christ is a life that embraces sacrifice and suffering throughout the journey. When we place God as the center of our lives, our lives become a blessing for others bearing fruits of mercy, kindness, goodness, and patience.