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A
Question of Fairness
August
8, 2004 Homily
Fr.
George Smiga
Luke
12:32-48
“The
Son of Man is coming at a time you least expect.” None of
us can tell when dramatic change might enter our lives. In
fact, there are two kinds of days: days which unfold according
to plan and days which change everything. 9/11 was a day of
the latter type for our country. Which one of us getting out
of bed that morning could have predicted the dramatic event
that would forever change our nation? And yet, for each one
of us, there have been days or will be days of crisis that
will just as profoundly affect our lives as 9/11 affected
the soul of America—a day on which a son or daughter is in
a serious automobile accident, a day on which our spouse files
for divorce, a day on which the results of the test for cancer
comes back positive. These days of crisis change our lives
forever. Frequently they come without warning.
The
Gospel today says that we should be prepared, that we should
be ready and alert for such days. But how can we prepare for
the unknown? How can we prepare in a realistic and healthy
way? This is an important question because, knowing the days
of crisis that will certainly come, we can all too easily
become over whelmed with fear. So how do we prepare for these
days of crisis in a way that will help us rather than harm
us?
I
can never ask this question without thinking of Martha. Martha
was a woman of faith that I came to know while serving in
a community in Akron. She was a woman in her late forties,
bright, funny, with three adult children. I liked Martha a
lot and had a deep respect for her. She was very involved
in the life of her family and of our church community. It
was while I knew her that Martha had her day of crisis. While
shopping one day in the super market, she fell and was unable
to get up. After numerous medical examinations, she was diagnosed
with a rare muscle disorder that was not fatal but within
a matter of weeks removed her ability to walk. I watched Martha
deal with this crisis. I watched her (now in a wheel chair)
re-assemble her life, re-commit herself to her family and
to her church community and find a new way of living. But
although I am sure that there were many days she had internal
struggles, I was particularly amazed with her ability to remain
positive and optimistic.
One
day after a church meeting I could not resist but ask her,
“Martha, how do you do it? How do you remain so positive and
optimistic?” She must have anticipated my question for she
had a ready answer. “It's not easy,” she said, “I routinely
fight a battle against self pity, but what I find most helpful
to me is the question of fairness.” “Fairness?” I asked. “Fairness,”
she said. “When I met Tom, my husband, the love of my life
and my foundation, I did not ask God, ‘why did this happen
to me?' I accepted him as a gift, as a gift for my future.
When I had three healthy children and over the years watched
them grow into amazing adults, I did not ask God, ‘why did
this happen to me?' I accepted it as a grace in my life. As
I met my life long friends and found in each one of them a
blessing and a way to open a new aspect of my life and personality,
I did not question God, ‘why did this happen to me?' I accepted
each relationship as a gift. So how can I now, sitting in
this wheel chair, and ask God, ‘why is this happening to me?'
I am always surprised by the twists and turns of life, but
when you look at it all, there is so much more good than bad.
I know that it is by being thankful for the good that I find
the strength to deal with the rest. To live any other way
is dishonest and ultimately unfair.”
To
this day, I am not sure that I could live Martha's faith as
well as she did, but I know in my deepest soul that she was
right. Each one of us will have to face days of crisis in
our life, days that will change everything. But we are called
to prepare for those days not with fear but with gratitude.
It is only fair to look at all of life. The best way to prepare
for the crisis that is to come is to be thankful for the blessings
of today.
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