Martha

The Gospel today at Mass tells the story of Martha and Mary. They were sisters, and they and their brother Lazarus were good friends of Jesus. The story in todays Gospel tells of a time when Jesus came to visit. Many friends had been invited over. The two sisters behaved quite differently. Mary sat at Jesus' feet to hear what He had to say, while Martha ran around the house getting things ready, cleaning, and being a good host. She quickly got angry that Mary was not doing the same;

“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”

We all can relate to Martha. We spend our days and nights so busy...we work towards our goals, we try to reach our dreams, and we look at other people who are just sitting there, not doing anything, and victory seems to be theirs. Even Jesus tells Martha, "Mary has chosen the better part." Jesus sides with the lazy one, the one who just sits there and success comes to her. He favors the one who just seems to ride wave of life, and the good fortune that fate seems to have dealt her. Yes, Martha is "worried about many things", much like you and I. Life is not easy is it? In fact it's damn hard. We have our dreams, and hopes, and everyday smacking us in the face is reality. We have bills to pay, jobs to maintain and excel at, relationships to foster, lovers to satisfy, and friendships to hold on to. On top of that we have the surprises that come along; car problems, broken phones, banking mistakes, leaky roofs, flooded basements, and everything in between. Parents have children who get sick, it seems to be just endless.

So why does Jesus side with Mary, who seemingly has nothing to worry about. He is making a statement, that to sit at His feet is the better part. Mary has chosen to sit and hear the words of the Savior rather then run around the house trying to be hospitable. At the end of the day, to hear the words of life from the mouth of the Lord is much more meaningful then the petty worldly concerns that Martha has committed herself to.

When I was in Seminary this message is exactly what I would have proclaimed from the pulpit. That we allow ourselves to become slaves to the world, when what matters is the life to come with the Lord. Today however that message is different. Now that I live in the real world, I think that any man who trys to tell me that from a pulpit has alot of nerve, because frankly...life is not that easy.

What the story does not tell however is what Mary did in the background. I presume that she did her share before Jesus arrived, and then just put the rest in His hands. You see, there comes a point where we have done all that we can. There's a point when we just can't do anymore. We have worked as hard as we can to reach our goals, we do the best we can at work, we deal with each challenge that comes along with as much dignity and strength as we possibly can. . . and we have to put the rest in the hands of something bigger then ourselves. I call it God, some call it fate, some call it hope.

We have to draw strength from the areas we have gotten right. We have to lean on our partners who we love more then anything, on our friends who we are proud to have in our lives, and on the successes that we have managed to get under our belts. You see, in the story Martha went wrong because she stopped working. Jesus didn't tell Martha to settle down, or call her out on her business. She stopped. She stopped what she was doing and tried to get Jesus to see her frustration. She stopped working so she could point the finger at someone else who seemingly wasn't pulling her load.

Mary chose the better part, because she did the best she could, and then let it rest. May we all take the lesson from the story of Martha and Mary. We need to stop worrying about everybody else. We can't compare ourselves to other people. We can only do our very best, armed with the love of those who support us, and the lessons we have already learned, once we do our very best, we will be amazed at the fruits of our labor.

Come Away and Rest

This week in the Gospel, Jesus invites his followers "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." I have decided to heed that advice by taking a few days off from work. As I begin my gradual escape from the city, I do so with a spirit of contemplation, and a light heart.

What is it about Birthdays that makes us so excited? Maybe it's the victory that we feel inside for surviving another year. Maybe it's the joy of having something to celebrate in a life that is filled with so many challenges, disappointments, and struggles. Maybe it gives us a chance to stop thinking about ourselves, and focus on someone else, even if it's just for a day.

Birthdays are always a time to think. A time to celebrate the accomplishments of the last year...no matter how small. It's a time to think about the impact we have had on others, and a time to set goals for the year to come.

My 25th birthday was celebrated in the company of good friends, in the Eternal City of Rome. I remember standing on the roof of the Minerva Hotel, and looking out over the city of Rome, I whispered a silent prayer to God. A prayer that will only be answered in God's time. It's like that silent unspoken wish that we make when we blow out the candles on the birthday cake. God did answer a part of that prayer, in Joshua.

Today Joshua blows out the candles on his cake. He utters those silent prayers and supplications to God. He wishes for all the blessings and opportunities that God has in store for him this year. Happy Birthday Joshua. I pray that all of your dreams and wishes come true. Thank you for making one of my wishes come true, and I pray that this is the first of many birthdays that we will celebrate together. As they say in Latin, "Ad Multos Gloriosque Anos!!"

Goodbyes

Have you ever said goodbye to a friend? We all have. There are any number of reasons why a friend leaves a fold, to return home, to move away from home, work, or just a need for change, whatever the reason is...we have all had that moment, that TV sitcom moment where we hug a friend, and realize we have no idea when we will see them again. That moment when some sappy song plays in our head as various moments and memories pass through our minds, of that person through the years as we say goodbye.

This weekend the Providence Community says goodbye to someone who has become one of our own. Ty. I think until the onset of Facebook, many people didn't even know his last name. He was simply, "Ty", and we all knew him. We all have memories with Ty, and I would wager that we could each write an entire blog filled memories of times with Ty. I personally have many such memories. Those memories range from Downtown Providence, to the Beach, Randolf Country Club, Twin River, Parties, Restaurants, and everything in between. To me he was a very special friend, who I know I will miss dearly. That's why I wanted to write a blog about him. You see, Ty is one of my best friends...and he is one of the few people in the world about whom many people can say that. For most of us, our friendships with Ty began over a cocktail, and a lot of laughs. For nearly all of us, it grew into more then that.

We all joke about each other all the time, when one of us has too much to drink. We like to point fingers at each other about someone being "a drunken mess", or what have you...well we have all been there...and one of the joys of Ty is that he is always the first person to laugh at himself, and if he laughs at you, he's usually sitting with you, and your laughing along with him. That's not because he thinks life is a joke, it's because he realizes that so much of our lives is dark, and heavy, and stressful...so let's look on the lighter side whenever we possibly can.

It is all together appropriate that the Gospel this coming weekend talks about Jesus sending the Disciples out into the world, to spread the Christian message, and further the spread of the Gospel. He instructs them to go out into the world, with no money, armed with nothing but their faith. His instructions to them are clear, "Wherever you go, enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them."

Ty carries with him the message of Christ everywhere he goes. The message of Christ is unconditional love, and he carries nothing but love, in his smile, his kindness, his laugh, and his spirit. I don't think I've ever ordered a round of shots with him next to me, and actually paid for it, because he either A. orders first, or B. slaps his money down on the bar first. At fundraisers, and benefits we have all heard him scream, "it's for charity!!" And certainly any one of us who is a bartender in this town, cannot even begin to consider arguing his generosity.

This generosity is never limited to money. I remember sitting at my computer one Saturday afternoon, lost because of a relationship that had just fallen to pieces around me. . . and it felt like my life was in just as may pieces. Ty was online at the same time, fifteen minutes later we were walking down Snow Street, and he was listening to my every tear. He has sat by my side at Church, and joined me in prayer on Church days that he knew were important to me. When I was out of work, he set me up with shifts at his work, literally putting money in my pocket when I was counting Nickels.

You see, that is the life of Christ in the everyday real world. There are the Mother Theresas and the Pope John Pauls, and the heroes of Church history. Then there are the everyday, normal folks, who live the same message, and don't even realize they are doing it...because it's just who they are. These are the people that are the face of Jesus Christ, in our everyday life. No doubt wherever Ty goes in this world, and throughout the course of his life, he will enter peoples homes, hearts, and lives with that spirit of joy that defines his very nature, and in places where it is not welcome, he will walk away...and it will be that place's loss.

Now he leaves us...he has entered "the house of our hearts", and indeed he has stayed there as Jesus said. However he will stay with us when he leaves. Through the years Ty has been for me a very dear friend. We will all miss him, and weather you say goodbye to him at DownCity on Saturday night, or at State on Sunday pray that it is not the last hug. It certainly better not be the last cocktail!

Stars and Stripes Forever

Nothing is free in this world. Usually the things of most value come at the greatest cost. We know that from fashion, cars, homes, even alcohol...the higher the quality, the higher the price. Even non-tangible things cannot escape this most basic principle.

Love has a price. Sometimes we are forced to look at ourselves and acknowledge our shortcomings, and we end up making changes...but we don't mind doing it, because its love...and at the end of the day we are in fact grateful. In friendships, we often may have to eat crow a little bit, or sacrifice something...but again we do it with joy, and we don't mind doing it, because its for a friend. We prioritize things in our lives. We decline a night on the town, in favor of putting a hundred more dollars towards that vacation we want to go on. We opt to dine at home to put an extra fifty bucks towards that special night next week. We may stay in a cheap hotel on a weekend getaway, so we can have some extra money to spend while we are away. We make career choices that may mean less weekly income, but better long term results.

Our faith is no different. Monday was the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, two men who valued the Christian Faith of greater value then their own lives, and paid the ultimate price for the sake of the Gospel. Without their sacrifice, the Gospel message would have died with Christ, but they kept it alive, and carried to all corners of the Earth. Two thousand years later, men enter the Seminary, and pay a high price. They hand over their freedom, their opportunity to find love, and start a family, they hand over the possibility of living a life of worldly success, all in the name of that same goal...that same High Price Item...Faith.

The same is certainly said of Freedom. Saturday is the Fourth of July, and we remember the centuries of men and women who ever single day put their lives on the line, and so many have paid that ultimate price...for freedom. For our freedom.

What about us? What price is too high for us to be willing to pay? President Obama called on students at Notre Dame University to consider this very question. He reminded them that 163 graduating classes sat in the same seats as them. Many did so in years of great prosperity, and many others did so in years of great peace. He reminded them;

"You, however, are not getting off that easy. Your class has come of age at a moment of great consequence for our nation and the world - a rare inflection point in history where the size and scope of the challenges before us require that we remake our world to renew its promise; that we align our deepest values and commitments to the demands of a new age. It is a privilege and a responsibility afforded to few generations - and a task that you are now called to fulfill."

The president's words to the graduating class of Notre Dame can be spoken to any American today. Not only in the view of our National challenges, but even in our everyday lives. What price are we willing to pay for the things that we want? I don't mean just the cars, computers, novelties, and dinners either. How much are we willing to pay for happiness? How much are we willing to sacrifice? For the ones we love, that answer is easy. We are willing to sacrifice anything, even our pride, for the ones we love. Just like it was a no brainer for Peter and Paul, and those men and women of the Military, it's a no brainer for us to give 110 percent for the ones we love. But what about the more difficult decisions?

What price are we willing to pay to achieve our goals? How much are we willing to spend, of our very selves, to see our dreams come true. My mind wanders to another hero who is honored this week. Father Bert Richman was the priest at my home Parish during my very formative High School years. I have spoken of him before. He was the reason I entered the Seminary. He was like a second father to me. We talked about nearly everything that ever passed through my mind. He taught me my faith, but he did so through his daily life. When I was in my first year of Seminary his fight with Cancer became insurmountable. The treatments had destroyed him, and even when his feet were numb, and he could no longer stand, he sacrificed his pride and allowed us to hold him upright so that he could celebrate the Sacraments. On July 3rd, 2000 Almighty God relieved him of his torture, and called him home to Himself. The day he entered Seminary he gave his life to the Church, for the sake of the Gospel, and his faith...and every moment that he lived until his final breath that fateful day, was a monument to his faith, the Gospel, and the Christian life.

The lesson that Father Bert, Peter and Paul, and the men and women of our Armed Forces teach me is that no price is too high for something that really matters. We are the ones who have to decide what matters, and what is worth a price that high. Are our goals, our hopes, our dreams...are they worth that much? Are they so highly valued that we cannot place a price on them? That was the way I felt when I was in Seminary, that's why I worked so hard to reach my Ordination Day, until little by little it felt like I was chasing a shadow, instead of a goal. That's when we loose hope, that's when our hearts turn to despair, and depression...when the value of these things drop, and we are willing to spend less and less...and we start to settle.

Nothing in this world is free. As we push towards the hope of Summer (even though it should be a third of the way over already), I hope none of us ever forget that. It's only been recently that I have started to discover these high priced things in my own life. It's only in the last 6 months or so, that I have a drive again...for the first time since seminary...to achieve a goal, to reach for dreams, and to be willing to pay those prices for what matters. In realizing these things in ourselves, we can find hope, energy, and a strong drive for what matters. It drove Peter and Paul to persevere through persecution, a fight they did not abandon even when faced with execution. It drove Fr. Bert in his battle with Cancer. It drove, and continues to drive, our Armed Forces. The words of our President are true, each moment of our lives is "a rare inflection point in history", in our history. Each challenge, each speed bump, each reward, and every downfall, is an opportunity to move closer, to take a step. Every moment of everyday we make another payment on that price tag...because nothing in this world is free.