I APPRECIATE MY BLOG
Mike Cunningham
February 1, 2015

As far as I’m concerned this continues to be a crummy winter. I wish it were over. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy for the folks who profit from the ski industry and those who enjoy out door activities. But for the rest of us being subjected to the sub zero temperatures with the howling winds and wind chill factors of up to 50 below; snow, sleet and freezing rain producing very hazardous driving conditions, all I can say is, “enough is enough.”

Nevertheless, there are many things I do appreciate greatly this time of the year. For instance, I appreciate God providing my wife and me with four terrific children together with the rest of our family and friends who love us and demonstrate that love in various ways. I appreciate God’s faithfulness in providing us with electricity, and heat and hot water, plenty of food and enough money to cover our expenses. And, “I appreciate my blog.” It’s nice knowing that the Lord is using me as an instrument for Him to bless many people through the postings on my blog. The following is a continuation of last weeks sermon.

“On Tuesday he had a meeting with the clergy. It was held at the social hall at the Presbyterian church. All the clergy in town were there, including Father Pat. His pastor didn’t attend these groups. He felt the Catholic Church had the truth and there was no point in fraternizing with ministers. The meeting started with a prayer asking God’s guidance on their work and petitioning the Holy Spirit to use them as instruments of peace and love in the community. Joshua bowed his head as they prayed.

“Joshua,” the president of the group began, “we appreciate your coming to this meeting. We feel it is important because there has been considerable confusion since you came to town and we would like to get some things straightened out before the situation gets worse. We are concerned, first of all, with your remarks about religion. From what I have heard you have been critical of the way the churches practice religion. Is this true?”

“First of all,” Joshua began, “I don’t set out talking about religious matters. People come out and talk about many things, and in the course of the conversation questions will come up about religion. When they do I answer simply and matter-of-factly. In fact, religion is not practiced the way Jesus preached it or intended it to be.”

“Why do you say that?” Reverend Engman asked.

“Because religious leaders have imitated those characteristics of Judaism that Jesus attacked so vigorously.”

“Like what?” Reverend Engman continued.

“Like making religion an artificial observance of practices contrived by religious leaders. Take the Christian denominations. It is not their following of Jesus that makes them different from one another. It is the denomination’s that you have created that make them different from one another and keep them apart. This has brought ridicule on Christianity and destroyed the united influence you could have on the world.”

“I would agree with that,” Reverend Engman responded. But the others were not so agreeable. One of the ministers asked him if he had any theological or scriptural training. He had not. Where did he get his information from if he had no training? The scriptures are quite clear to anyone who is willing to read with an open mind, and history speaks for itself was Joshua’s reply.

When the Presbyterian minister asked him why he went to from one church to another and didn’t join a particular church, Joshua replied, I like to pray with all people who sincerely worship God. Each of your churches preaches a variation of what Jesus taught, but you have strayed far from his original message. Jesus prayed fervently that his people would be one, and you have torn it asunder with your bickering and petty jealousy. You have kept the Christian people away from one another and forced them to be loyal to your denominations rather than to Jesus. That is the great sin. You make null and void the teachings of Jesus and his commandment of love by forcing allegiance to your own traditions.”
They were all stung by what he had said, and when Joshua finished there was an uncomfortable silence. In the course of the discussions that followed Joshua pointed out the history of each of their religions and their break with the body of Christ in order to start their own versions of what Jesus taught.

The meeting ended badly. The clergy were so angered by his stinging criticism of their denominations that it was difficult for them to be civil to him. They ended up by agreeing that Joshua would no longer be welcome in their churches until he made up his mind as to which religion he really belonged. Reverend Engman and Father Pat were the only two who did not go along with the consensus, and, afterward they told Joshua privately that he was welcome in their church any time he wished to come. Father Darby had to leave the meeting early, so he was not part of the decision. Reverend Rowland did not attend these meetings, so he had no part in what took place.

…. When he got back to his house there was a frantic knocking on the front door. He opened it and was surprised to see Margaret, Hank’s wife, carrying her little daughter in her arms. It was the little girl who always ran out to meet him when he walked down the back road. The mother was beside herself.

Joshua took them inside and asked the woman what had happened. Between sobs she tried to explain. She said her daughter was dying and pleaded with Joshua to help her. She knew he was a good man and God would listen to him. Would he please help her? The girl had been getting headaches and high fevers. The mother gave her aspirin, but it didn’t help. She kept getting worse, sometimes becoming unconscious.

“Did you take her to the doctor?” Joshua asked.
“We have no money.”
“What about the hospital?”
“We have no insurance either”

Joshua told the mother to sit down, taking the child from her and sitting down himself. He looked down at the girl, who barely opened her eyes. She looked up at Joshua and smiled faintly, then seemed to become unconscious. She lay almost lifeless in Joshua’s arms, pale, her left arm hanging limp as Joshua held her close to him. He remembered her running out of the house in her underpants to greet him, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly. She really loved Joshua.

“Can you please help her?” the mother pleaded frantically.

Joshua looked at the girl, and then looked up at the mother, who was sitting on the edge of her chair, tears streaming down her drawn cheeks. “Woman,” Joshua said, “you have such faith. How could God not listen to you?”

Joshua couldn’t stand seeing people in such hopeless straights? He told the woman to trust God and take her daughter back home. She would be better before they arrived there. “God has heard your pleas, and your great faith,” he told her. “So don’t worry. Your daughter will be well. Just give her a lot of liquids for a day or so until she feels like eating again. She’ll be all right.”

The woman had complete trust in Joshua. She thanked him and took her daughter in her arms and walked out the front door, carrying the child all the way up the street. As they disappeared around the corner the girl opened her eyes and looked up at her mother. “Why are you carrying me, Mommy? I can walk.”

The mother cried for joy. “Are you sure, honey?” she asked the child.
“Yes Mommy, let me show you.”

The woman put the girl down and she stood up straight and firm, but she was still pale and weak. Margaret felt the child’s forehead. There was no sign of fever. She asked her if her head ached. It didn’t. The mother threw her arms around the child and cried out loud for sheer joy. Then the two of them walked down the back road together holding hands.

It wasn’t long after Margaret left that Father Pat came over. He was dressed in casual clothes, with a friendly grin on his face.

“Come on in, Pat,” Joshua, said, glad to see him. “This is a nice little place you got,” the priest said as he looked around.

“Nothing pretentious,” Joshua responded, “just enough to suit my needs.”
“I like it,” the priest said.
“Have you eaten yet?” Joshua asked.
“No, we don’t eat on Sunday at the rectory. It’s the cook’s day off.”
“Will you have lunch with me?
“Okay, I am hungry,” Father Pat, answered.

The two men walked into the kitchen. Joshua pulled a chair away from the table for his guest to sit down, then went about stirring the pot of chicken soup. It was much the same meal as when the mailman came except for chicken breasts, which he had roasting on the grill in the back yard, and a bowl of salad.

Joshua served the soup, then the rest of the meal. The two men didn’t waste much time getting into an involved discussion. That was why the priest wanted to come in the first place. Joshua poured two glasses of wine, which they sipped while eating. He left the bottle on the table in case his guest wanted more.

The two men enjoyed talking to each other. Father Pat was a ready talker and lost no time telling Joshua all the rumors about him in town, needling him when he finished the list. “You couldn’t possibly be as bad as all the rumors I’ve heard. That’s why I wanted to get to know you for myself.”

Joshua laughed loudly. He knew he was the object of mystery and sort of enjoyed it. Not lost for words himself, he retorted with the same good nature. “You don’t do too badly yourself, you know.
“Oh, don’t I know it,” the priest responded. I guess I do keep them guessing. And my drinking doesn’t help.”

Joshua said nothing, just continued eating.

“I hear you have your own business, Josh,” father Pat said.
“Yes, it’s not much. Just enough to pay my bills. I’ll never get rich on it.”
“What do you do?”
“I make things out of wood. Sometimes people bring in broken furniture. Sometimes they order pieces like lampstands or figurines.”

“I heard about the statue of Moses you made for the synagogue. I thought Jews weren’t allowed to have statues.”
“They’re not, but they thought it would be all right if they put it in the social hall rather than the sanctuary.”
“I heard some were a little upset with the bluntness of the message in the statue,” the priest said.
“I know, the rabbi told me as much.”
“You know, Joshua, you’re a strange fellow. You’re not just a wood-carver. You have too much depth and understanding of things to be content to just carve wood. I almost got the impression you’ve been this way before,” the priest said, looking intently into Joshua’s eyes as he said it, trying to pick up the slightest change in facial expression. ”You have such a beautiful attitude toward everything. When I was speaking about Jesus this morning in the sermon, I couldn’t help but think of you. You seem to have picked up the real spirit of Jesus and adapted it perfectly to your own life. You’re the only person I know who has done that. In most Christians, even good ones, their imitation of Jesus is just that, imitation. They zero in on one trait of Christ and practice that till it becomes almost a caricature. But you live his ways with such ease and grace. I don’t think even he could be much different from you if he were to come back.

Joshua did show a trace of discomfort and started to blush.

“I embarrass you,” Father Pat said. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help telling you that because you are a living example of what I try to preach, and it’s frustrating at times. When I met you I felt I had met the living ideal of what I had talked about so often. I wish I myself could be more like what I preach. I try, but it’s hard.”

“You’re a good priest, Pat,” Joshua reassured him, but don’t allow yourself to get discouraged. Everyone has imperfections. That’s the way God made them, and as long as people are striving to love God and care about one another, they are pleasing God. Perfection is more a process of striving than a state to be attained, so one’s perfection is measured not by success in attaining a measureable goal but in attitudes constantly changing to ever more perfectly reflect the mind of God.

“That’s what I like about you, Josh. You make even the most profound things simple. But what I can’t understand is where you got such marvelous insight into things most people don’t even give a damn about. Where did you learn it? Your whole life seems to be so finely attuned to God and nature that you walk through life as easily as a spring breeze floats through a forest full of trees.”

Joshua continued to sip his wine. “I guess I just do a lot of thinking. I try to understand people and things and spend so much time alone that it gives me the peace and quiet to sort things out and put all of life together so it has meaning. That is the one thing most people don’t take the time to do, and it is necessary if you are to find meaning to life.”

“You know, Josh, I drink a lot. I wish I didn’t but I get so lonely, and living in the rectory with the pastor isn’t easy. Sometimes I feel I’m not really cut out to be a priest, yet I feel so strongly called to the priesthood. I love the work. I love people. But I want so much to have a family and I feel that my whole spiritual life needs the support of a woman and a family if I am to grow as a person. I don’t feel I have the gift of celibacy. I even have a friend I feel very close to and I feel guilty about it. Is it possible that God can give the call to the priesthood but not the gift of celibacy?”

“You have just answered that for yourself, Pat. Only the individual knows to what God is calling him. No one can dictate a calling or demand a gift that is not there. If God gives the call to the priesthood, but not the gift of celibacy, then others must respect what God has done and not demand more. Otherwise they will destroy what could be a beautiful work of God.”

“But what if I know I have a call to the priesthood and also know just as strongly that I need to love someone who will love me and support me in my work? This need is so distracting that I cannot ignore it without it destroying me. It makes it almost impossible for me to do my work.” Tears began to well up in the priest’s eyes.

Joshua reached over and put his arm around the priest’s shoulders and told him, “You are a good priest, Pat, and God has called you. You cannot compromise that if my Father has not given you the gift of celibacy, that is his business, and your superiors should respect that. Tell the bishop and insist that he take you seriously and help you solve your problem. The church must respect the way the Holy Spirit works, especially in the souls of priests; otherwise she will destroy her own priesthood. What Jesus has made optional, the church should not make mandatory.”

“But the church will not allow priests to marry,” the priest insisted, still pushing his point.
“Then you must struggle for change.”
“But what about myself and my own situation? I want to be a good priest.”
“Just try your best. God always understands if you try. Even if you fail, God still understands. But be careful not to shame your priesthood or damage the people’s faith. If your conscience forces you to make a decision, God will understand. Doing the work of Jesus can be accomplished in many ways, and marriage is no obstacle to that work, and often, if a woman is spiritual, she can be a great help and inspiration. There are also many other Christians who will need you and accept you. But do not be impetuous. Sometimes God works slowly and may want you to suffer the pain of loneliness right now so you can better understand the loneliness of others and be a better priest. It may be that in time God will free you from that pain, so be patient, Pat, and walk close to Jesus. When you are sad walk out into the meadow, and on the upper meadow you will find Jesus. He will meet you there. Talk to him and let him guide you. He promised, you know, and I promise you too.”

“Joshua, I can’t help but feel God speaks through you. You make me feel so much at peace. As I said before, for you everything is so simple. Even now you have answered something that has troubled me for years, and finally I see clearly. Thanks, Josh.”
“I’m glad I helped,” Joshua said.

By this time both were finished. Joshua started clearing the dishes. The priest dried them. Afterward they went into the backyard. Joshua showed Pat the garden and pulled a batch of tomatoes that were beginning to ripen. He also picked some cucumbers and piled them in his arms as they both walked back into the house.

As Joshua was putting the vegetables into a bag, Father Pat asked him if he had any family nearby. “My family have all passed on, I’m the only one remaining,” Joshua answered casually as he continued putting the tomatoes into the bag.

“Josh, I hear you’ve been attending services at the various churches and I’m a little confused. I thought you were Catholic,” the priest said curiously.

“I look upon all the churches as one family. I know God has no favorites. Religious leaders of each church feel their religion is the true religion. God doesn’t view religion as structures. He loves people, and where people are trying sincerely to serve him and love one another, God is with them. God laughs at petty rivalries and ignores arrogant attitudes that make people think they are first in God’s eyes. He looks upon all Christians as members of the same family who have never learned to get along, and who, like the apostles, are continually struggling for primacy. Each group of Christians expresses something different in what Jesus taught, but none of them reflects completely the spirit if Jesus.”

“The Catholic Church shows a beautiful tenacity to the precise letter of Jesus’ teachings, but it has missed the message of freedom that was so essential to Jesus’ spirit, and it has done shameful things to enforce the observance of the letter of the law in its devotion to dogma. That was what the chief priests and the Pharisees did in their time. They failed to see the main thrust of Jesus’ life, which was to free the human spirit from the theological prisons that religious leaders construct for people. Fidelity to the teachings of Jesus cannot be forced by threat of punishment. Jesus never wanted that. He wanted the human spirit to find him in freedom and to embrace him joyously and spontaneously.

On the other hand, the other churches were wrong in tearing the body of Christ apart by their anger with church leaders. They have been just as intolerant, even though they sincerely try to teach what they feel to be an important message of the gospel. Each of them, in their own way, stresses some aspect of Jesus’ spirit, though they are frequently careless about things that Jesus was willing to die for. There is also an admirable love and spirit of caring and a simplicity among the various Protestant churches, that the others could do well to learn. That is why I feel free visiting all the churches. Would Jesus do any differently?”

“Joshua, sometimes I wonder about you when you talk like that. I still think there’s more to you than just a wood carver. Your vision far transcends the merely human mind. Joshua, who are you, really?”

“As you said this morning, you already know who I am. What more can I tell you than what I have said?”

The priest searched his memory in vain, trying to remember what he had said to him after Mass.

“One day you will understand,” Joshua continued, “and your heart will rejoice.”

At that point the priest started to leave and told Joshua he was going home to visit his father and mother, who were expecting him for dinner later on. As he started for the door, Joshua handed him the bag of vegetables and told him, “Give these to your mother. I’m sure she can use them. She has a fine son. Your parents should be proud of you.”

“Thanks, Josh. You’re a good man and I appreciate your helping me. Have a nice afternoon.”

The priest then left and walked out to his car, with Joshua, as usual, accompanying him to the gate. As he drove off, Joshua went back into the house. He was tired. Last night’s partying was unusual and he wasn’t used to it. Today was busy, and even though he enjoyed helping the poor distraught mother and entertaining the priest, it had been exhausting. Joshua fell down on his bed and in a few minutes was fast asleep.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this sermon, “I Appreciate My Blog.” I hope you also do.

Lord willing, next week,….

Joshua, © 1983, 1987 by Joseph F. Girzone, published by Touchstone, Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas. First Touchstone edition 2003