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God
in Spaghetti Sauce
June 15, 2003 Homily
Fr. George Smiga
Matthew
28: 16 - 20
The gospel of Matthew ends with that great commission that
we just heard in today's Gospel. The last line of the gospel
is a noble and strong promise: "Remember, I am with you
always until the end of the age." Jesus says that he
will never leave us. He promises that the God that we adore;
Father, Son, and Spirit, will remain with us forever. There
are few passages in Scripture that are more encouraging or
more important than this one. Our triune God will remain with
us always. But how does God remain with us? Where do we look
to find God's presence? Certainly we would agree that God
is present when we come together like we do here today to
pray. We would also recognize that God is present when we
do actions of justice and charity in God's name. But, are
there other places in which God is present? Yes, many of them.
For example, God can be found in homemade spaghetti sauce.
That at least is the testimony given by a woman names Sarah
Ban Breathnach in her book, Romancing the Ordinary.
Sarah's story is well worth repeating. One night she went
out with her husband to eat in a restaurant. Unfortunately
one of the heavy ceiling tiles from that restaurant became
dislodged and fell on her. She was severely injured. All of
her senses were affected. She could no longer taste or smell.
Even the quietest of music made her dizzy. She was so sensitive
to light that she could barely open her eyes. Her ability
to put together simple sentences was almost eliminated. In
short, Sarah became helpless, an invalid. Yet this state in
which she found herself was the beginning of a journey.
Here is how she describes it in her book. "My down time
was a perfect opportunity for heaven to get my complete attention.
Chief among my discoveries was this, divinity is to be found
where you least expect to find it. Moses found his God in
a burning bush. I found mine in a pot of homemade spaghetti
sauce. Months after my accident, the spaghetti sauce was the
first thing I was able to smell distinctly. I could scarcely
believe my nose. Euphoric, I followed the strange but familiar
fragrance of garlic, onions, tomatoes, peppers and oregano
down the stairs and into the kitchen. I was practically beside
myself with delight. I felt like was standing on holy ground
in my own house. I had discovered the miracle of the sacred
in the ordinary and from that moment my life would never be
the same.
"I was so grateful to inhale the glorious scent of ordinary
life that I was off and running. I went up into the bathroom
and got a jar of Vicks VapoRub. Yes, eucalyptus! Then I buried
my face in some freshly laundered clothes and inhaled the
fragrance of a warm shirt. And so it went. For the next few
happy weeks I rediscovered life with the same sense of wonder
as a small child. Taste came next. Followed by hearing and
sight and touch. Each sensory restoration was accompanied
by a feeling of rapture and sudden tears. I was astonished
and ashamed at my appalling lack of appreciation for what
had been right under my nose."
Sarah's experience was to recognize the sacred in the ordinary,
to discover divinity where we do not expect to find it. Why
is it that we so often fail to recognize God's presence in
the simple things that surround us? Is it because we're too
busy or preoccupied? Or is it perhaps because we approach
with the wrong perspective? Most of us give more attention
to what is wrong in life than what is right. Rabbi Kushner
wrote a best selling book called Why Do Bad Things Happen
to Good People?" He sold million of copies. But, when
do we ask ourselves, "Why do good things happen to bad
people?"-or at least to ordinary people like you and
me? If tragedy were to strike or we were to experience heartbreak
or failure we would be quick to state, "I don't deserve
this!" But, how often, when we rise to greet a new day
or hold a child or grandchild in our arms do we say to ourselves,
"I don't deserve this!"?
God surrounds us in every time and place. God speaks to us
in the gentle rustle of leaves and in the wisdom of a dear
friend. But we need to be able to listen if we are going to
hear what God is saying. God is present in the softness of
a baby's skin or the dampness of the air after a summer storm.
But we must be open to sense God's touch. God's love is present
in the aroma of homemade spaghetti sauce or in the favorite
cologne of our spouse. But we must be willing to recognize
what is right under our nose. Where do we find divinity? Where
do we discover the triune God who loves us and promises always
to be close to us? Almost anywhere. But first we must open
our eyes.
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