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From fr. Bob 3/27/20
“I wish I had the time to…” How many of us have said those words and finished them with any number of options? Well, now we do have some time. We might wish that we didn’t but we do and we can either waste it until this is all finally over… or we can use at least some of it to do a few of those things that we’ve never had the time for.
First on our list should be to work on our faith. In the past maybe we didn’t have time to read Scripture, now we do. Too busy to pray? Now we’re not. Can’t get to Mass because of all of our other activities…now it will come to you, right at home. Of course, this isn’t a good substitute for being there but it is comforting to know that Mass is available is some form and it is important for us to stay connected to our Lord in His sacrifice.
In addition to strengthening our faith, USA Today had a list of 100 Things to do While Stuck Inside Due to a Pandemic. Here are a few of them:
-Complete a puzzle.
-Dust off that old musical instrument and practice.
-Watch all the really long movies you’ve avoided.
-Write actual letters to family and friends. After that? Write thank-you notes to service people who you remember went out of their way for you.
-Play some board games
-Clean out your junk drawer,shelves and closets.
-Take a bubble bath.
-Coloring books: They’re not just for kids.
-Make a list of things for which you are grateful.
-Indoor scavenger hunt.
-Learn a new style of dance via YouTube, from bellydancing to breaking.
-Stretch. Work on your flexibility. Exercise.
-Sleep. Get lots of it.
Learn something new, finish a project you’ve been putting off, add an item to the list…one that is good for you. Let’s use this time well.
You’ve probably heard the saying that something can be both a blessing and a curse. Well, this might very well be one of those times. Time is one of our greatest commodities and, although it might be a curse that our lives have become so restricted...it can also be a blessing because now we can do some of those things that we’ve been putting off for so long…if we choose to.
But before you pull out that puzzle or prepare for that bath…give God and your relationship with him a little more time than usual. There’s no better way to spend our time.
Fr. Bob -
From Fr. Bob 3/20/20
An oxymoron is a figure of speech containing words that seem to contradict each other. Many years ago the comedian George Carlin famously asked about the term “jumbo shrimp” and why we park in driveways and drive on parkways. There are many others, as well, including: deafening silence, alone together, genuine imitation, old news, random order and sweet sorrow, to name just a few.
It seems like we’re now living in a real life oxymoron. We have come together by staying apart. Yes, we’ve all seen the news clips of people fighting over toilet paper (??!!) as well as the stories of those who bought up a lot of sanitizer and tried to resell it at ridiculous prices and the young people disregarding everything because it is “their time to party” during spring break...but there have also been a lot of wonderful stories, as well.
Did you hear about the 9 and 6 year old brother and sister who gave a private cello concert for their elderly neighbor on her front porch? Or how about the construction company that donated all of their N-95 surgical masks to health care workers? Or even the guy in Ohio who left a tip of $2500 for a check of less than $30 to be split among five employees whose names he wrote on the check. The five of them then split it between all 12 employees of the restaurant, instead.
Some might say that these are just nice stories, but I would argue that they are more than that. Yes, some people are panicking and thinking only of themselves… but more are also looking to see what they can do for others, as well. I came across a word that I have never heard before and I think that might because it’s not actually a real word but something that just got started. The word is “caremongering”. If it sounds familiar it might be because it’s a take on the word “fearmongering” which is defined as “the action of deliberately arousing public fear or alarm about a particular issue”. Caremongering is just the opposite. I guess it could be defined as “the action of deliberately arousing care and concern for others during a difficult time”. More commonly we would call it Random Acts of Kindness.
And there are many of them out there. Just google it and you’ll see. Isn’t this exactly what God wants for and from us? He wants us to help one another. He wants us to care for each other. He wants us to be caremongers…not just in the face of trouble…but all the time. We all know that. The problem is that we get so busy with life…that we sometimes forget what’s really important. And now that we’re not so busy…now that we have extra time on our hands…now that the thing that we don’t want to hear any more about is the only thing that we’ve been hearing about…why not take a break from it all...and think about what does really matter.
Why does it take something like this to make us sit up and take notice? I’m not sure. But maybe amidst all of the news reports and statistics and even the scams that have already started we can be grateful for the opportunity to slow down a bit and use that time to think…and re-evaluate… and maybe begin to make some changes.
A friend of mine was in a store last week and he saw a lady with a lot of toilet paper in her cart. He politely asked her why she was buying so much of it and she responded, “Well, everyone else is doing it so I thought that I should, too.” That’s actually not a bad answer and the only one that I can think of that makes any sense. But why not use it as an answer to some different questions?
Why did you share what was in your grocery cart with someone that you don’t even know? Why did you go out of your way to help a neighbor that you don’t know all that well? Why did you look beyond your own needs at a time like this and look to the needs of others? Maybe the answer could be “because I saw someone else going it and thought that I should, too.” Or better yet, maybe our act of kindness could be the beginning of that chain for a lot of other people.
Let’s also use this time to deepen our relationship with God. Unfortunately, because our lives are usually so busy, that’s often one of the things that gets sacrificed first. And it’s really the one that we need the most…all the time… regardless of whether or not there happens to be a global crisis. While we have some time, let’s use it well. Read some Scripture. Spend some of that time that you now have in prayer. Talk to God …but more importantly, listen to Him. Go online. There are many sites that can bring you good spiritual material. I’ve already sent out a number of websites where you can find Mass each day. If you haven’t already done so, sign up for FORMED.org. There’s a lot of good material there. And we will try to add links to other sites on our parish page (stdenischurch.org) and our Facebook page, too.
Another oxymoron is the phrase “alone together”. That sort of describes life these days, doesn’t it? But the truth is that we are never alone…because God is always there…and we are always together because we are connected through Him. We might not be able to gather in the church each day to celebrate the Eucharist or gather for our different parish functions and ministries… but we are always united as the family of St. Denis through our faith and our shared relationship with our Lord.
Lastly, it’s good to laugh. I came across this and thought it was great. If you’re of my generation the original song will be familiar. Check it out and watch it at least twice. First to catch all of the words that are sung and are on the screen and then to watch the women in the background. youtube.com/watch?v=g4...
Fr. Bob