WHAT DOES GOD SEE LOOKING DOWN AT US?
What God sees looking down on us is summarized in today's gospel. "God so loved the world that he sent his only Son. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." Those words are a re-affirmation of the words recorded in the Book of Genesis. "God created mankind in his image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." "God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good."
(1) The first thing today's gospel teaches us is that it was God who loved us first and sent his Son because he loved us. (2) The second thing today's gospel shows us is that God is not acting for his own sake, but for our sake, not to satisfy his desire for power, not to bring a universe to heel, but to satisfy his urge to love. God is presented to us as a Father who cannot be happy until his wandering children have come home to him. (3) The third thing today's gospel shows us is the width of God's love. It is not a single nation that he loves. It is not only the people who love him that he loves. It is not only the people who love him back that he loves. He loves the whole world! He loves the unlovable and the unlovely. He loves the one who loves God and the one who never thinks of God. He loves the one who basks in the love of God and the one who spurns the love of God. As St. Augustine put it, "God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love." God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but because he wanted to show that he loved it! Because he loved us so much, he wanted to save us from our own self-destruction!
Because people do not seem to understand the concept of "the unconditional love of God for us," they keep reverting to their "sinners in the hands of an angry God" theology which promotes a stern, angry, unforgiving God, rather than a gentle, loving and forgiving God. So many so-called "believers" still think that if the "unconditional love of God for us" is preached convincingly then people will start doing anything they want to do and all hell will break loose! They believe that preaching the "fear of God" is the only way to motivate them to change and keep them in check! That's sad indeed and it's wrong! The truth of the matter is that God looks down on us with great love - always has and always will!
WHAT DO I SEE LOOKING OUT AT YOU?
As I look out at the congregations of St. Frances of Rome and St. Leonard every weekend, I don't just see a crowd! I see you! I see individuals! In a sea of mostly gray hair, some individuals stand out: young families with small children, immigrants, widows and widowers, special needs children, struggling youth, racial minorities, old people with canes and walkers and even military personnel sometimes.
I pray especially for those married couples in church with 1,2,3,4 or more kids in tow. They have given up their own comfort and convenience and have committed themselves to becoming servants of their children for several years. They provide them with food, shelter, health care, entertainment, education and protection. They cook for them. They do their laundry, cut their hair or take them to the barber shop, shop for their clothes, meet with their teachers, wash and maintain the family car and teach them how to use technology properly. They take them to endless sports events, make costumes for Halloween and take them Trick or Treating, help them with their homework, serve on boards and committees, take them to the doctor, fund extra-curricular activities, bake cakes, muffins and cookies on demand for school and parish events, volunteer at church, look after their own elderly parents, celebrate their birthdays, decorate the house for holidays, help them with Sacramental Preparation, get things repaired and try to keep things running smoothly around the house.
I pray especially for the older parishioners, especially widows, widowers and those who are single either by choice, circumstance or divorce. I pray for the immigrants who still struggle to adapt and find their way. I pray for the sick, the home-bound and those in institutions like prisons, hospitals, nursing homes and the military.
As I look out and see immigrants, I am reminded to pray for them and my many friends in other countries around the world. Because I was lucky enough to lead over 150 priest convocations in 10 countries and because I was lucky enough to establish the "World Priest" program at St. Meinrad serving priests and seminarians from several more countries serving in the US, I know people from around the world and hear from many of them especially around the holidays. I intentionally and regularly pray for them and their families especially that they will be spared the cruelty of anti-immigrant words, deeds and policies.
I pray with a special intensity for youth and young adults, especially those who are bullied, those confused about their sexual identity, those who have been abused, those with low self-esteem, those who are lonely, those battling addictions, those who suffer from debilitating physical conditions including obesity and those who risk life and limbs serving in the military. I pray that they will choose to embrace the church especially when they grow into adulthood and settle down.
I SEE YOU AND I PRAY FOR MY OWN ABILITY TO INSPIRE YOU
I pray for my own ability to inspire people to be better disciples through my words from the pulpit, through my efforts to give them the best quality service I can give them and through my example as a friendly and compassionate person at the door when they arrive and leave Mass.
I pray especially for my own good health. So far, so good! I am lucky. Realizing that I am lucky, I also pray that if I do have some serious health issues coming up, I will somehow be able to model for others how to handle pain and suffering with as much poise and grace as possible like I have witnessed many of them handling.
Besides my past blessings and present good health, I pray with deepest gratitude for my faith, my vocation and what I already have materially. I do not pray for a bigger house, a newer car, a better job, a better family, another vacation or even for more income. I find myself "satisfied" with what I already have and for the people who already love me. I pray that you do too!
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