“Air quality alert: Unhealthy for sensitive groups!”
Before I went to relax on my deck to do a little reading and writing, the aforementioned weather report popped up on my smartphone. (Watchmen are always to be on alert, you know.)
Certainly, I am sensitive to sensitive groups, yet with a bit of humor and having just returned from a multi-decade high school class reunion, I thought about this warning in connection to the class motto of our graduation commencement: “We are embarking on what will be the advancement or destruction of our civilization.”
I think maybe every class that graduates could have that for a motto. As a deacon, I needed to pay attention to the Gospel message of the weekend. A story that every good Bible-reading Christian has heard 100 times or more: The story of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37). It’s a great story and presents a practical approach versus one-handedly trying to advance civilization so it doesn’t self-destruct. While we may not be able to change the world, we can help neighbors in need in our corner of it, by trying to be like this good man in this story of merciful works.
A testy scholar of the law asks Jesus, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” As Jesus does so often, he responds with a question of his own: “What is written in the law? How do you interpret it?” The scholar responds, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Having received Jesus’ approval, the scholar asks him, “Who is my neighbor?”
We know the story Jesus shares and how it ends. A man gets pummeled, robbed and left for dead. Of the three men who came across the poor soul, the most unlikely man — the foreigner, a Samaritan — was the only one who went out of his way to help. He was alert to the man in need and fulfilled the charitable commandment of loving his neighbor.
Our corner of the world may present such opportunities in extraordinary and ordinary ways. No matter the opportunity, helping the neighbor in need is one way to respond through the grace of God. We can support food centers and food shelves for the hungry; provide homebound Communion for the elderly and disabled; assist pregnancy centers for young mothers; help someone find a job; get behind youth and college missionaries; visit someone incarcerated; and share time, talent and treasure to keep our parishes and surrounding communities vibrant. We can certainly add to this list of alerts that remind us of neighbors in need. Even helping with activities like class reunions counts. Classmates we might rarely see but have known for years might need consoling, comforting, reconciling and healing.
God in his providence can put in our way opportunities to help one another — spiritually, physically, emotionally, materially. It does not have to be extraordinary. He takes care of that. Just be alert to his call — be on the watch. Self-sacrificial care fulfills the second greatest commandment Jesus taught, love of neighbor, which is inseparable from the greatest — loving God first and foremost. The Liturgy of the Hours periodically has us pray: “Be with the oppressed, free the captives, console the sorrowing, feed the hungry, strengthen the weak, in all people reveal the victory of your cross.” Renew the wonders of your love, Lord.
Deacon Bird ministers to St. Joseph in Rosemount and All Saints in Lakeville and assists with the archdiocesan Catholic Watchmen movement. See heroicmen.com for existing tools supported by the archdiocese to enrich parish apostolates for ministry to men. For Watchmen start-up materials or any other questions regarding ministry to men, contact him at gordonbird@rocketmail.com.
