MOVING ON

October 28, 2015

MOVING ON

            Paul, previously an enemy of the Good News, was transformed into its champion.  He couldn’t wait to tell all the Jews that the long wait was over. The Messiah-The One who was to come-had actually come.  But he was to be seriously disappointed.  Most of the Jews were uninterested and downright hostile to both him and Jesus.  Finally, Paul had enough:

            “Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted, blasphemed and abused him, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." (Acts: 18-6)

            Paul finds himself in the same place most of us do at some point in life when we suffer loss.  It doesn’t matter what occasioned the loss, the feeling of emptiness is the same. Eventually though you hear the phrase “you have to move on”.   For the second time Paul found himself starting over. How often did he look back over his shoulder and wonder if he did the right thing?  How often did he think that he had failed? Moving on is not so easy.  You can cut the ties but the cut ends follow you around for quite awhile.  Paul comes off as supremely self-confident but every so often he refers to his sadness.  To accept what is and move on is one of the hardest things in life.  Paul bears the pain but moves on because he realizes that what he must do is more important than how he feels.  To move on is to look to the future with the sure knowledge that God is with us.  We have to stop asking why and start asking what next?  There is a reason that you live.  You may not understand but rest assured there is one.                   Psalm 18 strengthens me and perhaps will do the same for you.

I love you, Lord my God,

You are my rock and my fortress.

My deliverer is my God,

I take refuge in Him,

My rock, my shield, my saving strength,

My stronghold, my place of refuge.

I call to the Lord and I am saved.

Fill my heart with your strength, O Lord.

With love,

Carol Lemelin OPA

MEASUREMENTS

OCTOBER 20, 2015

MEASUREMENTS

            On a recent weekend in upper New York State, a forester and a few interested parties attempted to measure the size of an ancient Sycamore Tree. The tree is estimated to be about 200 years old.  Unfortunately the only way to get an accurate measure is to cut the tree down and count its rings, which would be ridiculous.  Finally, after hours climbing the immense branches and measuring their girth and width for hours, they still didn’t have what could be called a true measure.

They finally gave us and declared the tree to be immeasurable.  Someday they will figure out how to take that measurement but other things really are immeasurable: a mother’s love, the depth of grief, or the urge to self-preservation.   

            Beyond those things is the love of God. It is immeasurable, unfathomable and undeniable.  Often though, our prayers reflect what seems to be doubt that God hears us.  We are so wrapped up in our own world worrying about everything, questioning everything, and doubting the future that we fail to embrace that knowledge.  Jesus said, “I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” (Jn10: 10) It was reported at the Synod on the Family in Rome that the Holy Father is the happiest person there, serene in his absolute trust in the power of the Holy Spirit.  That is what it means to have life and have it more abundantly. 

            When the life we live overwhelms us God seems so remote.  The knowledge that God is anything but remote has sustained people through the most harrowing events but everyone has to learn it for him or herself.   The 46^th Psalm advises: “Be still, and know that I am God.”  Start there.  To be truly still in this century of constant distraction disguised as communication is a challenge. We begin by simply thinking about God.  How we view God, what we expect from God, what we are willing to do to bring ourselves closer to Him. Acknowledge that God understands us. He knows us better than we know ourselves.  He speaks to us in our own words.  His presence can be felt.  We must immerse ourselves into it to find the full measure of that peace we so desperately seek.

With love,

Carol Lemelin, OPA

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

October 14, 2015

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

            When a police officer hears this from a driver pulled over for a clear violation of traffic laws they must be tempted to quote Bugs Bunny and say:  “What a maroon!”  This happens when a person’s ego gets so big they think they are above the law.  When this kind of thing hits the press everyone laughs at the arrogance of the driver.  But if we are honest we know we all like to think of ourselves as important.  Everyone has an ego.   

            When standing before the High Priest, the Sanhedrin and Pilate, Jesus, the only person who ever lived who had the right to say, “Do you know who I am”, did not. The humility of Christ under circumstances, which he could have put and end to in a flash, shines a light on our petty desire for attention.

            The powers in charge in Jerusalem at that time knew full well what Jesus was capable of.  The reports of miracles He performed were widely circulated and not just by mobs of gullible people, but credible witnesses.  Many people were afraid of Christ because of the power He revealed.  I’ve always wondered at the monumental egoism of those leaders and wonder why weren’t they afraid of Him?  Maybe because He didn’t fight back and showed no ego at all because He was strengthened by the Holy Spirit. There is a school of thought that holds that Judas wanted to force Jesus to show his power to these people but the real tragedy of Judas is that he did not understand Jesus or his mission any more than they did.

            For those of us who profess to follow Christ and want to spread the Gospel, the lack of ego is critical especially when it comes to sharing faith.  The only way evangelization has any impact is if the evangelizer is kind, patient, understanding and free of ego.  A tall order for most of us but Christ has shown us the way by his life and His behavior that fateful day.

            As we attempt to share faith we must remember that the Holy Spirit is the driving force, we are just the instruments. 

T.S. Eliot wrote: “For us there is only the trying.  The rest is none of our business.”

With love,

Carol Lemelin, OPA

THE NEIGHBOR

October 7, 2015

THE NEIGHBOR

“Who is the victim’s neighbor?”

“The one who showed him mercy.”

“Go and do likewise.”

(Luke 10:37)

            The Good Samaritan is so iconic that there are some who don’t even know it comes from Scripture.  All they know is that people aren’t supposed to ignore it when other people are in trouble and they can help.  In most civilized nations there are laws, which make it a crime to ignore people in trouble.  In the U.S. it’s called depraved indifference.   I know something about good Samaritans because one raised me.  My father was a fireman. 

            The tendency to help is actually active in most people.  What keeps us from acting is usually fear - fear of getting hurt, fear of making a mistake, fear of looking foolish and so we just stand by. 

            In this parable Jesus does not pass judgment on those who don’t step up because that was not the point.  The point Jesus makes is that we have to think of everyone as our neighbor. If that belief is absent then the impulse to help is inactive anyway. 

            Part of the problem is the word neighbor − sister or brother is better.  In the thesaurus lots of synonyms for neighbor pop up but they are cold.  A neighbor is at arm’s length, while a sibling is close to the heart.  Jesus was talking to people who absolutely abhorred the Samaritans on religious grounds and literally wouldn’t cross the street to help one.

            The parallels in our own communities make the heart ache.  How many of us who profess to follow Jesus is like the man who ticked off the commandments to Jesus, self-righteously proclaiming that he followed them all?  Jesus expects more from us and the message to the young man has rung down through the centuries.  “Follow me.” To do this requires making a conscious effort at all times to see the people around us as… well, as us!

With love,

Carol Lemelin OPA