Simple

                My morning started very rough.  Either the fibromyalgia or the rheumatoid arthritis was causing my body to ache.  My energy level with a scale of 1 to 10 stood at about -2.  I trudged to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee.  I decided to go out on the patio to do my daily Bible reading hoping the cool morning air would revive me.  God sat with me for a time.  The music of the birds played in the background.  I knew I may not conquer the day, but I would make it to church.

                As is Father’s style, three points were pulled from the readings.  I loved the first point of simple faith.  As humans, we try to complicate everything when really we are called to just love.  The first part of the Gospel reading states, “’You shall love the Lord, you God, with all you heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself’” Luke 10:27.  Loving God is very simple.  Loving my neighbor?  The concept is very simple; yet, I find it hard in practice.  I tend to not even be good at loving myself.  I complicate the love.  I put rules into the equation.  Instead, I need to simplify.

                I want to deviate a bit here from the Mass.  In my daily reading yesterday, I came across a passage that warmed my heart.  In Paul’s letter to the Romans he writes, “I’m eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.  In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other” Romans 1:12.  Again, simple!  In our loving each other, we need to also encourage each other in our faith.  I knew when reading the passage I would be encouraged when I went to Mass.  And I was.  Hopefully I encouraged others as well. 

                The second point I took from Father’s homily was simple charity.  We shouldn’t wait for the big stuff.  We shouldn’t think we have to have money to make a difference.  Simply apply our love to our neighbor.  As I mentioned, I had no energy and my wrist felt like fire kept coursing through it.  Pain shot through my knee.  Two friends gave me comforting hugs, simple charity.  They knew I was struggling and helped me in my stress.  I received other hugs and kind words.  Yes, we are to step out of our comfort zone and help those less fortunate, but we can’t forget those around us.  Giving charity to each other encourages.

                Simple sight is the final point.  Our daily lives become so weighed down with negatives.  For me, I struggle with chronic pain.  I want God to fix it.  I ask Him to take away the pain.  Eventually He does, but not when I want it done.  I could easily only see Him when the pain leaves.  I could only look for Him in the sky or across the sea, Deuteronomy 30:10-14.  Instead, I need to look all around me.  I see Him in the flowers that bloom in my gardens.  I hear him in the twitter of the birds or the buzz of the bees.  I saw Him on the altar as my son stood next to his babysitter of years ago.  She took care of him after school, now they minister together through the Eucharist.   God is right there.  Don’t look past Him.

                Blessing to you all.