Thursday, December 25, 2008

*
HAMBURGERS FOR FIVE

Jeff walked over to his job space that morning – like he had done Monday to Friday for the past 16 years. He took off his jacket. As he reached to pull out his chair, he spotted his boss signaling him.

“Uh oh!’”

He had a feeling he hadn’t had since he was in the second year of high school. That time he had to go to the principal’s office. He had been part of toilet paper wad fight in the boys’ room – and someone squealed on him as one of the culprits.

“Uh oh! I wonder what this is all about.”

Sometimes we know – we just know – when everything is about to change for us – when everything is about to unravel.

The boss still standing – one hand on Jeff’s shoulder – said, “Jeff, I’m sorry. I have to let you go – along with 25 other people – today. This isn’t going to easy for any of you. I was at a meeting yesterday with the big wigs! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I don’t know what else to say, Jeff.”

“Woo!”

And that’s all Jeff could say.

He didn’t see it coming. He saw the state of the economy. He knew millions across the country were losing their jobs – but he didn’t see this coming towards his desk.

He was the manager of the department. He was it – a key accountant for this medium size accountant firm – in this mid-size city. So he knew his job was secure.
It wasn’t. The whole department was being cut – and its various components would be absorbed by other departments – at this location and two other locations.

When the short meeting was over – the execution finished – the ax put back on the boss’ desk, Jeff walked back to his desk and sat. He had to sit. Head in hands, he began to sob.

Some knew what just happened, “Oh boy, Jeff too!” Some of them got their news by memo. Some knew it might be coming that morning for them as well.

Jeff – you’d expect him to call his wife Sarah – then and there. But he didn’t. He called her every time in their 15 year marriage at every up and down, every better and every worse. Not this time. Not yet. He had to go outside. He needed to take a walk. It was windy that first Monday morning of December. Most trees were empty; those with leaves had only dead leaves hanging on – trees waiting for spring – which was on the other side of a long winter ahead. Grey – slow moving – buffalo shaped – clouds signaled possible rain or maybe even snow. It was a bummer of a morning.

He walked and walked and talked and talked to himself.

He saw a church: Our Lady of Sorrows Church. He went in. He sat in the dark back of the church and inwardly cried to God for help. “God, we have 3 kids. God, this is going to wipe Sarah out. God, what am I going to do? God, Christmas is coming. I guess this is going to be our ‘no room in the Inn story.’ God, help me.”

The husbands of stay-at-home moms often say, “I” instead of “we” when there’s job trouble – when they are saying, “God, what am I going to do?” instead of “God, what are we going to do?”

Silence.

He sat there in the dark – for at least half an hour – all alone – except for the flickering red candles in the front of the church – silent prayers he thought for people out of work or out of sorts or filled with cancer.

On the walk back to the office, he saw a sign in a Wendy’s window: “Help Wanted.”

He said to himself with a smile, “Good! At least there are some jobs available. I can always do that.”

He went back to the office and started to sort out his stuff. What else do you do? By now others were talking with others – most in two’s and threes – most standing – but some people sat alone.

He picked up a newspaper – and checked out job listings. No luck.

He got on the computer and checked for any accountant openings. No luck.

He used his computer to come up with a resume. He sent it out to 9 accounting firms that he knew of in the area.

He made a dozen phone calls. No luck. He still didn’t call Sarah.

Others from time to time had lost their job and he would make a comment like, “Sympathy, hopes, best of luck”. It would be an automatic comment – the thing you say and the other really doesn’t hear – but they know you care – sort of like those words that come out of our mouth and heart at a funeral parlor when we go in there to pay sympathy and sorrow and respect and presence when a friend or neighbor has lost a family member.


*
It was now lunch time.

Jeff was direct. He grabbed his jacket – went to the men’s room – spruced up as best he could and headed for Wendy’s.

He entered – asked for the manager – told him that he was out of work – and needed a job. He got a job. He filled out the papers and said he would be there in the morning for his first training session.

He went home – but he couldn’t tell Sarah. He couldn’t tell the kids. He wasn’t good at poker – but he was good at faking this. Nobody suspected anything.

He simply said, “It was okay” to the “How was your day?” question.

Next day – suit and tie – Jeff headed for Wendy’s.

He liked it. Free food. New work. Different people – people he never really noticed or talked to whenever he went to a McDonald’s or a Burger King or a Wendy’s with the kids on the way to summer vacation or what have you.


*
It was now December 17th. He was there two weeks. He had learned to flip hamburgers like a pro. He knew how to read the monitors. He knew how to stock. He knew how to run the drive-in-window. He knew how to take orders – push all those buttons. In two weeks he knew where everything was. He was a quick read.

It was December 17th and Sarah and Mikey, Miggy and Molly, his three kids, still didn’t know their dad worked at Wendy’s – even though Molly his youngest kept saying, “Daaad you smell like a hamburger.” And he would simply say with a smile, “Oh I went to Wendy’s for lunch.” Then he would wink to himself and think, “Well, I didn’t lie!”

It was December 17th and in walked Pete – his old boss – into Wendy’s. They said, “Hi!” to each other. Jeff didn’t blush. He was surprised he didn’t blush. Pete put in his order and seeing Jeff very busy waited for his tray and then went over and got a seat where he could see Jeff working away with a smile.

After lunch Pete went up to Jeff and gave him his card. “Give me a call Jeff. Give me a call!”

After the lunch rush, Jeff took the card out of his shirt pocket. He noticed it was the name of a different company. He called Pete.

“Is that you Pete?”

“Jeff, amazing. You working in Wendy’s. I always knew you were a go getter.”

“Pete, hellooooo!, Christmas is coming and I needed to get some income.”

“Jeff, listen, I lost my job the day after you. But I called my brother-in-law and he had room for me in his company. It’s called ‘NewJobSeach Inc.’ Praise God. Praise God. Listen. Good news. If you want, there’s a job here waiting for you.”

“Pete, you’re kidding?”

“No I’m not. We’re processing all kinds of people looking for jobs and you’d be great at this – and you know how many people are out of work.”

“Woo! Wow!”

“Jeff, what time do you finish there today?”

“4:30!”

“Okay, can you come here on your way home this evening?”

“I’ll be there.”

“My brother-in-law and I will be waiting.”

Jeff got the job.

Jeff went home that December 17th evening. After the kids were gone to bed, Jeff said to Sarah, “I have to talk to you about something.”

Silence. Pause. Quiet.

“Sarah, I’ve been lying to you.”

Sarah remained silent.

Jeff started to cry.

Sarah didn’t know what to do – whether to fold her arms and just sit there or open her arms and hold him.

“Sarah I lost my job – and I was scared to tell you. That’s the bad news. The good news is, ‘I have another job.’”

He didn’t mention Wendy’s – just about this new job at NewJobSearch Inc.

And both held each other all through the night.


*
It was December 24th morning – and Sarah, Jeff, Mikey, Miggy and Molly were ice skating on a pond on the other side of town. On the way back – Sarah said, “Look there’s a Wendy’s. Let’s get something to eat for lunch.” And before Jeff could point out the Burger King on the other side of the street, the kids started yelling, “Yeah! Wendy’s, Wendy’s, Wendy’s. They make the best hamburgers.”

In they went. Jeff said, “I’ll get us a table. And hon, I’ll take just a Baconator.” He didn’t want to go near the counter – lest he be recognized. He sat in the back facing the outside windows – with his back to the cooking and counter area.

Soon, Sarah, Mikey, Miggie, and Molly came back with a tray with hamburgers for 5 on it – along with the manager and all the employees and they all clapped for Jeff.

“Great that you got another job. We sure miss you, Jeff. You were the best. Merry Christmas. Great looking family.”

There were hugs and introductions and then the workers went back to work – and the customers stopped watching and wondering what was this story about, this clapping and the celebrating at one of the tables.

Then there was silence.

Then Jeff said it, “Sarah, you knew, didn’t you?”

And she just smiled and said, “Merry Christmas Jeffrey. Merry Christmas Jeffrey. Women always know. Women always find out.”

Puzzled.

Jeff’s face was all puzzle and question mark.

“Okay,” said Sarah, “Several of my friends saw you in here working a dozen times. I wasn’t going to say anything till you said something. But once more I realized I have the best husband in the world”. At that the kids toasted their dad with their milk shakes, adding, “and the best dad in the world too. Merry Christmas Daddy. Merry Christmas!”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Merry Christmas!


[Picture is from the Tablet magazine - U.K.]

[Every Christmas since 1993, instead of a homily, I write a Christmas story in memory of Father John Duffy, CSSR, who died December 24, 1993]

[I hope I didn't "dis" anyone who works at McDonald's or Burger King, etc. and maybe Wendy's will make a $50,000 donation to our school for this promotion. Just kidding Wendy!]

Sunday, December 21, 2008


GRACE GAUGE:
FULL, HALF FULL, EMPTY?



INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Grace Gauge: Full, Half Full, Empty?”

When I was reading today’s gospel, the words, “Hail, full of grace!” hit me.

Mary is greeted by the angel Gabriel with those words.

GAS GAUGE

Then for some reason, probably the word “full”, I thought of the image of the gas gauge in every car. We look at it from time to time – and we say, “Ooops, I need to stop and get some gas.” And if we forget, modern cars do the “ooops” for us with the sound, “bing, bing, bing” or whatever our car does to warn us, “You need to get some gas.”

Then I said to myself, “Would it be far fetched to ask in a sermon, ‘When it comes to grace am I full, half full or half empty, or empty of grace?’”

When it comes to spirituality, I’ve heard people say, “I’m running on empty.” Or I’ve heard people say, “I need God more – grace more – prayer more – more meaning - in my life.”

So let me ask that question: “When it comes to grace am I full, half full or half empty, or empty of grace – or somewhere in between?”

GRACE


I assume it would be helpful to describe “grace”.

It’s not something – like fuel – but it could be described that way in a way. I say that because “grace” has so many meanings.

What fuels us? And in the second half of this homily, I’m going to ask, “What fools us?”

What is grace?

Grace is holiness.

Grace is being pleasing to both God and others.

Grace is ease and smoothness in movement – like a figure skater or a star athlete.

Grace means being calm and comfortable with oneself.

Grace means knowing God loves me. I am loved and lovable.

Grace means gift.

Grace means being grateful.

Grace means accomplished.

Grace means acceptance.

Grace means exempt – privileged.

Grace means being kind, compassionate, considerate, thoughtful.

Grace means these and much more.

So if I have these qualities, I might be described as graceful – full of grace – or somewhat graceful.

In today’s gospel text from Luke, what seems most powerful for me is the message, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!" These are the opening words of the Hail Mary prayer which we say over and over again. I love the sound of the Greek word “kecharitomene” – “favored one” or "graced one".

MARY

When we walk into a crowded room – say at a Christmas party or a family Christmas celebration, let’s be honest, there’s that one person we are so happy to see – our favored one.

When God looks at us human beings, he sees Mary. She’s the most highly favored one and God chooses her to be the Mother of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And Gabriel’s message scares this young woman. This greeting troubled her. So the angel says, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

God looked at human beings and was especially pleased with Mary.

The Catholic Church has stressed the importance of Mary in the story all through the years.

We see this in millions of statues, paintings, prayers and devotions.

The story does not stop with Mary. It starts with Mary – but Mary with her Jewish roots and story.

The story then becomes the Christ story – the one whom Mary brings into our world.

The story is Jesus – just as every mother and father know that the story is not them: it’s their children and on and on and on – and they are honored to be parents – bringers of new gifts to our world.

Mary is not God. God is God.

Pictures and statues are not Mary – just as pictures of our parents or kids on a book shelf or in our wallet or cell phone are not them. They just remind us of them.

And we don’t worship Mary. We honor Mary. We worship God. And for us Christians, when we say, “God” we’re moving into the Trinity – our great mysterious understanding of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

When Catholics miss who Mary is, we might have overreactions. We saw this in the Protestant Reformation when Mary was disgraced – thrown out of the life of so many Christians – because some Catholics stopped at Mary – and missed that Christ is the Savior – the Lord.

Mary is the one who brings Christ to the World.

Mary is the one who said at Cana, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Mary is the “Servant of the Lord”.

Mary is the one who was there in the background of the story – to support Jesus the Savior – as well as the growing Church.

Okay, now what?

PART TWO OF THIS SERMON – MY LIFE: FULL OF WHAT?
Let me now ask my opening question in a different way?

Looking at my life – what fills me?

Looking at my life – what am I full of?

I choose the words I’m using on purpose.

Here is where my gas gauge metaphor breaks down. We put one thing in our gas tank: gas. Of course it has additives – this and that – but basically we call it gas – or diesel fuel or battery power in these newer hybrid cars.

We put into ourselves – many things – and if we look at our life, we are full of this and that at different times in our life.

What is fueling me? What is fooling me?

What are the good energies of my life? What are the foolish things I’m chasing?
These are key questions I'm asking in this sermon.

As little children we are full of mom and dad. We are full of being fed and being noticed. We are full of the need for protection and security and we scream to get these things.

So the little child needs to be held by their mom and dad - to hear those heartbeats, to see those faces, to smell those scents that are so familiar. They want food – comfort – security – love.

We change. We grow.

The child starts becoming full of the world around them. He or she slowly wanders from mom and dad. What’s in the bottom drawer? The child wants to get at the piano and anything and everything. They are full of the world. Sticks and lipsticks. Jump ropes and soccer balls. Sky. Ocean. Water. Shiny amazing faucets – you twist them and out comes water. Amazing. Cell phones. Cars. Sharks. Blue Angel toy planes. Dolls. Wheels. Dogs. Cats. They move from being full of parents to being filled with their surroundings.

We change. We become full of ourselves – our bodies – feelings, emotions, worries about zits and changes and questions.

We change. We become full of others – school – sports – music – drama – fun.

We become full of worry: worry about relationships – love – highs and lows with parents and siblings – and other boys and girls. We worry about being admired and being mired in the pain of being dropped – and we become full of why others do what they do.

Then we become full of college – school – the future – jobs – making money – and on and on and on.

At some point we become full of another. If it leads to marriage, the honeymoon lasts 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or more years depending upon all sorts of twists and turns in our story.

Then, if we are blessed with children, if we become full of children, we fill in our time nurturing them. We worry about earning and having enough money to give them a good home, a good life, a safe neighborhood, good schools and vacations and coaching and this and that.

At times we discover we're empty. There was no bing, bing, bing sound. We missed the warning signals. Our spouse gets caught up in the kids or their work or this and that – and we do the same. And sometimes there are mistakes. Or the kids are not listening and we feel more empty. Or we lose our job and we feel panic. What now? Sometimes we begin to understand what our parents went through when they were in the situation we are in now.

Somewhere along the line we realize the great value of friendships. It's a blessing when we realize it’s our spouse. Sometimes this doesn’t happen till the kids are gone. Sometimes our spouse is our best friend for a whole lifetime - lasting our whole marriage. It’s real and keeps on getting better. Sometimes it doesn’t last and we feel loneliness and angst.

And sometimes we get religious stuff. Sometimes we hear God or an angel say, "Hi" or "Hail!" Sometimes we hear, "Do not be afraid."
So there are God moments. It might be a vacation moment at the beach on an early summer morning when all the family are still sleeping and the ocean water is pounding the shore. We are overwhelmed with how our life makes sense. Or it might be making breakfast for the family – and all are in their jammies and all laughing. It’s might be a wedding or it might be a funeral. It might be a great Thanksgiving dinner. It might be a Christmas morning – or it might be just looking at a late December afternoon – with the light so different and so sideways.

Sometimes we get sick. We have cancer or need a heart operation. We feel so empty. We're scared. Or we might feel so ready for "Whatever." Whatever the reaction, we find ourselves praying in a new way for the first time in our lives.

Sometimes we are just sitting there and the movie of our life is playing on our inner screen and we realize, we are full of grace and we brought Christ to two out of the four of our kids – and maybe these other two will come around one of these years.
Hey Christmas is coming.

And we rejoice because we feel full of grace, gifts, blessings, so many unplanned things inside our being. And we get it –and we start making Christmas morning children souns, "Woo!" "Wow!" "Cool!" "No way!" "Oh my God, great!"

CONCLUSION

For David in the first reading, he only realizes the need for God – and a temple for God, when he’s settled in – and his enemies are gone.

For Christians, sometimes the Christmas story makes sense. It’s a great grace, a great gift, when we realize that Christ is born in a barn full of you know what – to tell us that Christ can be born in the messy mess of this person called me – when I full of so many straws and weird barn like sounds.

So once more, what does your grace gauge say: full, half full or half empty or empty?