Or ... Christmas ? (2019-11-28, U.S. Thanksgiving Day)

2019 November 28 /   Thursday, Thanksgiving Day

Title:   … Or … Christmas?

[__01__]   Today, it is practically obligatory to say something in our conversations with each other at table, in the living room about Christmas [C.1225]. Yet, it is still Thanksgiving [T.1128] today.

          And, perhaps, even we are doing a little comparison or run-down of what takes place on [T.1128] vs. [C.1225], which relatives and friends we see or do not see.

          At least, this is the case in the U.S.A. where these 2 holidays fall within a month or so of each other, and thus we compare them. Several years ago, a friend told me how much he preferred Thanksgiving to Christmas.

          I’m not saying you should compare the two. They are not the same as, of course, Christmas is a Christian and worldwide commemoration of Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ and Thanksgiving is a harvest feast in these 50 states and in Canada…but in Canada, [THX] was on October 14, so maybe it’s not so connected to [C.1225] for our northern neighbors.

          I’m not saying you should compare [T.1128] & [C.1225], but given that we might, this is my starting point…

          And I suggest that [T.1128] may compare favorably to [C.1225] because we view [T.1128]  as ..

·        Less costly

·        Less compulsory

·        Less complicated.

However, I would suggest that for you and me, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to an attitude of gratitude each day which is, in its way:

COSTLY – COMPULSORY –   COMPLICATED.

[__02__]  1^st. “Costly”       Hey … I will grant you that [T.1128] compared to [C.1225] is a financial bargain, because you do not have to attend and bring a gift to a Thanksgiving party two weeks ahead of time. There are no – or fewer – gifts.

          But, does it not cost something to express thankfulness, gratitude, appreciation?

          C.S. Lewis wrote on the subject of LOVE that we can cry out to God from our poverty (i.e., from our need).  We can offer ourselves to God with our generosity. That is, we can make a GIFT. And, don’t we give gifts to others not simply because we “need” something back, but just to for the sake of giving.

          But, there is a third “LOVE” that goes beyond simply me needing something for myself or giving myself away. There is “appreciation” or in God’s case: worship and adoration.

          And, this is COSTLY.

          On Thanksgiving Day, we are called not simply to appreciate the person who bought or made the meal, but to appreciate all of God’s creation, in all its wonder and the many workers, field workers, farmers, truck drivers, civil engineers who built the roads … it is costly to appreciate all of this, but also necessary, for we cannot take for granted the created world which God gives us.

We are called to acknowledge it in gratitude. That costs something.

[_03_]    2^nd. “COMPULSORY”

          The word “compulsory” means “required”. It seems that more “stuff” is required or not optional on [C.1225] … is a holy day of obligation, Catholics go to church, décor, gifts, tree, lights.

          It’s wonderful – beautiful devotion – that you are here for church today – but it’s not compulsory and this national American observance is not connected to God, to Jesus, explicitly.

          And, so, [T.1128] is more easily disconnected from God as Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

          But, I suggest our attitude of gratitude is not just one that helps us to get along with our neighbors and friends and family, but also helps us to be right with God.

          Today is a day to give thanks and praise to God for our mothers, fathers, spouses, children, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, that we acknowledge them as gifts of God.

          You – the parishioners and parish family of Our Lady of Lourdes – are gifts of God to me.

          And, you – who are so kind – have acknowledged to me and to Father Bob Suszko and Father Jim Chern, Monsignor Robert Coleman, Father Paul Donohue and all the priests who say Mass in church here …you have acknowledged your gratitude for our service, our priesthood.

          This reminds me that my priesthood is a gift to you and for you, not something that I created or established. I share in the one one priesthood of Jesus Christ.

          And, as such, I am called top guard and protect this gift not only for myself but primarily for you. That is compulsory and for your benefit and for your children, for everyone.

[__04__]      3^rd. COMPLICATED.

          Of course, we naturally think of Christmas as way more complicated than Thanksgiving with the décor, gifts, parties, music.

          But is it really so simple, so facile, to express our thankfulness?

          Is the attitude of gratitude really so easy?

          For example, it’s nice to turn to someone and say… “you are great..” … “you are awesome”… I like hearing that too. It’s not complicated.

          But, then, again, being complicated is not always a bad thing, to tell someone exactly what he or she did to help you, to change you, to challenge you.

          Sometimes it is complex to express our thanks to a child in a way that the child can really understand what is important and to know that his or her contribution at a young age really makes a difference and why.

          And, it is also complicated and necessary for us to express our thanks to God, our thanks not only for what we have, but also for what we do not have.

          To express our thanks even for the cross, for the difficulties, for the sorrows that have changed us and enabled us to grow.       

          To express our thanks for those who have had the courage to stand up to us, to correct us, to tell us what we really needed to hear.

          Thanksgiving: it’s not just one day. It is complicated. It is compulsory. It is costly.  “Stand up and go,  your faith has saved  you.”    [__fin__]

Latneness & Mercy (2019-11-24, Christ the King)

2019 November 24 /  34^th Sunday

●● 2 Samuel 5:1-3 ●●●  Psalm 122 ●●●  Colossians 1:12-20  ●●● + Luke 23:35-48 ●●

Title:   Lateness and Mercy.

[__00__]    Jesus Christ the King is the feast today and we begin with this reading from Samuel about David being made King of Israel.

          And, it was notable that when David was made King, he was not the likely choice. He was the youngest of all of the sons in the family. The prophet Samuel thought he was to select one of the older sons to be king, but nevertheless David is selected, is called.

          The last, youngest, latest to arrive became FIRST.

          As the eldest child in my family, I always thought that the “last’ and youngest children got more…had it easier…

          But, whether we are first or last, we may think we are not getting what we deserve. The good news is that the last can be first.

[__01__]   In the Gospel today, we see the virtue of being persistent and persevering, even when arriving late, even when delayed.

          Have you ever been noticed because  you were delayed, or late, fashionably or unfashionably late to an event or gathering?

          Our local NY philosopher-comedian Jerry Seinfeld depicted this in the humor one of the episodes of his 1990’s comedy – Seinfeld – in which the theme of lateness and the danger of lateness is portrayed in a house guest and visitor…

          The main characters Jerry and Elaine are both involved because the house guest is at Elaine’s home and he is a marathon runner from Trinidad & Tobago named Jean Paul who was in the Olympics and became famous for over-sleeping and missing his event, the  Olympic marathon. Elaine tells Jerry about it, and Jerry meets Jean Paul. Jean Paul reveals that in his room – at the Olympics --  there were separate knobs for the alarm  volume and the radio volume and that he neglected to - before he went to bed - to turn up the volume for the alarm. Thus he overslept and missed the race.

          Thus a theme of the episode is how to get to NYC Marathon on time..that’s what the show is about. “Jean Paul” does not want to be late again. Being late has been his downfall…he does not want to repeat the experience.

[__02__]   This is the Sunday of Christ the King and we read about the thief on the cross who says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

          Jesus, remember me.

          One way that we can be remembered – or memorable – is when we show up late.  In the fictional Seinfeld example, the marathoner Jean Paul cannot escape the infamy of his lateness. He was always trying to overcome it.   It’s not really clear whether his new friends are helping him.

          Is the “last” or latest going to be first? Lateness can be good news.

          According to Gospel/Christian value, yes, this is possible and there is no one later …more delayed in repentance than the thief on cross at Calvary.

          On Good Friday, he made a dramatic entrance at the 11^th hour, as we say.  “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

          Is he any different, however, from the characters in another example, those in the parable of the workers in the vineyard, the late-arriving workers who are paid a full-day’s wage..and this really annoys the workers who had worked all day? Imagine…the late arrivals receive the same as the early arrivals.

          Lateness is not always bad news.

          The theme of the Seinfeld episode is that there is always one more human intervention in terms of a better alarm clock, a better hotel room, a better reminder system that can prevent lateness. And that summarizes our scientific everyday world view. Are you late? Then, turn up the volume.

          Jesus, however, is saying that being late is not necessarily our downfall … it all depends on what we do when we arrive.

          There is also the famous quote by comedian Woody Allen: “80 % of success is just showing up.”

          At least the good thief shows up. That’s more than we can say for 11 of the 12 apostles for whom the crucifixion was not a Must-See-TV experience for them and they scattered and went into hiding. They did not want to be there, to see or be seen

[__03__]      Am I present when I show up?

          I’d like to share an example which shows that – at least in my case – showing up involves not just a willingness to be appear and to be seen … but really to be known by the other.

          The good thief wants to be known.  Regarding myself, I am not so sure.

          A few months ago, I arrived at a gathering in which several people were seated in a circle, everyone was listening, taking notes, writing stuff down… band I arrived about 15 minutes after the start. I was uncomfortable about my lateness, but everyone was quite welcoming and understanding.

          I was handed some papers and I sat down then realizing that I had no pen, no blue ink, no black ink, nothing to write with. Someone kindly offered me a pen with black ink which I immediately refused. Why? Because of course I did not want anyone to know that I was not only late but also unprepared.

          Therefore, for me…  “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

          While it is true that lack of punctuality once in a while is not the greatest of all offenses against God and neighbor, I was aware that my lateness and my inability to acknowledge it and then take the help that was offered…well… my faults were in high-def / HDTV for all to see.  But that’s good news. Then, I could be aware of my need for re-charge of mercy and the energy of grace.

[__04__]     [*** pause ***] 

          It is the role of the Church and disciples within the Church …you and me…and me in my role as a priest to teach others about God’s mercy.

          The priest is present – I am called to be present to you – in this journey of the road to conversion. 

          In this regard, yes there is a “Saturday afternoon” schedule for confessions, but it’s also true that a priest – myself included – does nothing more important – around the clock, anytime, anywhere than to hear confessions and to celebrate God’s mercy.    

          This is not because the priest is a perfect model of virtue.

          When he celebrates… ……  CCC 1465  ---1465 When he celebrates the sacrament of Penance, the priest is fulfilling the ministry of the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep, of the Good Samaritan who binds up wounds, of the Father who awaits the prodigal son and welcomes him on his return, and of the just and impartial judge whose judgment is both just and merciful. The priest is the sign and the instrument of God's merciful love for the sinner.

[__05__]    Another experience of lateness, delay, running late…

          And a priest’s role in doing so, for me.

          It was a significant experience for me with a parish priest of my youth, when I was a teenager.

          So, there was this Catholic youth group, we had a leader/chaplain who was named Father Anthony and we took a trip to an amusement theme park near what is now Mountain Creek Ski Area in Sussex County, New Jersey.  We were not skiing..we there in summer for the rides at what was called Vernon Valley Action Park. I am dating myself by even mentioning this long-since-closed place.

          Anyway, it was a one-day trip, for which we arrived around 9 am at the park and were supposed to be back for the bus at 4 pm. I was part of a group who decided it was way too restrictive to observe such a rule so we stayed in the park for an extra 45 to 60 minutes.  Maybe no one was was going to be on time and we were having a good time, a passive-aggressive good time.

          The bus left without us, but there was one parent – a mother – who had driven had an 1980ish station wagon and she drove us home in the station wagon.   We were told that our leader – Father Anthony – was quite displeased and upset. Being late was NOT GOOD NEWS at that moment.

          And, when we arrived back, Father Anthony told us of the danger and difficulty which we had caused.  I got the message. I also sensed in him a concern that was truly fatherly for our welfare, a father who wanted to level with us…while also trying to move on and move forward.

[__06__]      A few months later, there was a parish youth retreat at which one us happened to reflect on the summertime experience at the park and the peer pressure and “herd mentality” that took over and led to our going astray and being 45 minutes late.

          Hey…it took us a few months to figure it out… sometimes it takes a few months to know what you did wrong and put it out there. But it’s never too late.

          And, while this admission of guilt was more of a public witnessing than a private-confessing, I could see that Father Anthony’s role was similar in that he rejoiced at the conversion experience, the realization …and rejoiced in a way that a mother or father or parent would also rejoice when one his or her children “gets it” or gets with the program, however long that might take. It is worth the wait, worth the wait ..of waiting for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, worth waiting for his mercy.

          Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.

 [__fin__]

All Souls Mass (2019-11-17, Sunday-33)

2019 November 17 /  33^rd Sunday   ●● Malachi 3:19-20a ●●●  Psalm 98 ●●●  2 Thessalonians 3:7-12  ●●● + Luke 21:5-19 ●●

Title:  All Souls Mass for Members of our Parish who have

died in the past year.

[__01__]  What does it take to win…. What is a “win” … what is a “loss”? 

Shortly after my mother had back surgery in late March – disc surgery on her spine – due to arthritis, we were in her hospital room in NYC. Given that my mother has Parkinson’s the movement disorder in addition to this back problem, we were quite concerned about our mother’s care, what would be the next step, et cetera. Spoiler alert…my mother did well with the back surgery and has progressed quite well in the past 7 months.

          On this particular evening, 48 hours after the operation, I noticed that the nurse in the hospital -whose name was David –  he taught us about what was a “win” in that moment.

          David was able to care for my mother, who was able to come back a bit and make her feel somewhat victorious after surgery, able to answer all my questions, and do all of this while we watched Michigan State win against Duke in a consequential NCAA March Madness playoff basketball game. My mother also enjoyed watching the game and it took our minds off of immediate concerns about her health rcovery, upcoming recovery, et cetera, et cetera. It was a good day also for for Michigan State.

          I am not absolutely opposed to Duke winning one more basketball game, but I was rooting for Michigan State in this particular case.  And, Michigan State was also the underdog or less favored team in this game.

[__02__]  What is defeat and what is victory?

          In his non-fiction book and research study, Being Mortal, and in his writing on the subject of death, mortality and medical care, the Harvard physician, Dr. Atul Gawande, shared his own education in caring for people who are in a situation of dying, of incurable disease, of very old age and shared that he had realized again and again that he was asking diagnostic questions often in terms of “defeat” and “victory”. He was asking his patients: , either explicitly or implicitly in the medical care field: “should we fight or should we give up?”

          Although the question is usually asked more formally as – should we prescribe more medicine, do more surgery ….[OR] should we just help you to be more comfortable?

          Should we fight or give up?

           Dr. Gawande’s point is that – for the dignity of you or me or himself – or any patient, we do not really think of our lives in terms of “do I fight or do I give up?”

          In fact, every one of us is going to die one day. None of us gets out of this competition / GAME …. alive.

[__03__]    In the Gospel, Jesus acknowledges this as well using the metaphor of the house & Temple. But, it’s not just a metaphor, because he’s talking about the overthrow or the defeat of the Temple Jerusalem.

          And, the Jewish people are used to this. Because the Temple has been destroyed / invaded before.

          And, every time it is destroyed, it’s the “end of the world”

          Or as the band R.E.M. once sang …”the end of the world as we know it”, whenever the Temple is destroyed. And unlike the song, they don’t feel fine.

          So, Jesus is using the Temple overthrow as an example of defeat.

          Now, the people may think … we are going to get one more extreme makeover out of this, we are going to re-build the Temple, like on HGTV. But, the end of the Temple is the end of the world as they know it…but the New Temple is Jesus Christ’s body.

          [** pause **]

[__04__]   Dr. Gawande’s experience was enriched by his encounter with one particular patient whose “chart” sparked the same question: “victory or defeat”  / “do we fight or do we give up?”

He encountered a a piano teacher who had an incurable cancer and tumor.

          He was told by some other doctors to interview her in the following way to ask the patient ,  “What are your goals?” / “What are your objectives?”

          Because – it is nice for the doctor to ask you the patient about your goals rather than for the doctor to impose goals.

          So, he asks this question and the piano teacher and patient says. What do you mean, what are my goals? I’m going to die, I don’t have any goals.

          Dr. Gawande was confused …the other doctors did not tell me what to do if the patient had no goals.

          So, he goes on to the next question.  What are your fears? What are you afraid of?

          Then, the patient started talking, explaining how she feared dying in the hospital, being left alone, being alone, being in pain, being incontinent.

[__05__]     All of this helped Dr. Gawande come to a greater understanding of what he calls – and what we already know – is the reality of mortality.

          Because the reality of mortality is not about immediate defeat or victory.

In other words, the real and

When we factual truth that we are all going to die. The reality of mortality.  While we come to church, to faith, to hear the Gospel with a hope of eternal life, we also come with some understanding that we are mortal, with reality of mortality.

          But, I would suggest that Jesus in the Gospel is also adding another dimension to this – teaching us about the overthrow of the Temple … and that the overthrow/demolition is not just going to lead to one more “extreme makeover” like “flip-this-chapel” or “fixer-upper” like on HGTV. Jesus is speaking of the

MORTALITY OF REALITY.

          In other words, that the structures we know today – whether it is a financial structure or a health structure (body) or a physical structure (house, tower) is not going to last forever.

          The writer – Reinhold Neibuhr – wrote a famous prayer that summarizes this quite well – for many years, I really only new the first part – Part One – of the prayer which is often an encouragement given to those in 12-step programs or the journey to sobriety. The prayer also reminds that we are in God’s hands:

          [Part 1] God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things I cannot cannot, Courage to change the things I can, + the Wisdom to know the difference.       [Part 2] Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,  Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right, If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

[__06__]     So, it is our hope to be happy not only in this world, but also in the next world and in the next life.

          But it is also in our approach to dying and the days we have left – all the time we have left – that we testify to the value of our lives and service we can render to each other.

          Is it simply about immediate defeat or immediate victory? We know ..that our redeemer lives.

          What are your goals? That’s a hard question to answer.

          That’s a hard question to answer. But, sometimes, we can simply answer this question – what would be a good day for you?

          It was a good day watching Michigan State defeat Duke in OT at Mount Sinai hospital and go to Final 4,  while David – the nurse – gave me his opinion on the Michigan State offense, and keep my mother interested in not only her therapy/care but in three point shots /  basketball.

[__07__]     Dr. Gawande’s testimony is that sometimes we reduce our goals only to the comforts of the patient rather than to the connections of the patient.

          He continues with the story of the terminally ill piano teacher, who was not just any piano teacher, but his daughter’s piano teacher, his 13-year old daughter’s piano teacher, and he now had to explain that she would not be taking lessons from Margaret any longer. He explained this.

          Then, something remarkable happened. A few days after Margaret returned home, her pain was more under control and Margaret called the Gawande home and asked to speak to her student, invited her to come for a lesson.

In the final weeks of her life, she continued to give lessons, meet students, give away music, even hold two recitals in her home.

And, while her total time at home was only about 6 weeks, this was about a month longer than expected.  While everything – in fact – was taken from here in the reality of mortality and mortality of reality.   There was also – in the dying process – a giving back and gift giving to her students.  

Those who die not simply leave us, they teach us how to live, when not a stone will be left upon another stone.

 Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right, If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next. [__fin__]   

Gravity: Prayer, Partnership, Persistence (2019-11-10, Sunday-32)

2019 November 10 /  32^nd Sunday

●● 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 ●●●  Psalm 17 ●●●  2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5  ●●● + Luke 20:27-38 ●●

Title:   Gravity: Prayer, Partnership, Persistence

[__01__]  “What God has joined, let no one separate.”

          These are words from the Ritual of Marriage … “What God has… separate.”

          Jesus and the Saducees are at odds but would be in agreement about this… “What God has… separate.”

          The Saduccees are on to something with their seemingly far-fetched question – that nothing should separate husband and wife as they make a lifelong commitment each other.

[__02__]  I’d like to reflect on this our hope of heaven and heavenly reward, referring the fictional account of a movie of 2013.

          The 2013 movie called Gravity, with Sandra Bullock … like the “force of gravity” pulling us down.  Sandra Bullock - plays a NASA astronaut in deep trouble, in a crisis on a space station, in danger of losing her life. Her co-star is George Clooney.

          A central moment of the film in which she speaks out loud in her little space capsule and into the radio-microphone to anyone who can hear. And, it’s not clear she is audible, because she has lost radio communications contact with other astronauts and NASA mission control.  Houston we have a problem.

          At this point, she can only communicate – randomly to an amateur radio operator – ham radio person – near the Arctic Circle in Greenland.

Sandra Bullock’s character says:  “I'm going to die … I mean, we're all going to die. Everyone knows that. But I'm going to die today... But the thing is... I'm still scared … No one will mourn me. No one will pray for my soul. Will you mourn me [she says to the man in Greenland/Arctic Circle]   Is it too late to say a prayer? I'd say one for myself, but I have never prayed in my life... no one ever taught me how...”

[__03__]   She is reaching out beyond herself, beyond her current condition.

       I’d like to touch on – in this reflection on the gospel on “gravity” and the …

          Gravity-pull of prayer

          Gravity-pull of a partnership

          Gravity-pull of persistence

         

[__04__]    Is it too late to say a prayer?

 “I do not know how to pray” …we ask others to pray for us.

          Our church – our parish was founded in 1914 – not only for those who do know how to pray and those who do not know how to pray …but also for those who do not come here – or may not yet come here – so that we can pray for them …and, if possible, also reach out and teach them how to pray.

          St. Paul reminds us that we are Temples of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not dwell simply in a house of brick and mortar and redwood beams and marble, but also in you and me as a Temple.

The month of November is a time to pray for those who do not know how to pray or those did not know how to pray.

We might say, however, that the statement “I do not know how to pray” is itself a prayer – these were words of the disciples to Jesus saying, “Lord teach us to pray.”

Our prayers have gravity and our prayers have gravity when they focus on the immediate needs of the day.

Sometimes we have a tendency – I have a tendency to do this – to pray about all the things that have not happened yet.

You know the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt about the coming war/World War II – the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. And, sometimes the only thing we pray about is not what we fear – concretely – but the emotion of fear itself.

We have things to fear that we know about, but sometimes we pray about the things we do not even know about.

(Reference – early part of C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters)

Our prayers have gravity and effectiveness when they “ground us” and allows us to focus on the gravity pull into today’s needs, our daily bread, today’s bread and how God’s will might be done today in our lives.

The GRAVITY OF prayer.

[__05__]    Now, I would like to touch on the GRAVITY OF PARTNERSHIP …

Because it is here that Jesus and Sadducees seem to go their separate ways about the meaning marriage and of partnership of the whole of life. What God has joined, let no one separate.

Jesus certainly does not  minimize the importance of the partnership of marriage – a partnership of the whole of life – between a wife and husband. The wife and husband are called to reach heaven together. The spouses are called to pray for the other when the other does not know how to pray.

In the movie, “GRAVITY”  … Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are not married to each other…they are astronauts working together, but I suggest there is something analogous about how we depend on each other, for survival.

In the search to survive, we can all be drawn by our own past and history.

In the movie, “GRAVITY” is a theme that indicates that we are all being drawn toward ..sometimes, being drawn by our own experiences.

For Sandra Bullock’s character, she has experienced the death of her own child, a young daughter and girl. And, in a review of the movie, Bishop Robert Barron observes that we see is that Sandra Bullock is constantly trying to escape the reality and gravity of this tragic death.

Who would not?

She is now thousands of miles above from earth, but she cannot escape – who could escape – the gravity of her daughter’s death. I know we have not been thousands of miles above earth, but we have all tried to escape tragedy in our lives.

And, in space capsule, Sandra Bullock is now facing her own mortality.

The Good News of the Resurrection is not simply that our lives become pain-free or worry-free but that we also are physically resurrected in our own bodies. And, so are others. So, for the parent who has lost a child, a child who is part of her own body, the Resurrection of the body is important. It is best of all Good News.

          Resurrection is also about the gravity of our partnership – not only the partnership of marriage, the partnership of being mother/father…but also about our partnership with Christ who gave himself up for us so that we might live.

[__06__]    In the move Gravity, Sandra Bullock’s character is challenged not only by the gravity pull of prayer, and the gravity pull of partnership, but also by the gravity pull of persistence

          She does not go their alone.

          The reason she is floating in the space capsule alone and in trouble is because there was a violent explosion of shiny and sharp metal of a satellite.

          She and her partner – George Clooney are the only ones to survive.

          But, their ability to survive – and reach their destiny – is also defined by their ability to carry out individual responsibility.

          In this case, George Clooney gives us his connection, his tie, lets go of her hand, so that she might live. George Clooney drifts off into space… (John 15:13 à There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend). 

          But, then – it seems it’s all going to be OK because a few scenes later - George Clooney is knocking at the window and explaining how to get this “car” started. It’s conversation of hope and renewal. But it was all a dream. But, what is a dream?

          I have spoken to so many of you who have felt the presence of a deceased loved one and their guidance is with you. These are examples of hope that our loved ones do live on…and that we can live on.

          It requires us also to live in the immediate concerns of the day, of starting the car, of making lunch, of cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, doing laundry, then doing more laundry, of going to work, doing homework …or of escaping back to earth … which Sandra Bullock is ultimately able to do.

          She does this because of the gravity of prayer, of partnership, and of perseverance…and the hope of a life beyond this world.

          It is Good News that there is  a resurrection of the Body, not only of mine, but of yours, and all those we have lost.  What God has joined, let no one separate.

          Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.  [__fin__]