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Weird
Wally's Treasure
Fr.
George Smiga
February 23, 2003
Mark
2:1-12
Mark was late, very late, for an important meeting. He had
become tied up in traffic on the freeway and now he was certain
that one of his most important clients was waiting for him,
as he made his way through the crowded city streets from his
parking garage to his office building. As he approached the
building he saw in the crowd of people in front of him a familiar
character. It was Weird Wally. At least that was the name
that many of the people in Mark's office had given to the
homeless, emotionally unstable, man who frequented the area
outside their building. Weird Wally was always trying to get
people's attention, trying to engage them in conversation.
"Do you want to see my treasure?" he would say to
anyone who would listen. It seemed that Wally's treasure was
located in the college notebook that he held very close to
his dirty clothing. Although there had been some conversations
in the office building about what was in that notebook, what
exactly it was that Wally considered his treasure, no one
took him up on the invitation to look at it, because they
simply did not want to get involved.
"Oh
no," said Mark to himself as he saw Wally coming towards
him. "I really don't need this today." But Wally
came right up. "Do you want to see my treasure?"
he said. Mark did not respond. "Perhaps he'll just go
away," he thought. Wally insisted, "Do you want
to see my treasure?" Mark had to stop at the curb to
wait for the light, and Wally walked right up behind him.
"Do you want to see my treasure?" he said. Still
Mark did not respond. So Wally shifted his strategy. "What's
your name?" he said. Mark again held his breath. He didn't
want to get involved. "What's your name?" said Wally.
"What's your name?"
Then
perhaps out of frustration, or a little compassion, but clearly
with a certain amount of surprise, Mark found himself answering.
"Mark, my name is Mark, Mark Fillmore." "Hello
Mark." Said Wally. "Do you want to see my treasure?"
Now that the conversation was begun, it seemed inappropriate
for Mark to break it off. "No Wally, I can't see your
treasure today. I have an important meeting. Maybe later.
Maybe next time." With that the light changed and Mark
dashed across the street into the office building with Wally
calling behind him, "Goodbye Mark. Maybe later."
That
was the last that Mark saw or even thought about Wally for
several months. But one day as he came to work and turned
the corner, he saw an ambulance with a number of police cars
in front of his building. Running into a fellow worker he
asked, "What's this about?" "Oh it's Weird
Wally," said one of the workers. "He seems to have
rushed out in the midst of the traffic and was hit by a car
and killed."
Mark
was surprised by how deeply this news affected him. He stood
in silence and watched as the ambulance pulled away. When
he turned to go into the building, he saw in the gutter a
college notebook. It was Wally's. Mark picked it up and saw
that on the cover was written in an uneven hand, "My
Treasure." Mark opened the notebook and inside was a
single page. At the top of the page it was written "My
Friends," and under that heading there was one entry,
one name. It was "Mark Fillmore."
How
much power does one simple action of kindness carry? How much
does it cost us to offer it? Each day we have hundreds of
opportunities to give ourselves to others and most of those
opportunities cost us hardly anything: a few minutes to listen,
to advise, to support, to care. Perhaps, because these opportunities
cost us so little, we conclude that they do not mean very
much. But that would be an error. Because sometimes a simple
action of kindness that costs us very little can have a profound
effect on another person.
That
is the experience that is relayed in today's gospel. Indeed
the four friends of the paralytic did take some time to carry
him to Jesus. And when they could not get to Jesus, they opened
the roof so that they could lower their friend down. But the
cost of their action was insignificant compared to the result
which came from it. It cost those friends a few hours of their
time. But their friend, because of their kindness, was able
to walk again.
Today's
gospel reminds us that every action of generosity and kindness
has a power and sometimes a power greater than we can imagine.
The gospel, therefore, invites us to take the time to listen
to a friend, to read to our children, to make a phone call
to a relative who is struggling, to write a note to someone
in grief. For a few words can dispel loneliness. An ounce
of patience can prevent an argument. A few minutes of time
can speak hours of love. So whether it is a stranger who we
meet on the street or someone in our own family, we need to
remember that our most simple actions do have power, the power
to carry others into the presence of Christ. And that is no
small achievement. Because, in the presence of Christ, we
can find healing, we can accept reconciliation, we can discover
life itself.
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