It’s Christmas time again and everywhere we look we see violence and mayhem, greed and avarice, poverty and hunger. Mankind’s inhumanity to others and a total disregard for the welfare of the earth dominate the news every day. Watching the hearings concerning Trumps impeachment has been the low point of the year for me. Rhetoric, obfuscation, innuendos and fabrications dominate instead of truth, logic and evidence. Christmas is a cruel joke only made worse by the amount of crass commercialism that is exhorted in the name of Jesus Christ.
Satan sat on his throne listening to my above missive and thinking “Ha, Christ was a failure and I have won another soul. Do you hear me God? You sent Moses with a message. You sent Noah with a message. You sent dozens of your prophets with a message. You sent your only son to carry the same message and no one really gives a dam. There is not one Christian on earth who loves everyone. Every single Christian hates someone else. Catholics hate Jews. Protestants hate Catholics. Evangelicals hate non-evangelicals. The right wing hates the left. The left hates the right. Rural Americans despise urban Americans. The rich hate the poor and the poor hate the rich.”
God heard Satan and simply said to him “You are wrong. There is much love and compassion for others in the human race.”
“Yes”, said Satan, “for members of their own tribes. For people who look like them, talk like them, live like them, think like them, but for others there is only hate. I challenge you to find ten Christians who do not hate someone else.”
God replied: “Will you leave humans alone this Christmas if I can find ten good Christians?”
Satan confidently answered, “Of course, but only if you agree on a limit of ten days to find your ten good Christians. That way, I will still have time to ruin Christmas for as many families as I can if you do not find them.”
“Agreed” said God
Two days went by and God could not find ten good Christians who did not hate anyone else. Satan laughed, “I told you so.” God then requested that he be allowed to find only five good Christians who did not hate anyone else. So confident was Satan that he readily agreed to this change.
Two more days went by and God could not find five good Christians who did not hate anyone else. God was getting desperate. “What” he asked Satan, “if I could find just one good Christian who did not hate anyone else? Would you concede that Jesus was not a failure?”
“Okay, I am so confident that there is not one good Christian on Earth who does not hate someone else that I will give you this last chance. But on one condition” said Satan. “My condition is that you will get two more days to find your good Christian but if you do, then I get four days to test your Christian to see if they really are a non-hater.”
God accepted Satan’s conditions and went in search of a single Christian somewhere on the face of the earth who did not hate someone else. God had to expand his search beyond America but in less than two days, God thought he had found his loving non-hating Christian. It was a young girl in India. Her name was Aindrila. Aindrila was eight years old. She lived with her mother, father and her pet cat in a little village in Mizoram, India.
Every night when Aindrila went to bed she prayed for all the people in the world. 
“Now I lay me down to sleep and pray the Lord my soul will keep. Please watch over my mother and father, all the people in India and all the people in the world. Please help everyone who needs help and keep everyone safe. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord, my soul he will take. Amen.”
God presented his good non-hating Christian to Satan, but Satan only laughed. “We will see. I have four days to test if your so-called good Christian really is so good.”
The next day, Satan sent two young teenagers to Aindrila’s house to torture and kill her cat. When Aindrila found the dead body of her cat, she cried for several hours. That night when she went to bed, she prayed much as before except she added a verse:
“Please God watch over the boys who did this to my cat and help them to see the error of their ways. Amen.”
Satan was somewhat chagrined, but he decided to up the ante. The next day, he put a hole in the path of Aindrila as she walked to school. Aindrila fell in the hole and broke her leg. It was a very bad break and Aindrila was taken to the local hospital. They fixed the break but told Aindrila that she might have to walk with a limp because of the injury. Again, that night, Aindrila went to bed and added the following verse to her nightly prayers.
“God, thank you for sending me such good health care and bless the people who fixed my leg the best they could. Please watch over them and take good care of them. Amen.”
Now Satan was very angry. “OK God, you asked for this fight and you are going to get it. We will see if your good Christian is really good or not.”
The next day, Aindrila’s parents were going to work on their usual bus ride. Satan saw to it that a drunk driver smashed into the bus killing only Aindrila’s parents. No one else on the bus was injured. Satan laughed and laughed. “This should do it”, he thought.
Somewhat later that day, the local constable along with a social worker came to find Aindrila at home. When Aindrila answered the door, they told her that both her parents had been killed by a drunk driver that morning. They were very sorry for her loss, but she would have to come with them. Because she had no other relatives, they were going to take her to live at the local orphanage. She would have to stay there until she was eighteen or someone wanted to adopt her. They thought this would be rather unlikely though.
Aindrila was relocated at the orphanage where she seemed sad and despondent. Nothing the kindly Sisters of Charity could say to her seemed to shake her out of her melancholy. She cried until she went to bed that night. Unlike previous nights, she went to sleep without saying any prayers.
A few hours after Aindrila went to bed, she awoke with a start. She did not know where she was. It took her some time to orient to her new surroundings but once she did, she turned over to go back to sleep. Suddenly, she thought “I have not said any prayers tonight.” She climbed out of bed and made the following prayer:
“Dear God, thank you for the wonderful parents you gave me. I know you took them away today, but I am sure that you had a good reason for doing so. Thank you for finding a new home for me with these nice nuns. Oh, and please help the man who killed my parents find a good life. I forgive him for what he did and I hope you will too. Amen.”
Satan listened to the little girl saying her prayers and conceded. “Dam you God, you win.”
And God said “If there is only one person on earth who is not a hater then it was worth sending my son Jesus and Jesus was not a failure.
“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” ― The Light in the Heart
This week, you will hear from one Jesus of Nazareth. He has been called by many names including: Messiah, Emmanuel, Christ, Lord, Master, Logos (the Word), Son of God and by himself more often The Son of Man. He is often credited with being the founder or perhaps foundation for a popular religion called Christianity. Today, it is difficult to see the link between the teachings of Jesus and many of these so-called Christian religions. I have it on good authority that Jesus never ever preached killing anyone and yet many of these so-called Christian religions are continually waving a banner of mayhem and destruction at those who think differently than they do. Anyway, it is time to let Jesus speak for himself.
I am talking about greed here. I am talking about wanting more and more regardless of the effects it has on the earth. I am telling you that happiness does not come from having more of things. The only true happiness comes from helping others. It is better to share with others who are needy than to amass a fortune that you cannot take with you. Those who berate the tax collector and call him a sinner and cheat are no better than the tax collector. Indeed, those who refuse to pay their fair share for the life they are given are worse than the tax collector. 
I am talking about sin here. I am talking about grieving your mistakes and injustices towards others. No one can walk in this world without hurting others either deliberately or by mistake. But the people who will be comforted in the next world are those who regret their mistakes and injustices and ask for forgiveness. They are the people who acknowledge their sins and mistakes and try to make amends. I was not perfect, and no one born of this world is perfect. The good and just man admits his vices and tries to overcome them. The good and just man tries to make amends to the people he has hurt or abused.
The narcissist and the man full of hubris will do injustice to all they meet. The narcissist thinks that the world revolves around his needs, wants and desires, and is content to ignore the needs and wants and desires of others. The man of hubris is overly prideful and arrogant and thinks that he has earned the right to have more than others. Both feel that everyone else is there to serve their needs and that their needs come before the needs of anyone else. The injustice done by these beliefs amounts to a mountain of intolerance and discrimination towards anyone who is perceived as inferior or beneath their consideration. For this reason, I say “Do not look upon yourself as being better than others. Remember that there but for the grace of God, would you go.”
world. No one who is not seeking righteousness and justice can expect to find peace. I say that your task is to look for justice where there is injustice. To look for goodness where there is wickedness. You can never complete your search. Your hunger will never be sated. Your thirst will never be quenched. Each generation must take up the search because evil is in our own hearts. Only by looking to replace evil with justice and righteousness can the evil that is within us be banished. We are all born with original sin, but the righteous man is the one who overcomes their sinfulness by replacing it with a goodness that transcends earthly needs and desires.
Those who show mercy towards others will have mercy shown towards them. I lived in a time when lepers, Samaritans, non-Jews and many others were thought to be unworthy of mercy. Mercy was always for those in our own tribe. This meant mercy for Jews if you were a Jew. Mercy for Romans if you were a Roman. No mercy was to be shown to the poor for they were lazy. No mercy was to be shown to the sick because they were sinners. No mercy was to be shown to those of other religions because they were “non-believers.”
I say to you that the pure of heart are those with integrity and character. They are without selfishness and seek primarily to do good for others regardless of the cost to themselves. They are not opportunists who try to squeeze the most for themselves at every turn of events. Neither are they sycophants who yield their ideas and actions to others so they can creat more profit for themselves. The pure of heart are not greedy. They are not profit driven. They are not out for fame and fortune. The pure of heart care only about the good they can do for others. Others include the entire human race and not simply those who belong to their tribe or religion or country. Those who put humanity above patriotism, humanity above family, humanity above friendships and humanity above self will surely see God.
Rage, jealousy, ingratitude, intolerance, bigotry and fear are the enemies of peace. Those who want peace must be willing to beat their swords into plowshares. If you follow my Beatitude, you will disarm yourself. You will throw down your guns. You will deactivate your nuclear weapons. You will turn your armies for war into armies for education. There is no peace possible in aggression. There is no peace possible in hatred. There is no peace possible in defensiveness. The only path to peace is to turn the other cheek. How many times have I said you must do this to find peace?
Actions speak louder than words. All those who cry out “Lord, lord” will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. What good is the salt if it has lost its taste? Those who speak beautiful words will not enter my kingdom without beautiful deeds to match their words. I spoke out my ideas and thoughts. I challenged the powers that were corrupt. I was taken up to the mountain and promised fame and fortune and power by Satan if I renounced my beliefs, but I remained steadfast. I was persecuted and crucified, but I never renounced my beliefs. How then do you think you will be saved by being nice to others and by silencing your thoughts in the face of evil? No one who speaks my name should expect to escape persecution. There is no change without struggle and oppression.
I was only twenty-five when I met Irene. It was my first job out of college. I had just finished my RN program at Regina Nursing School. It took me three years going to school days and working part-time evenings to complete my degree. After finishing school, I applied at several nursing homes since I wanted to work with the elderly. In three weeks, I was hired by the River Birch nursing home in New Prague Minnesota.
My first day on the job was the high point and perhaps also the low point of my life. It was the day I met Irene. My supervisor Michelle started my job orientation by introducing me to the staff I would be working with. She then gave me a brief summary of my work duties. She explained that I would be assigned a wing of the nursing home and within that wing, I would be in charge of a specific number of residents. We were not to call them patients. Each day, my job would be to take care of the residents that I was assigned and to ensure that they received food, care and compassion.
Over time, I began to wonder what she was looking at. After looking out the window myself, all I could see was a large grassy field surrounded by numerous oak, maple and birch trees. On any given day, there might some grackles or robins out in the field but very little else to view. It was a pleasant enough scene but nothing that I thought could keep anyone’s attention for more than a few minutes never mind several hours of staring out the window
a very pretty view that she could look out at. I thought she would enjoy the variety and the change of scenery. As I started to push Irene’s wheel chair away from her chosen window, she became very agitated and started pointing wildly and in a raised voice saying “window, window.” I moved her back to the old window and left her for the day.
Next morning, I came to work and started my rounds. I did not see Irene and I wondered where she was. I checked her room but the bed was made up and there was no sign of Irene. I went into see my supervisor and ask about her. “I am sorry” Michele said “She passed away last night and was taken to the funeral home. There will be no services for her as she had no surviving relatives.” I went home and cried for her passing. I had never understood her or made a connection with her that I thought was the least bit meaningful.
It is sixty-five years later and I finally understand Irene. I am sitting here looking out a window from the nursing home where I am now a resident. Each day I look out the same window and I see a different event from my life. I have been amazed at the events that I have witnessed. I have seen my mother giving birth to me. I have seen the birth of each of my sisters and brothers. I witnessed my first communion and my first day in school. I watched my wedding and the birth of each of my children. I was at my husband’s funeral again. During the past few months, I have seen all the major events of my life one after the other in perfect chronological order. I am almost at the end of my journey. There is only one final event. The last event will be when they come for me. They are getting close. My mom and dad are coming for me. They are coming to take me home. I must keep looking out the window or I will miss them.
Emily and Robert had been married for nearly 65 years. They were both in their early twenties when they met in college. It was love at first sight. Their parents wanted them to wait to finish college but after a brief whirlwind romance, they simply eloped. They surprised everyone when they came back to school and finished their college degrees. Robert became an engineer and Emily was a school teacher for many years. The careers they chose suited their personalities. They were known as hard faithful workers. Not once in over forty years did any employer ever have a complaint or problem with either Robert or Emily. After forty-five years, they both chose to retire so they could spend more time together after Robert’s first stroke.
were loved by all their foster children who often returned home to visit or to simply stop by with a bit of news or something to eat. Robert and Emily could not have loved any children of their own more than they loved their foster children.
Emily finished brushing her teeth and then took her nightly pills. She shut off the bathroom light and started out to the bedroom. The light by Robert’s side of the bed was on and Emily started to say something to Robert when abruptly she stopped. Her eyes fell upon an empty bed that was undisturbed. The sheets and bed covers had not been moved. Emily was surprised and shocked. Where was 
Robert? Suddenly, Emily remembered. Robert had died the previous week and had been buried two days before on Saturday. Tears came to her eyes. What would she do without her Robert? She was all alone now. No one to go to bed with. No one to talk to at night. No one who would regularly listen to her complaints and problems about the world.
I need to back up a bit as you must understand some mitigating factors. Most people of my generation today have no idea about why mutual sex was abolished. With hind sight, it may seem a little like throwing the baby out with the bath water. However, around the year 2090, war, terrorism and violence had become so common that everyone agreed something must be done about it. A group of the leading thinkers in the world formed a committee to see whether aggression could be stopped. They accepted the fact that most savage and brutal actions were committed by males of the species. Throughout history, men have fought wars over territory, money, power, fame and women. Men were responsible for most murders, robberies, rapes and crimes against women. The committee noted that the underlying drive behind male aggression was a preponderance of the hormone testosterone. A theory was proposed that if something could be done to reduce the amount of male testosterone, a corresponding drop in world violence would take place.
The solution was political rather than biological. The “Birth Act of 2107” decreed that any physical conjoining of men and women was illegal and immoral. The Supreme High Committee decided that since ancient methods of reproduction were now unreliable, the only way that women could have a baby was by artificial insemination. First, a prospective mother would need to file a permit for a license. Once having a license approved (the present birth rate was a critical factor in licensing decisions) a woman could then go to a birth clinic where she would be impregnated using a glass syringe. Male sperm was collected by harvesting willing males who were paid a fee for their production. Collected specimens were then sent to a national sperm bank to be cataloged and eventually matched with appropriate recipients.
Now as you know, life will always produce mutations. Genetic anomalies that defy the common strain of biology. And so, several years ago, a male baby was born with the genes to develop testosterone. His parents were not aware of this fact until he reached his pre-teens at which point his unique physical abilities were more than obvious. Unsure what the repercussions would be, his mother advised him not to tell anyone. His parents assumed that he could quite easily hide his sometimes-awkward condition from his peers and society at large. This strategy worked for many years. During this time, Adam tried to exercise his abilities as discreetly as possible.
As the little boy grew up, he became an even more devout believer in God. Everywhere he went, he saw the hand of God. In the clouds, in nature, in the weather, in the oceans, in good times and in bad times he believed that God was present. The little boy thought how hard God must have to work to try to keep life sustained. Each night he would pray to God that when he grew up, he would be able to help ease God’s work somewhat and do his share to help make the world a better place.
Aging Capriciously 