Life is a whirlwind

It's been a very long time since I've had a chance to sit down and write on my blog.  Some of you already know all the things that have happened.   I ended up in the ER with an infection brought on by some medicine the doctors had given me that weakened my immune system.  The very next day Julie and three of our daughters were hit by a semi truck in our Prius.  The Prius was totaled and all of them walked away from it.   Then we signed a loan on a new Prius.  The very first time it was driven to work someone rear ended it.  Now we are working with insurance to get it fixed.  Between that, and all of the other obligations we have both socially, educationally, professionally and in ministry have left me moving at a pace that keeps me from catching my breath at times.

Today's readings though, they spoke to me.   The Homily that Father gave this morning was one of those that reminded me what I already knew, but seemed as if it was aiming right at my heart.   Before I get to that, let's talk about the readings.  The Gospel is a very familiar one to most people.   One man builds a house on sand, another on a solid rock foundation.   Then a storm comes.   The house is torn down that was built on sand, but the one with a solid foundation?   It remains standing.  Jesus tells us then that those who build on rock are the ones who hear the Word of God, and acts on them.   It's not enough to simply hear the word or confess your faith, that's building on sand.   It's hearing the word, and living the life.  Walking the walk. Talking the talk.

How many of us do that?   It's easy to say that we do during times of comfort.   When everything is going right it's very easy to say Thanks God!   It's a little harder to do that though when things are going down hill.  When your health crashes, when your life goes a way you didn't expect, when Christmas is coming and you have no cash for gifts for your kids.  How hard is it then to say "Thanks God!"  Thank you God for the car wreck.   Thank you God for that tornado?   Thank you God for the fires?   It's because we aren't seeing with his eyes.   We get self absorbed.   We think about the stuff lost.. not the people still with us.   Thank you God that all of my children and wife are still with us!   Thank you God that my friend who lost her house and everything in it to the fires in Tennessee is still alive and able to reach out and tell us so.   Thank you God that we have opportunities to walk the walk and talk the talk, to reach out to those who have lost all they have and give them from our money.. Not from our excess... but even till it hurts.

The danger though is to think that God causes these things because you 'sinned'.   Yes, if you walk way from God you can lose His protection.  That's not His will for you.   He doesn't sit around planning tornadoes on those who did bad things.   He's not punishing the U.S. for this or that.  What He is doing is trying to move our hearts after bad things happen... trying to get us to pour out justice on the planet like rain from the skies.  Are you ready to do that?  To give even when you are the one hurting?   To love even when you aren't loved?   To console when no one consoles you?   That's what it takes.   That is what it means to be a Christian.  To pour yourself out like a libation for the world to consume, because you have to become Eucharist to the world... even when they don't want it.

His servant and yours,
Brian