33rd Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Cycle C
November 17, 2013 7:30
and 9:00am
Saint
Margaret Parish, Bel Air
Someday Is Now
Recently
I read a story about a man whose wife had just died.
This
man opened the bottom drawer of his wife’s bureau and pulled out a
tissue-wrapped package. He unfolded it
and showed his sister-in-law, his wife’s sister, a beautiful silk and lace slip.
He
said, “Jan bought this the first time we
went to New York, about eight years ago.
She never wore it.
“She was saving it for a special
occasion. I guess this is the occasion.”
He then
placed the slip on the bed with the other clothes they would bring to the
funeral home. Then he said to his
sister-in-law, “Don’t ever save anything for
a special occasion; every day is a special occasion.”
Jan’s
sister remembered these words. She kept
thinking about the things her sister hadn’t done and about all the things she
had done without realizing they were special.
The
words of her brother-in-law began to have a real impact on her. She writes, “I’m reading more and dusting less.
“I’m sitting on the deck and admiring the
view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I’m spending more time with my family and
friends and less time in committee meetings.
“We use our good china and crystal for every
event, like after getting the sink unstopped.
I’m trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that
would add laughter or luster to our lives.
“And every moment I open my eyes, I tell
myself that it is special. Every day,
every minute, every breath…is a gift of God.”
The Gospel and Now
This
widowed man and his sister-in-law express the same point Jesus is making in today’s
gospel.
Jesus
talks about a time when all kinds of threatening things will happen. But Jesus is not trying to get us to focus on
that future end-time or to live with fear and gloom.
Instead,
he is trying to get us to focus on the present.
He wants us to live with love and hope right now.
In
other words, yes, someday there will be an end-time. Someday we will pass on from this earth, as
Jan did in the story.
Jesus
wants us to be ready for that by seeing that today is special. He wants us to is to live the present, to
live today well and that is the way to be ready for the future.
How to Make Today Special?
This
past week I asked myself: what might help us to do this?
I came
up with three questions. I am thinking
that if we ask ourselves these questions every day, that will help us to make
each day special and live the present well.
First,
who are the most important persons in my life?
Did I do something good for one of them today?
Did you
express your love in some way for your spouse or close friend, or did you spend
time with your son or daughter? Did I
take the initiative to be thoughtful of a co-worker or a neighbor?
Second,
am I at odds with anyone? Is there a
relationship that is ruptured?
Did I
think about it today and consider if there is something I could do to get reconciliation? Can I let go of my pride and ask for
forgiveness, or let go of my hurt and give the forgiveness?
And
third, did I intentionally spend some time with God today? Did I reserve a few minutes just to be quiet
and aware of God’s presence?
Did I
pray some prayer that I know by heart or speak to God in my own words? Did I read a few verses of the gospel to see
what Jesus might be saying to me personally?
Conclusion
So I recommend asking these three questions each day.
1) Did I do something good for someone important in my
life?
2) Did I consider what I could do to get reconciled with
someone?
3) And did I spend some time with God?
Our asking these three questions will help us to make
today special and to live the present well, and this is the best way to prepare
for the future.
