Consubstantial with the Father

I witnessed an amazing thing the other day.  A Friar had passed away suddenly, and they held his funeral, at his home parish.  Why, you may ask?  Let me see if I can explain it.

            This man lived his life simply.  He followed the vows of the order, poverty, chastity, and obedience.  This was a man that was the most humble that I have ever met.  He didn’t want accolades, he didn’t want his name called, he didn’t want a thank you.  He wanted to thank God, for being able to help.  He found God in everything, from his fish tanks, to birds, to his plants, at home, and the parish.  He spent hours taking care of Gods creatures, young, and old, human, and animal alike.

            I went to this viewing, partly out of obligation.  I had not really spent a lot of time with him while I was in High School, where he served as a guidance counselor.  I had really only seen him a handful of times, since I graduated ten years ago; but something inside me told me I should go, that I should see this.  So I put on a dress shirt, hopped in my car, and drove to Rosedale.  What I found there was amazing.

            There must have been 400 people in the church, if not more.  Here is a man that never would have believed it.  Hundreds of people came out to say goodbye.  People that had not seen him in years: people that had not spoken to him more then once or twice.  This man had touched their lives.  As I stood outside of the church, in the line that was formed to get in the church, I could do nothing but smile.  This Friar gave his life to God, and Gods work, and in the end God showed us how many lives, one soul can touch. 

            Eternal rest grant unto him, o’ Lord, and let Perpetual Light shine upon him!

The journey of 40 days, begins with one step...

Many of us sacrifice like the little girl who, after hearing a Lenten sermon on sacrifice, decided to give up something for this special religious season.  Her mother said “you know, it should be something that you really like.”  The little girl thought for a moment and then said, with a twinkle in her eye, “Well, Mom, I guess it will have to be Sunday School, ‘cause I like that better than anything else.”

            With the start of this Lenten season, what are we going to give up?  There are many loop holes to this practice, which many of us use.  If you are over 65 or not yet confirmed, you do not have to do this.  Also, if you count the days between today, and the start of the Triduum, there are more then 40 days.  The reason for this is that Sundays do not count in Lent.  Sunday is the day of rest, so whatever you give up for Lent, you can have on Sundays.

            I wish I would have known all of this when I could have taken advantage of it, alas, I have been confirmed, and 65 is a long way off.  I read something on Shrove Tuesday, this year.  If he reads this, he will know it is from him.  Jesus didn’t leave the desert on Sundays to have candy.  Does it seem fair to give up something for 6 days?  Is that really that heard.  Jesus spent 40 days, in a desert, preparing for the coming of the trials of Good Friday, and the Joy of Easter.  In this period of Lent, can we sacrifice, just a little bit, to get us right.  Maybe you don’t give something up. Maybe you try praying.  That Rosary is pretty, but it does have a use.  Don’t know how to pray?  Ask God to help you.  Guess what? You just prayed.      

Listen for Gods voice, meditate, volunteer, feed the hungry, donate to a charity, read to a sick person, visit the elderly, write a letter to the troops, or God forbid, even go to church.  Remember, “Anything that you did for the lesser of my children, you did for me.”  You never know, you may just feel a little bit better, at the end of this Lenten season.