Father Simone’s Word of the Week

How do you expect to receive what you won’t give?  How do you expect to keep what you won’t share?  With the Lord, we cannot have one hand open and the other closed.  Meaning, we cannot keep one hand open to His gifts and the other one closed to others.  Recently, we had our Weekend of Eucharistic Adoration at Holy Redeemer.  Round # 2 of Eucharistic Adoration to come at St. Jerome August 9-10.  Adoration at Holy Redeemer was sweet.  I spent time with Jesus in the morning.  Mass was glorious and grace-filled as always.  After Mass, I sat with Jesus for a while, rested like a child before Him, then walked out joyfully.  “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!” (Ps. 118)  I got into my car light and happy.  As I headed back into the driveway, I saw a woman waiting on the porch chair for me.  She comes by once in a while, asking for a little money.  As I saw her, my smile dimmed a little.  
Someone had given her some Chips a Hoy cookies to snack on, as she waited for me.  She said she attended Mass and enjoyed the sermon.  She asked for a few dollars for a loaf of bread and something to drink from the corner store.  My first thought and words were “That’s not why we’re here.”  Then I thought: I spent all day letting Jesus be good to me.  He gave me rest, peace and joy as I sat before Him.  I allowed Him to be merciful, kind and generous, as He provided for me.  Now I’m looking at this daughter of his with begrudging, uncharitable eyes.  I looked on her with more compassion, as I pulled myself back to Jesus and said “hold on.”  When I gave her ten measly dollars, I smiled and thanked her for coming to church.  She smiled a childlike smile.  We wished each other a good Sunday.  The Lord helped me be merciful, in return for His mercy towards me. 
 
Mercy belongs to God, but we can be merciful in return.  Forgiveness and “give-ness” come from the same hand.  We can’t be that servant who rejoiced when the Master forgave our entire debt, then turn around and start choking a fellow-servant saying “You owe me!”  (Matthew 18:23-35)  His mercy towards us pulls us back from pulling back from another.  Yes, sometimes the act of giving money expresses a greater act of kindness.  We can also pick up that phone when we are already tired of talking.  We can be present to someone when we are stretched.  We can be merciful to someone, when we feel they should be sorry, not needing to hear it.  May we give or forgive in any way, trusting “The measure with which you measure, will be measured out to you.”  Jesus puts no limits on His Mercy.  So may His mercy be endless towards us and so also through us.