Whose Wealth Is It?

This evening, I enjoyed watching part of the movie, "Anna and the King," based upon the 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam, drawn loosely from the diaries of Mrs. Anna Leonowens, an English tutor to the children of the king of Siam (now Thailand).  One of my favorite scenes is the banquet given for the visiting British ambassador.  The sheer opulence, grand scale, and overwhelming beauty of the outdoor candlelit feast are utterly breathtaking!  I marveled at the depth of the wealth and comfort available to the king of Siam and the British upper class.

I thought how vastly distant it was from my own ordinary existence.

Then, I went into my kitchen and, without thinking, turned on my Keurig machine from Massachusetts and in three minutes had a cup of hot tea -- in a cup made in Italy, with tea leaves from India, sugar from Brazil, and cream from Florida, which I stirred with a silver spoon from Sheffield, England and sipped down scalding hot while eating fresh raspberries from California.  All within the comfort and privacy of my own comfortably air-conditioned home.

Hm.

Now, who's wealthy?  Materially, that is.

Often, I'll remind my children that, as Americans, in general, we are fortunate to live a more affluent lifestyle than roughly 93% of the world's population.  Or are we?  Fortunate, that is.  With great wealth comes great responsibility.  "Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." (Luke 12:48b)

We have more.  Are we giving more?  As a country, I would argue yes.  As an individual, that's entirely up to each of us.

While visiting the United States, Mother Teresa was asked why our country had so few religious vocations.  It was said she paused thoughtfully, then replied, "You have too much."

Mother Teresa went on to say on another occasion,

"The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give.  But the less you have, the more free you are.  Poverty for us [the Missionaries of Charity] is a freedom. It is not mortification, a penance.  It is joyful freedom.  There is no television here, no this, no that. But we are perfectly happy."

I am first in the line of those who need to be less preoccupied with material things and more focused on spiritual things from above.  For while I'm certain God isn't displeased with the security and comfort both my husband and I work hard to provide for our young family, I'm equally certain (and rather embarrassed before Him) that He's not entirely pleased with the low spot on my daily To Do List to which I hastily and frequently relegate "my" time for prayer, adoration, Mass, or just sitting quietly with HIM.

Just as my material blessings are not entirely my own (just ask Job), so too are neither my time nor my spiritual blessings solely my own either.  Remember?  God put us on this Earth, "to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven." 

Whatever we have at our disposal, whether it be material wealth and comfort or spiritual gifts, we are meant to put these things at God's disposal, allowing them to be used as HE sees fit...which may not necessarily be as WE see fit.

Take a few moments this Sunday.  Take a step back.  Look at what you have.  Evaluate how you can make yourself, your soul, your time, your actions, and your blessings be even more of a blessing to those around you.

Start small.

- Pray specifically for someone.
- Stop to pray one extra time today.
- Put another dollar in the collection basket.
- Give your child an extra hug just because you love him.
- Make that casserole you've been meaning to make for your elderly, pregnant, or ill neighbor or friend.
- Donate a few extra belongings to your local thrift shop.
- Finish the dishes, then go laugh in the sprinkler with your younger children, or sit down to laugh and play cards with the older ones.
- Look up who the Saint Of The Day is.  Read for two minutes about that person.
- Pick up the phone and graciously call that relative or friend with whom you've had recent or long-standing difficulty.
- Cut that check you've been mulling over!  Add an extra zero before the decimal point and mail it out Monday to your church, your local pregnancy center, or whichever charity inspires you.  

Remember, "Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." (Luke 6:38)

And, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, and see if I do not open the floodgates of heaven for you, and pour down upon you blessing without measure!" (Malachi 3:10)

(As an added bonus, read this beautiful treatise on, "Stewardship: A Discipleship of Love," by Bishop Victor B. Galeone, formerly of the Diocese of St. Augustine, FL.).

Famous Thoughts: Faith in Times of Trial

I recently received this e-mail message from a friend, and couldn't have phrased her niece's nor her sentiments any better, in terms of remaining faithful in times of trial.  Thank you, Christine!

Dear faithful prayer warriors -- Thank you!

Your prayers for my niece in Oklahoma were answered abundantly! One year ago, she foolishly chased after her irate boyfriend, fell beneath his truck, and was run over as he backed up. She has not only survived a crushed pelvis and many other injuries, she has gained a deep faith and understanding! She has come home, healed her relationship with her mother and God, found a full time job teaching dance at a Christian dance studio, and is being a wonderful mother to her two young children. Wow, Lord. Wow!

Here is her posting this morning from Facebook:

It was one year ago today that my life was changed forever. I experienced the greatest pain I have ever known (and yes... getting run over by a deisel truck hurts more than childbirth). But as strange as it sounds, I am glad that it happened. God had to break my body to heal my soul, and bring me into a place in my life where I am happier than I have ever been! So to anyone out there who is enduring hardships, have faith! He has a plan!

Just thought you'd like to know :-)

Blessings,

Christine

Let's read that again, folks:

"God had to break my body to heal my soul." 

Isn't that beautiful?  And sooooo true?

Isn't that what He does to us?  St. Teresa of Avila famously said, "Lord, if this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few."  She suffered numerous long-term physical and spiritual trials.

Isn't that what He does for us?  C.S. Lewis famously said, "You don't have a soul.  You are a soul.  You have a body."  Jesus sacrificed everything and truly is present in the tabernacle and on the altar, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  Isn't that what it takes, the whole enchilada, body and soul?  Even for God?

Isn't that true of suffering and sacrifice for all of us?  My father famously said, "Maria, you never know what people are going through."  Everyone is suffering in some way.  It's the human condition.  No one's life is without trial.  Physical suffering can affect your spiritual life, and spiritual suffering can affect your physical health.

I don't know what suffering, insult, challenge, difficulty, hurdle, or otherwise seemingly insurmountable trial you secretly are enduring right now, big or small.

But I do know that God ALWAYS is faithful.

He ALWAYS is with you.

And He ALWAYS will strengthen you.

Isn't that why He's there?  To try us like gold in the furnace (Proverbs 17:3), and then lift us from the flames, so we are fit to join Him in our ultimate destination of Heaven?  Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta famously said, "I know God won't give me anything I can't handle.  I just wish He didn't trust me so much."

God might be testing you, but He also is trusting you.  Trusting, hoping, knowing that you will exercise your free will and remain faithful to Him, even in the face of trial.

Remember, He made you!  And why did He make you?  To know, love, and serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in Heaven.

And that's what life is all about, Charlie Brown.

On Darkness

I think the dark times in our lives, be they sin or suffering, sometimes can descend upon us like a proverbial ton of bricks, especially when it’s an event that’s initially out of our control.  Like hail the size of golf balls in a hail storm, sin or suffering can pound us vigorously, relentlessly, shockingly painfully, all at once.  In these instances, I simply cringe and curl up inside in a fetal position, mentally and emotionally holding on tight until the stinging beating stops and I can squint one eye open to survey the damage and assess what needs to be done to clean up the shattered mess.

At other times, however, I think darkness seeps stealthily into our lives.  The common euphemism is that “darkness fell across the land,” or “night fell.”  But out here in the country where we live, night and darkness don’t “fall” from up high.  In fact, the sky above, dotted with faint stars, is the last thing to grow dark.

Instead, darkness seems to ooze up slowly from the lowlands, methodically and almost imperceptibly creeping up from the lake and the valley bottom, filling the hollows and underbrush from beneath, until every heretofore light and breezy pocket of space between the trees and hillocks is permeated and obscured with an increasingly thick, deep, inky, seemingly solid, blackness.  Where once there was light, quite suddenly there is rising darkness, like a black pool discreetly filling from below.

Sin and suffering in our lives can be like that, too.

Where once we were smiling and saying, “Life is good!” we find ourselves suddenly sad and enduring something we didn’t plan, something that only happens to other people.  Perhaps it’s suffering, which is out of our hands, something as monumental as the death of a parent or child.  Perhaps it’s sin, something seemingly insignificant that we did or didn’t do, that in fact was quite hurtful to a spouse or a friend.

That’s the worst kind – suffering brought on by sin.  Something we did or neglected to do, that was our own dumb fault, and we screwed it up anyway.  Maybe we didn’t even see or understand it at first, but it matasticized and grew, until it injurious effects were unmistakeable.  It got out of hand and suddenly became a source of discord in our lives, and in the lives of those around us.

“How did this happen?” we wonder, shaking our heads.  Sometimes we can feel like nobody understands.

Nobody else possibly can understand or empathize with our exact situation.  But someone does understand.  And He’s on the cross.  And He’s the only person who ever lived who truly can say, “Nobody understands Me.”

Go to Him.  Go to the cross and take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.  Leave it there.  Leave it!  I mean it.

That’s the toughest part.  To just leave it.  An old Chinese proverb states that ruling a small country is like frying a small fish – you spoil it with too much poking.  Taking our burdens to Jesus is like that, too.  Stop trying to solve it all yourself and analyze it to death.  Totally, completely, and freely turn your burden over to the Lord, and He will help you resolve the wrong that’s been done.

Trust me.  He will.

While you’re at it, pick up a little book I highly recommend called, Hind’s Feet on High Places by Hannah Hunard (if you scroll down a bit, there's a link directly to it on the right in my sidebar).  It’s an allegory about the main character, named Much Afraid, and her journey to the High Places of the Lord, all the while suffering temptation and struggling toward trust and obedience.  Get it.  It’s worth it!