Good day after two days that started out stormy and ended up beautiful. Yesterday began so foggy we couldn’t see the lake and I couldn’t see the traffic light at 48th street as I drove to 8am Saturday daily Mass. The day that dawned foggy and chilly became gorgeous, sunny and warm. Go figure. After squalling rains and street flooding, Mother Nature tried to "make up" and we enjoyed a warm sunny afternoon and were able to get some outside cleanup done and drive to Fort Lauderdale for a submarine veterans meeting. This morning started the same. Heavy winds and rain all done by 830 am and warm enough to hang laundry at noon.
When making New Years resolutions, this year, inspired by the witness of our brother-friend Charlie Paparelli, I pledged not to make any "plans" like "I will serve here, I will do this for others," rather I will wait for God to put the needy in front of me. And when we make a pledge like that… we better be ready! Like not being worried that horrible weather will ruin our day… Just go on with being kind and joyful. God will arrange. In the last few days in church readings, we have read about two tax collectors whom Jesus called. Zacchaeus who was a tax collector was so short that he got up into a tree to see Jesus. I think he might have said he wanted to "see this guy who is going to restore the Kingdom of David and set things right. Anyway, he heals the sick and gives sight to the blind." But what does Jesus do? Jesus called Zacchaeus and said, "I must stay at your house." Yikes! can you imagine a call like that? And we haven’t planned for that! And the only thing Jesus did was sit and eat and BE a Presence in the tax collector’s house with a Presence both compelling and beautiful and full of love. No swords, no pension plans. Just, "Come." The other call, to Levi, was pretty much the same. Tax collectors earned a lot of money and Levi just got a finger pointed his way, "Come." Gulp. In the Saturday morning homily, our priest started with a question, "What if I asked you to give up your day job. Give up high salary and come serve here at the church. As you know, we can’t pay too much as we have debt and have to take care of the poor". "Come". Another Big Gulp. Well, I thought, I don’t have a job, but this applies to me too for when he calls he means, come now, give up all the old sin (now a days we don’t like to talk about sin….) OK give up the uncharitable ways. Give up the meanness. Give up the gossip. Open your heart to goodness, kind thoughts, to calling the Name of Jesus and believing he is the Son of God. Another unpopular thing to do today. Humble ourselves in a very material and "politically proper" world. A worldly world. The open heart of Jesus calls hearts. Once we follow, and it is often at great cost because we might get ridiculed and lose some worldly esteem, we can’t go back. Enjoy God’s beauty this amazing day. God bless you.