I'll be the first person to admit that I haven't been going to mass every Sunday lately. I admitted to that in my last post, actually.After that last post I promised myself that I would stop making up excuses to miss mass, no matter what the circumstances are. This week, I luckily kept my promise and heard the gospel that I really needed to hear.
Today's gospel was the parable of the lost son. In the parable, a father has two sons. The younger son goes to his father and asks for his share of the inheritance, which his father gives to him without question, and then he leaves. The son squandered his money, and soon the distant land he had traveled to became stricken by a great famine. This famine caused the son to experience great loss and hunger, and he resorted to working in the same way he would have on his father's own farm, except that on this farm he did not receive at all what he would have had he stayed with his father.
The son then decides to return to his father for forgiveness, knowing that he was unworthy. Then, something miraculous happens, his father sees him approaching from far off, and runs to him and embraces him with love. The son explains to his father how sorry he is, and without question the father decides that even after all his son has done to him, it is time for a celebration. Celebration is necessary because his son once was lost, and now he is found.
I don't know about you, but I have a hard time forgiving people once they have done something to sever our relationship, and this is usually over something silly, like telling me the biggest secrets of my favorite TV show. (I know, I know, very stupid.) As I write this post I'm sitting in the CC's on Perkins road, and a man just walked in and asked each person within the building if they could spare three dollars. The man was obviously homeless. I wish I could tell you that I gave him something... but I did not. All I could do after he left was watch him walk down Perkins road with his small Walmart bag containing a box of cereal and a B-quick cup and wonder where he was going... wonder if he has someone to care for him... and wonder if he knows that there is a God who loves him and cares about him and truly cherishes him. How could he know this though, if I call myself a Christian and didn't do a single thing to help him. I don't believe in giving homeless people money for various reasons, but I could have bought him something to eat. I could have done something. I'm not making this up, and I'm taking as a sign from God to help me write the rest of this post. I don't know what happened in this man's life, I don't know where he came from, and I don't even know if he has a family. Since I passed up the opportunity to help him though, all I can do now is pray for him and hope someone else will have the courage to do what I did not.
I suppose the way that this happening ties into my post is like this. Life is too short to not forgive. Maybe this man came from a normal home, with a normal family, attended a normal school, and his life just took a bad turn like many others. (I won't try to define "normal" here, that's a whole post for another day.) All I know is that any one of you reading this post could end up like that poor man one day. Alone and afraid. We never know what turn our life may take at any given moment, so why should we waste it away holding grudges over silly, or even serious things?
Another part of the gospel today was the story of a Sheppard who leaves his heard of 99 sheep in the middle of the desert, to go out and find his one that was lost, just like God does for us. Even when we are lost, far away from Christ, or whatever the circumstances may be, he will always find us. Even though we are the ones who have to stretch out our hands, his hands are already there waiting to hold us. Just like the hands of the father when his son returned to him at last.
This gospel could be understood in two retrospects. One, the obvious, that God truly cherishes us and rejoices over our expressed love for him even when we have chosen to distance ourself from him. The beauty in our imperfection is that even when we fail, Christ is waiting with open arms to receive us again.The other, that we need to work on forgiveness ourselves. We are called to forgive as Christ does. We are called to help those in need.
The reason that I am so mad at myself for not helping this man is quite simple. I understand that it's dangerous for a girl my age to interact with a homeless man, considering that I don't know what he is capable of, but in Romania I would have not hesitated for an instant if anyone asked for my help. I was so ready to give everything I had to help the people there, but I couldn't even do something as simple as buying this man a bite to eat. I understand that the circumstances are different when your not in an an extremely impoverished country, but I could have done SOMETHING. I'm so ashamed of myself for not helping this man because I profess love and help for those in need, but when it came down to actually doing it, I was scared and afraid and nervous to help this man, and most of all I was hypocritical. Something that I HATE. I was hypocritical because I am always so willing to help with Romania, but when faced with poverty in my own country I chose not to help.
All I can do is hope and pray that in these months remaining before I leave again, I can really grow in my faith and reach the point that I do not stereotype people like I did to this man. God is showing me so much though these experiences, and this journey is truly a blessing. I pray that we can all grow in our relationships with Christ, and I pray that we can all (Including myself) separate oursleves from the stereotypes that our society places on those who are in more need than any other. If you are finding yourself in the same situation as me, I suggest that you listen to the words of this song and really ask that God inspire you to make a difference in the life of someone. It came on Pandora while I was writing this post, God is just SO FUNNY! :)
And I'll leave you all with this quote by Mother Teresa:
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
- Katie :)
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
- Katie :)
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