Father Simone’s Word of the Week

There is something to keeping a spirit of poverty in riches.  I’m not going to lie.  Aruba is a beautiful place.  Yet my first morning there waking up to palm trees in the morning sun, a hot breeze, with the ocean in the distance, I felt a sorrow I couldn’t describe, but it was a prayerful sorrow.  I came to a humble insight before the Lord: “Unless I have love, I am nothing.” (1st Corinthians 13:2)  In life, we can seek, strive, perhaps have all our human heart’s desire.  Unless I have Your love, Your grace, Your peace and presence, I have nothing.  I am nothing.  The most beautiful days, great meals, fun outings, days off or vacations won’t bring us joy, without the joy that God alone can give.  We can chase paradise but find misery even there.  We can have family and fellowship but can still find loneliness.  We can enjoy the warmth of the sun, but it won’t necessarily warm our heart.  We can have our favorite meal or the best restaurants, but it can only feed our happiness until the plate is clean.  Though I must admit, food does bring me joy, but a fading joy.  Just like at home, vacation can come with the same pitfalls.  Lusting after others blinds us to any beauty even in front of our eyes.  Obsession with how we look or others look, we are consumed with comparing ourselves.  Chasing the perfect meal, we center the reward of our day around something that comes and goes.  Thinking we have to get away from work to find enjoyment, we tend to bring our worries with us anyway.  Even time with friends, family, fun-times or get aways…it, we or they can let us down if we left Jesus and Mary behind.  Only with humility and prayer, from the ground-up to the sky above, can anything and everything good be enjoyed with thankfulness as a gift from His hand and His love.  Abiding in His presence, time together and time alone is fruitful and well-spent. 

That’s why we don’t sin, to keep free from ourselves and truly open to God and others in love.  That’s why we pray, to breathe and to be present at each moment as He wills.  As I fought to stay low each morning of vacation and say “Yes” to each day, what I missed most is what I have most at home: Jesus in the Eucharist.  I couldn’t celebrate morning Mass and start my day up on that mountain.  I couldn’t sneak off to spend that sweet time, resting before Jesus in the tabernacle.  Ten minutes spent with Jesus can feed us more than a whole day “doing what you want.”  Ten minutes in true prayer can rejuvenate us more than any place you would rather be.  One smile Mary brings to your face can warm your heart in a way no one else can.  “Unless I have love, I am nothing.”