Blessings and More

Because The Villages, our community here in central Florida, is so very large and still expanding, our parish receives many new parishioners every month. Part of our welcoming process includes an offer to bless each family's new home. Many folks accept this offer.  

The Church actually has a specific rite for the blessing of a new home; indeed, it has rites for the blessing of people, homes, businesses, religious articles, vehicles, pets...you name it. And here in our parish, we permanent deacons are often called on to perform many of them...sort of a "Blessings are Us" kind of thing. 

October 4th is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, a saint who was particularly fond of all God's creatures. And so, on that morning, shortly after morning Mass, two of us, Deacon Greg and I, spent some time blessing a large gathering of family pets our parishioners had brought to the parish. We conducted the blessing rite outside, under a portico, so we would all remain dry in the event of rain. As it turned out the day was perfect. After the readings, prayers, and general blessing, we then blessed each animal individually, while sprinkling it with holy water. Given the circumstances, and the large number of animals, I'm amazed at how placid most of these wonderful creatures remained.    

As I recall, the animals that morning were all dogs and cats, nothing too odd or too wild, so this year was fairly normal. In the past I've been asked to bless snakes, tarantulas, lizards, and a few other of God's not very domestic critters. A few of our local farmers and ranchers have also asked me to bless cattle, goats, and horses. Yep, we do it all.

One of our parishioners, Maria, had asked if I would go to her house that morning and bless her two birds. She didn't want to take them to the parish blessing rite because it would probably upset them, being surrounded by dozens of noisy dogs and cats. Of course I agreed.

My experience with birds as pets is limited to a single bird. When I was a child, our family had a parakeet named Heinz, a clever little bird with a fondness for learning new words. Heinz had developed a close relationship with our female Weimaraner, Heidi. Heidi, a very tolerant dog, readily accepted her new flying friend. Heinz often landed on her back, then made his way across her head, and down to her nose. There he would stand, sometimes for ten or fifteen minutes, just looking at her. Heidi accepted all this and seemed to enjoy his walking on her back. Perhaps she appreciated the massage delivered by his little bird feet.

I won't go into the details of Heinz' sad and premature demise in which Heidi played no part. Although accidental and certainly unintentional, it was all my doing, a truth I have tried to repress for the past 70 years.

Anyway, when I arrived at Maria's home, she, her husband, and their little dog greeted me. I was then introduced to their two birds who were enjoying themselves out of their cages. Other than the limited knowledge I picked up from my childhood experience with Heinz, I know very little about tropical birds. Parrots, cockatiels, cockatoos, mynahs, and others are mysteries to me. They're very attractive birds, are long-lived, and seem quite intelligent. I'm also intrigued by their remarkable ability to imitate human speech and other sounds. 

I can't recall the names of Maria's two birds, although given the state of my aging brain, that's not unusual. But both birds, and the dog, seemed very interested in this man who had invaded their home, at least until I blessed them and sprinkled them with holy water. That led to some confusion. One bird, I believe it's a cockatoo (?), stood on my hand as I blessed it, and Maria captured the moment with her phone's camera. The bird, however, was eyeing my ear, so it was probably wise that I handed it back to Maria.

So, there you have a few hours in the life of a deacon, extending God's blessings to His people and His creatures. It's a small but enjoyable part of my ministry, and I'm always overwhelmed by the joy it brings to His people.

Homily: Monday 3rd Week of Advent

I have embedded bellow the video of this homily for Monday of the 3rd Week of Advent, preached at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Wildwood, FL, on 16 December 2019. The complete text of the homily follows the video.

Readings:  Nm 24:2-7,15-17; Ps 25; Mt 21:23-27
__________________

__________________

Balaam Blessing the Israelites

As we continue into this third week of Advent, we're invited to be watchful, for "the Lord is near." What a great reminder, even though the Lord is always near, dwelling within us thanks to His gift of the Eucharist. But during this time of year, the message becomes all the more real to us. 

In our Old Testament reading from the Book of Numbers, we encounter Balaam, a Gentile soothsayer or magician from Mesopotamia. Balaam had been summoned by Balak, the King of Moab, who feared that this huge horde of Israelites coming out of the wilderness would overwhelm his kingdom. He therefore tells Balaam to curse the Israelites. But God also speaks to Balaam, commanding that he bless and not curse the Israelites. 

Now Balaam was a complex character, a man motivated largely by selfishness and greed. And yet Balaam fears the God of the Israelites, this God who is near, who speaks to him and commands him. Fearing God more than the Moabite king, Balaam does as God commands. And embedded in his blessing is a Messianic prophecy:

"I see him, though not now; I observe him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel” [Nm 24:17].

Notice that God chooses whomever He wills. Even Balaam, whose motives are far less than pure, when he submits to God’s will, becomes a prophet, a messenger from God. 

Balaam's prophecy of a "rising star of Jacob, and a scepter…from Israel" is seen as one of the earliest Messianic prophecies. 

Interestingly, the ancients believed strongly in the power of blessings. Balaam certainly did and so did the Israelites. But what about you and me? How do we respond to the blessings we receive from the hand of God? Have you ever considered that every talent and ability you have was given to you by God?

But that’s not all. God doesn’t’ simply distribute blessings and talents. No, He wants you to use them to fulfill the mission for which He created you. In other words, every blessing is meant to be shared in the service of God. I suppose that’s the question we must ask ourselves: do we imitate the selfish Balaam who ultimately turned away from God’s direction, or do we submit to God’s will?

In our Gospel passage from Matthew we find the Pharisees resisting Jesus’ teachings, God’s will, out of fear. They feared Jesus because He threatened their authority.

I can sympathize with them because it’s not easy to let go of the comfortable way of life we’ve created for ourselves. Yes, indeed, it’s hard to turn away from what we think we know, and embrace the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It’s hard to leave our predictable world behind and open ourselves to the mystery of God working in ways we could never imagine.

Pharisees Fearful of Jesus

In truth, we must become like children, open to the Holy Spirit’s movement in our lives, allowing Him to lead us on the path to holiness. This was something the Pharisees could not do. Unable and unwilling to listen to Jesus, they could only test Him, measuring Him against their human understanding.

Perhaps this is why Jesus didn’t answer their question. Addressing this in a homily, the early Church father, St. John Chrysostom, said: 

“Even if He had told them, it would have profited nothing, because the darkened will cannot perceive the things that are of the light.”

Yes, brothers and sisters, God alone can save us from the darkness of the world and from our own internal darkness. Only God can save us from emptiness and poverty of spirit, from confusion and error, and from hopelessness and the fear of death. 

The gospel of salvation was the Good News when Jesus preached it 2,000 years ago, and it’s still the Good News for us today. This Advent, then, let’s use our time wisely and come to know the joy and freedom of the gospel.

Father, You have blessed us, creating each of us for a purpose. 

Jesus, You died for us, and called us to complete Your work.

Holy Spirit, through You we carry out the work for which we were created.

Father, Son, and Spirit – teach us to accept your blessings and to use them always for your glory.

Everything Is a Gift

"Everything is a gift." I've uttered those words many, many times -- in homilies and during conversations or meetings with parishioners and others, and yet, I still groan and moan when seemingly bad things happen to me. You'd think that by now I'd have learned that God always comes through when we turn it all over to Him. How did St. Paul put it? 

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose [Rom 8:28].

Let me offer a wonderful and very recent example.

Last week Diane and I drove up to McDonough, Georgia to visit her cousin, Carolyn, who was very near death. As usual I decided to take the more scenic route and stay off the interstate.

As we neared the town of Fargo, Georgia we had a blowout in our right, rear tire. I'll admit that, overcome by the moment, I probably uttered a few bad words. But then I asked God to help us handle this unexpected crisis. And I know Diane offered a prayer because that's what she always does, and her prayers are much better than mine.

Interestingly, just the day before I had stopped by the local Firestone dealer, got an oil change, and asked them to check the tires. As I expected, they recommended getting new tires fairly soon. But it was a busy day, so I decided to wait until we returned from our 700-mile round trip to Georgia -- not a good decision.

Hearing that flat tire popping against the blacktop, I pulled over onto the grassy shoulder of the rural two-lane road. After checking the tire, I reached for my cellphone, thinking this might be a good job for AAA. But then I saw those hated words: "No service."

Resigned to my fate, I opened the back of our Kia Sorento, moved all the luggage into the back seat, and retrieved the jack and lug wrench. I then went through the laborious process of lowering the spare tire (one of those useless donuts) to the ground. Whoever last tightened those lug nuts on my right rear tire must have over-torqued them because I couldn't budge them. 

While all this was going on, perhaps one vehicle had passed by. Well, Diane decided to seek help and waved down the next vehicle, a large pickup towing a working trailer. I asked the driver if he had cell service, and of course he didn't. But he pulled over in front of our car, got out, and offered to help.

Between the two of us (he was a few years younger and obviously stronger) we got the lug nuts off and replaced the flat tire with the donut. I was concerned because the donut was obviously in need of air. That little tire requires 60 psi and I suspect it's pressure was no more than 30. Our Good Samaritan -- a man named Bill Stewart -- then led us seven miles down the road to a gas station in Fargo that fortunately had a working air pump.

After I'd ensured all the tires were properly inflated, Bill came out of the station's convenience store and handed me a package of Stewart Candy. "My brother and his wife run the family business," he said before waving good-bye and driving off. It was good candy, too -- those soft peppermint balls that Diane likes so much. Here's a link to their website: Stewart Candy. We'll be buying more from this company in Waycross, Georgia, since I've decided to check out their other products. It's the least I can do.

But the gift isn't over...not yet.

After we arrived in McDonough I knew I had to get four new tires, so I asked Carolyn's sons where I should buy them. Steve is a retired police captain and David is a successful commercial contractor, and they both recommended Carver Tire in McDonough. So I made an appointment for 10:30 Wednesday morning and dropped off the car. It would be ready by noon.

Carver Tire - McDonough, Georgia

Carolyn died that morning, July 31, just before noon. Diane and I joined several of her children and one of the wonderful home health aides who had cared for Carolyn, and we all gathered around her bedside during her last moments. I gave her a blessing and sang the "Song of Farewell" and moments later Carolyn closed her eyes. With that God blessed her with a peaceful death and took her into His loving, merciful embrace.

Diane's cousin, Carolyn Moore

As Carolyn lay dying, I received a call from the tire dealer telling me our car was ready. A while later, not long after Carolyn's death, her son, Steve, drove me there in his huge F-350 diesel pickup and dropped me off. The manager handed me the paperwork and my keys, thanked me for my business, and wished me a safe trip home. I held out my credit card and said, "Thanks, but don't you want to be paid?" He replied, "It's all taken care of...all paid for." When I asked who had paid for it, he just shrugged and said, "Don't know. You owe me nothing."

When I got back to Carolyn's house I discovered that her son, David, had paid for my four, new Cooper tires, all $650 worth. He just laughed and said it was their gift. Nothing I said could change his mind. I had to accept the gift.

So let's see...I had a flat tire in the middle of nowhere (apologies to the folks of Fargo, and trust they'll understand). Normally this would not be a good experience. But then God went to work.

We met a wonderful man who helped us, ensured we were good for the rest of our trip, and then gave us candy. 

David, one of Diane's cousins, gave me four new tires, which is even better than candy.

Steve, another cousin, and his wife Kathy, put us up in their lovely, lakefront home in Jackson, Georgia.

And, most wonderfully, Carolyn, one of the world's sweetest women, went home to the Father peacefully.

Oh, wait...there's more. The gifts keep coming.

After I returned to Carolyn's home with my new tires, the family asked if I would conduct the funeral. It was scheduled for a week later on Wednesday, August 7, in McDonough. Now realize that the entire family are good, faith-filled Southern Baptists and they've just asked this Catholic deacon to conduct their mom's funeral.

Several days later Diane and I drove up to Georgia once again, this time on I-75. As it turned out I ended up conducting the funeral jointly with one of their pastors, a delightful man, Pastor Tom Bergman. He gave the welcome, read a passage from Scripture, gave an opening prayer. Of course there were several hymns. I then preached the homily, based on John 14:1-6.

After lunch we drove 100 miles north to the cemetery in Bowman, Georgia where many in the family are buried. I led a brief committal service, Steve blessed us with a beautiful prayer, and we returend to McDonough.

Diane is the last of her generation on her father's side of the family, so it was a joy to get to know better those in succeeding generations. We're hoping that Steve and Kathy, as well as Carolyn's daighter, Kim, will come and visit us here in The Villages. They all seemed to like the idea.

It all began with a flat tire near Fargo, Georgia -- a minor catastrophe for these two senior citizens -- and brought us blessing after blessing, gift after gift.

And Carolyn? We will miss her terribly, but for 88 years she lived the life Jesus asked her to live by loving God and neighbor. May she rest in God's peace.