Bread in Abundance

Today's Mass readings speak of a richly generous God. Isaiah 25:6-10 "...the Lord of Hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines". Psalm 23 - need I quote? Matthew 15:29-37 is the story of Jesus feeding the 4000 (not including women and children). I grasped the point immediately: With 7 loaves and a few fish blessed by Jesus, the disciples fed the crowd and then gathered up 7 hampers full of leftovers. To me, this so obviously demonstrates God's abundant and generous love. He not only fills us, his love overflows and washes and consumes us. For me this is fact. He has demonstrated this to me over and over and over again in my life. Whether our feast was bread and butter sandwiches with water - and grateful for the butter to make the dry bread more palateable, or a Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmin's, God's gracious hand has provided.

The problem came when I read the meditation, written so carefully by - a human! It started out well enough, a little humor, a little historical background. Then I got distracted. It said Jesus told Peter to forgive his brother 77 times. Wait, I thought that was 70 times 7?! Then again - it said the disciples started out with 7 baskets - wait! I just read that, it said 7 loaves, not 7 baskets. I despise it when people misquote Scripture! It's a pet peeve, what can I say? I want to know what version they found it in and what chapter and verse. Mentally I slapped myself upside the head. Back off, cynical self. These are minor details. It's not like misquoting the words of Jesus and leading people astray or using them for corrupt purposes.

So I summon up my self discipline and return my mind to the original point of the readings. Trusting in the abundance of God. In good times and bad. We are more important to Him than even the birds of the air, who neither plant, nor gather in, yet look at how our Father provides for them. (Did I quote that right?) If it's small stuff, don't sweat it.

Wicked Halloween!

I frequently hear people refer to Halloween as a wicked or evil celebration. In fact, it is only in the past several centuries that some people have made it so. For most, it is merely a day to dress up in silly costumes and visit the neighbors begging for treats. The smiles I see on the faces of some of my neighbors, old and not so old, when the little ones come trick-or-treating, are priceless. They joyfully dole out sweets as parents silently calculate cavities. Or maybe that's just one of the pleasantries of small town life.

Granted, there are those who like to make this night a "high feast to the devil". All I can say is that there is and always has been sinfulness since the fall of Adam. Halloween, in the Catholic Church, began with trying to convert the various non-Christian peoples. Many had some kind of harvest festival involving the warding off of evil spirits. The church merely moved the Solemnity of All Saints to the following day, allowing the potential converts the practice of their custom on "All Hallows Eve" and then educating them about salvation with the Feast of All Saints the following day.

On All Saints Day, the Catholic Chuch celebrates the entering into eternal life of all those persons who, when on earth, strove to follow Christ. Including "canonized" saints like Francis of Assisi, and others, like perhaps someone you know.

The very next day is the Feast of All Souls, in Mexico, the "Day of the Dead". On this day, we Catholics pray for the souls of all who have died, especially those dear to us. It is said that with God there is no time, so prayers said even after a person's death can influence that dying soul's decision to accept Christ's mercy and attain final salvation.

What a blessed thought. What unfathomable mercy has our God! Praise and Glory to Him!

Our Lady of Sorrows

Every year on my birthday I look at the parish calender and see it there. The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. How apropos, I used to think, with an ungrateful heart. Let's have a pity party. I felt sorry for myself and what I percieved as my sorrowful life.

In recent years, I have come to feel blessed and honored instead. To share my special day with Our Lady in all her Blessed Motherhood. I received a little pamphlet in the mail once, that explained the seven sorrows.

Simeon's Prophecy - imagine bringing your baby to be baptized and some old coot comes up and says "oh, what a cute baby - a sword of sorrow will pierce your heart". And Mary pondered this.

The Flight into Egypt - just at the most vulnerable time in both thier lives, Jesus and Mary, with Joseph, have to flee the country to save Jesus' life. To have to leave all their friends, family, home and jobs and live in a foreign country, with a different language, for an indeterminate period of time.

The Loss in the Temple - what parent would not panic and be consumed with anxiety over the loss of their child for even a few hours, much less several days?

The Carrying of the Cross - to watch her son, of whom she must have been so proud, undergo such shame and humiliation; the precious life she had protected for so long, bleeding out of him. And she was powerless to do anything but stay near him and watch.

The Crucifixion - as far as we know, Mary was not privy to God's plan. What faith, what trust, to watch her son die a criminal's death, yet to stay near him, trusting that there WAS a plan, and that it would be eventually revealed.

The Taking Down from the Cross - what paralyzing grief she must have felt as she held her son for what she may have thought was the last time. What questions plagued her? What struggle did she overcome to stay strong and faithful?

The Burial of Jesus - in what must have been a moment of great despair for her, Mary had only her trust in God and her Son to cling to. Mercifully, we have Mary, Jesus, the Father, the Holy Spirit, and all the angels and saints to comfort and strengthen us to go on.

Her trust, her faith, her strength in all her uncertainty, trials, sufferings, and misunderstandings. And her joy! The glory of her risen Son, and her special mission to lead us closer to Him. What a woman to look up to and emulate! What an honor to share my birthday with her feast!