Deacon Larry

31st Sunday of Ordinary Time

Wis 11:22 – 12:2; 2 Thes 11:11 – 2:2; Luke 19: 1-10

Dc. Larry Brockman

So, “Before the Lord, the whole universe is as a grain from a balance”.  Does that make God so big that he just doesn’t care about you- you and I, who are as a grain on a balance compared to the whole universe?  Does God make us, reject us when we go awry, and cast us off forever to Hell in favor of some other part of His vast creation?  Such a dreadful, fearful thought.  Quite the opposite, because the infinite Love of God is the theme of today’s liturgy.   

One thing is certain, God must care for all of us as the logic in our first reading attests:   “for what you hated, you would not have fashioned”.  Indeed, why would God make something if He did not find some favor with it?  God simply does will that we exist, or we wouldn’t exist at all.  And it is certain that all of us exist, along with the huge universe that we are immersed in.  Indeed, all of God’s creation has value to God.   

Now, none of us, and indeed, nothing that God creates, is as perfect as He is.  All God’s creation is, by definition, limited and less than God.  And so, all God’s creation needs to be molded, fashioned, and shaped to conform to God’s will for it.  That is especially true for that part of creation that God has endowed with two of His special gifts- the gifts of free will and intelligence.  We are special, and God loves us with passion.   

How does God love us with passion?  First, God is patient with us.  We hear that “He rebukes offenders little by little that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you”.  How does he do that for you and I?  In a word- consequences.  Yes, there are consequences of everything we do- some favorable, and some unfavorable; some short term, and some long term.  I think if you are honest with yourself, and someone asked you if you had it to do, “would you want to do your life all over again?’, most of you would say “no; once is enough”.  We savor the wonderful experiences of life, and would not want to give them up by living life over again- a wonderful spouse, children, grandchildren, talents, and experiences of God’s beautiful world.  These are but some of the things that have made life worthwhile.  But these are also consequences of choices that we have made.   

Now on the other side, there are the painful consequences of choices we have made in our lives.  And while we would like to have avoided them, there is another emotion at play.  We say: “I wouldn’t want to have to go through that again”.  And what that means is that we all have learned lessons from the painful consequences of our actions.  Chances are, if we are honest about it, we are sorry for the actions that caused those painful consequences.  We may even have reformed our lives to avoid them after the first occurrence.  But in any event, the learning that we achieved takes precedence over the thought of re-living that phase of our lives.  That, I think, is the way God intended it.  Truth is consequence.  And God’s truth is his way of admonishing us- little by little.  For those of us with long lives, we have lots of that learning- but the good thing is that it is all behind us.  And we are still here- part of the creation that God has been patient with, with a chance to say yes, and do God’s will.   

Second, God actively and lovingly seeks us out during our lives.   We do not have a God who is passive, as some, such as the deists, would attest.  In fact, God especially seeks out the lost.  Just look at the Gospel story, where Jesus says:  For the Son of man has come to seek and save what was lost”.  Zacchaeus, the tax collector, was an ideal example.  Tax collectors were the scum of Jewish society because they were viewed as having sold out to the great Satan- the state.  Often they would cheat people out of as much in taxes as they could, and keep some for themselves.  That is why the crowd grumbled when Jesus asked Zacchaeus to host a dinner for him.  People like Zacchaeus were to be shunned, avoided, black balled; rather than be sought after.  What is God telling us in this story?  Simply that Almighty God, the God who the universe is but a grain of sand to, has elected to come and live among us and to seek out even the worst in society- lovingly, and without harsh judgment in hopes that they will believe, repent, reform, and follow Him.  Doing that for such as Zacchaeus means that he is doing that for all of us as well. 

How is he doing that for you and I?  Well, we are invited to his banquet constantly- events like Sunday Mass and this Communion Service.  He has left us the story of His legacy- the Bible, In which we are constantly sought out to do His will.  And He sends people among us, His agents, who bring us closer to Him.  It can be our Children, our Grandchildren, our Parents, our Priest, our Friends.  Indeed, Jesus is constantly seeking us out to tell us, that: “Today salvation has come to this house”. 

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sir 3: 27-18, 20, 28-29: 6-9; Heb 12: 18-19, 22-241; Luke 14: 1, 7-14

Dc. Larry Brockman

True Humility engenders Happiness.  That is the essence of what our readings tell us today.   

First, let me tell you about two truly humble people-  Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig von Beethoven!  I’ll bet that surprises you because today both of these famous composers are held in such high esteem that you might not think that they were humble in their days.  So let me explain.   

The fact is that some of Bach’s greatest music was written for the Catholic Mass.  That was his passion, writing music for religious settings.  And yet, Bach was a protestant, and so, his own church didn’t perform his greatest music- because there was no Mass.  Neither did the Catholics perform it- because Bach’s Mass music required an orchestra; but orchestras were forbidden in those days in the midst of a Mass; and so some of Bach’s greatest music was never even performed until after he died.  Similarly, Beethoven’s greatest music was written for the piano, an instrument that was not readily available in his day.  And so 30 of his 32 piano sonatas were not performed at all until after Beethoven’s death.  These men did not write their music to cater to the popular music of their day in order to gain riches or receive praise and honor.  Rather, they responded to the creativity that God blessed them with in the ways that God prompted them.  Their reward was not an earthly reward in their day.  That is true humility.   

Such humility can set us free as well.  Because we will not carry around unrealistic expectations of reward or recognition or status as we exercise our talents.  That is why Jesus advises folks to mix with the lowly rather than take a place of honor at the banquet.  When we do that, we are free of the burden of our expectations, and can relax and enjoy life- we can be happy.  After all, God gave us our talents, and God will see that our talents are properly rewarded- but in his way, not ours.   

Real happiness, it seems to me, comes from a feeling that we are in a right relationship with God not from recognition by others for the things we do.  And people who are truly humble recognize that it is not through their talent; but it is through the talent and inspiration that God gives them that they succeed.  What makes them happy is using their talents for God’s purpose.  That will engender real joy and happiness, because it implies mutual recognition of a right relationship with God and that kind of joy carries over into eternity.   

How can we become truly humble and experience the happiness that goes with it?  Well, the first problem that we have as humans with all of this, is obtaining true humility.  How can we do that- to learn to be truly humble?  First and foremost we need to pray, the kind of prayer that is a two way communication with God; the kind of prayer that helps us to acknowledge God’s greatness and our dependence on Him; and the kind of prayer that helps us to feel inspired to do something, knowing that God will be there helping us along.   

Second, we need to stop centering our thought processes and actions on ourselves.  That means we should cool it with talking about ourselves; and be open to what is going on with our neighbors.  So, the next time you get with your neighbor- make it a habit to listen more and talk less!   

And lastly, we need to be proactive in serving others with our talents rather than using our talents for our own benefit.  This is one of the things Jesus recommended in the Gospel today.  Hold a celebration with those who can’t repay you, rather than holding one with your friends, from whom you can expect to return the favor.  Such kindness frees you of expectations, and gives you a sense of elation in raising other’s spirits.  All these things help to make us truly humble.   

But there is another problem we have with this whole idea of humility and happiness- that’s the Happiness part.  Perhaps it’s because we are not really sure of what true joy and happiness is.  I think it is easy to confuse pleasure with happiness.  But pleasure is short lived and passing; it is more physical and less spiritual.   Happiness is long lived; it is more spiritual and less physical.  Listen to what the second reading has to say about happiness.  There Paul contrasts the fear and anxiety of the people who followed Moses to Mount Zion as they lived the Exodus experience here in the flesh with the joy and happiness that those who enter the heavenly Jerusalem, a symbol of the Kingdom of God, will experience.  Only when we enter the Kingdom of God will we be joined with God and his angels and the spirits of the just.  Only when we enter the Kingdom will our status and position not matter.  The only thing that will matter; the only thing that will bring us happiness; will be our Communion with the Saints in the presence of their God.  True humility leads us into that kind of happiness

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Eccl 1:2, 2: 21-23; Col 3: 1-5, 9-11; Luke 12: 13-21

Dc. Larry Brockman

 “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity”.  Sounds cynical, doesn’t it? 

And yet, Jesus makes the same point in the Gospel.  First He says: “Ones life does not consist of possessions”.  Then He tells the parable of the rich farmer who tried to store up treasure on earth so that he could “eat, drink, and be merry” for many years.  But God called the man that very night so that his long range plans counted for nothing.  That, indeed, is vanity.   

If you step back for a moment and look at your life, what do you see as your priority in life?  Some people sacrifice living life for a long time so that they can have a comfortable life later, as if a good life does consist in having possessions.  That’s what the people in both the First reading and the Gospel parable did.  They worked hard and tirelessly for possessions, but ended up leaving it all to someone else who had not labored for it because they died before they could benefit from their wealth.   

At first, the possessions part of Jesus words seems to be the primary message- don’t hoard, because you just never know when the end will come.  Indeed, all the gifts that we have, no matter how they were obtained, are God’s gifts to us.  They are not of our own making, but rather, they are the fruits of God’s gifts of talent and energy that He has given us.  So, we do need to be generous and share such possessions, rather than hoard them for later.     

But that is not the only danger of such a priority on life.  You see, there are other, more subtle dangers.  When Jesus says  “Life does not consist of possessions”, we immediately jump on the “possessions” part of His statement.  But what really matters is the “life” part, because if life does not consist of possessions, then just what does life consist of?   

Life, it seems to me, is what Jesus wants us to live for.  What is it about life that we all live for?  Well, it is family and relationships; it is an appreciation of the wonders of God’s creation; and it is an active involvement in something else other than oneself.  That’s what makes life worth living.   

When our priority in life is working for “things”, or hoarding “things”, or even using things; then we are self centered, and that is not living life.  Life is involvement in God’s creation- an active and an interactive way of being.  Life is using the talents God gave us to make the world a better place; it is sharing ourselves with others; and it is loving relationships that last.  God, after all, is interactive, and he formed us in his image and likeness so that we would be interactive as well.  He did not make us so we could become islands unto ourselves.   

Now one of the biggest problems with centering our lives on things, is that it can derail us from actually living the interactive life God intended for us. If we fall into a pattern of life that lacks such interaction with each other, we can actually lose our ability to “live” life.  Why? Because we can be so set in our ways that we can’t change.  We no longer interact; and we can find it hard to start to do so again.  We become the proverbial Mr. Scrooge and as Charles Dickens famous story so clearly established, that was no way to live life.   

But, that is not the only hidden problem with a priority on oneself.  Because when we fail to live “life” as God intended, we miss the whole point of life.  We miss the experiences and joys that make life worth living.  That danger can be summed up in the last sentence of today’s Gospel, when Jesus ends the parable by calling the rich farmer a fool for putting all his time and energy into uselessly hoarding what he had.  But then Jesus adds this:  “Thus it will be for all who store up treasure for themselves, but are not rich in what matters to God” 

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kings 19: 16b, 19-21; Gal 5: 1, 13-18: Luke 9: 51-62

Dc. Larry Brockman

How would you feel?  How would you feel if the Lord tapped you on the shoulder, and called you directly to “come follow me”.  It wasn’t just a hunch or a feeling as you prayed quietly that you were being called; but it was a direct message- absolutely unmistakable- from the Lord.  We hear four such stories in our readings today.  

First, Elijah calls Elisha.  Elijah throws his cloak, the symbol of his power as the prophet of Israel, over Elisha’s shoulders, and Elisha knows that he has been tapped.  He has been tapped to give up everything and take over as the prophet of Israel.  12 Oxen were a significant quantity of wealth in those days; and Elisha gives that all up in a radical way, by burning his plow; killing off his property; and severing his role as a source of labor and support for his family.  This, indeed, is a radical commitment that he makes, a basic change in his life- forever. 

Then, in the Gospel, Jesus taps three people on the shoulder as he travels towards Jerusalem, and asks them to come follow him immediately.  One agrees right away, but the other two ask for some time, time to set their affairs in order first- their family affairs.  At first blush, Jesus’ responses seem a little harsh- “Let the dead bury the dead”; and “No one who looks behind is fit”.  And yet, these people go; they follow the call.  They make a radical change in their lives- they take action.   

So, what do these stories have to do with you and I?  Are we being asked to give up everything?  Well, we were all called to follow the Lord’s will by virtue of our Baptism.  But for most of us, we didn’t really understand that call until our Confirmation, if even then.  Over the course of our lives, most of us receive nudges and urges that God wants us to do something,   rather than direct taps on the shoulder.  True, some of us receive wake up calls- an accident; an illness; even a chance encounter that moves us deeply.  But a direct call from God like the four we hear about this morning- probably not.  So, how are these stories relevant to us?

Perhaps the emphasis is not on how we are being called- that is, a direct versus a more subtle call; or even the strength of our response, like giving everything up; but rather, on our willingness to respond to our call at all. 

You see, our God loves us so much, that He calls each and every one of us.  That is a fact.  These 4 stories symbolize the fact of the call in their directness.  Indeed, Baptism is the beginning of the call for us, and it is a fact; the rest of the call is a lifetime of nudges and urges and wake up calls.  So, we are all called, that is not the issue, and not the emphasis in the readings.   

Rather, our willingness to respond to the call is the issue before us today.  How do we respond to God’s will for us?  Is it a series of “maybe” responses like- “I am going to change soon”; or “next week I will change”; or “as soon as this is done I will change”- kind of like two of the examples in the Gospel?  Basically, that is like putting off the response so that we aren’t really responding at all, because we will soon forget and move on to something else. Or do we actually respond to God’s will and take action immediately, like Elisha and the first of Jesus’ examples? 

Perhaps we delay our response because we have a problem giving up something. Now most of us cannot relate to 12 yolk of oxen as wealth.  Well picture this. Suppose you own a big house; several cars; lot’s of social activities; lots of debt, and a high paying but stressful job for both husband and wife to support all of that?  As you experience the best things the world has to offer when you are at the top of your careers, you are probably also experiencing all kinds of pressure and stress.  In the depths of your being, you may hear prophetic voices from the Lord telling you that something is wrong; something needs to change.  What would your response be to those voices?  Chances are, you will drag your feet, begging for more time; possibly even using “burying the dead” and “caring for your family” as excuses along the way. 

We have not internalized- “thy will be done”, rather, we are committed to “our will be done” instead.  It may be that way for years, until some day we look back and realize we have let God down. 

But, the wonderful thing about God is that we are always given second and third and fourth chances with Him, we are always given the benefit of the doubt.  No matter what we have done in the past, God will forgive us and love us as long as we have faith and strive to do His will in the future.  So, no matter how you got where you are; no matter how selfish or blind to God’s will you have been in the past; you can always make things right in the future.  It’s really simple- just listen to Him talk to you now.  Every day he taps each of us on the shoulder ever so lightly.   And when it feels right, respond to His call, and feel the joy of being reconciled with God. 

 

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 13: 14, 43-52; Rev 7: 9, 14b-7; John 10: 27-30

Dc. Larry Brockman

Easter Joy!  For 50 days after Easter, we continue to celebrate the Resurrection and the joy that the Resurrection brings.  For the first several weeks, the focus was on the Jesus appearance to the Apostles and on the reception of the Resurrection by the community at Jerusalem.  Today, the focus is on all of us- the Gentiles.  Yes, the truth of Jesus and the Resurrection was offered first to the Jews, but, as we heard in the reading from Acts, most of the Jews rejected the truth.  They did not hear the shepherd’s voice and follow it.  Rather, it was the Gentiles who heard and believed and followed as Paul and Barnabas travelled about preaching the Gospel.  And that is the key.  We have got to first believe, and then follow after Jesus to experience the joy of the Resurrection, the promise of Everlasting Life that it brings.

Now the Book of Revelation gives a vision of Heaven lest any of us doubt its existence and whether the Gentiles share in that promise.  John had a vision of “A great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue”.  Yes indeed, we are destined to join a crowd which no one can count, if we believe and follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus.

Let’s put that into focus:  First, not even all the technology of today can count the multitude.  Wow! That means lots of us are going to be saved!  Yes, everyone who wants to be saved, can be saved.  All people are welcome.   

But second, what else does it take to be saved?  Well, what does Revelation say about the folks who were saved?  It says that they survived the time of great distress.  That’s what they all had in common- not the same nation or race or people or tongue, but that they survived a time of great distress.   

I don’t know about you, but I can relate to the analogy of Jesus as the shepherd and the sheep versus people in a time of great distress.  First, I sometimes feel like one of the sheep.  Sheep are inclined to just wander aimlessly when they don’t have a shepherd.  No matter how hard I try, it is sometimes difficult to see clearly what God’s vision is for me.  So, sometimes I feel that I am wondering, like a sheep.  That’s when I realize that I need a shepherd.  Now, to be sure, I began life as an adult, plotting out my own course, my own dreams of what I wanted to be, and what I could become.  But during the course of life, things happen- sickness, financial problems, family problems, things I didn’t figure on when I planned my future.  And these unexpected things happen over and over again until one day, you look back, and wonder what happened to all your plans.  It is then that you discover that you are not in control.  You need a shepherd.  In effect, you are destined to follow the will of God, whether you like it or not because all these “things” that happen to you are acts of God.  The question is, are you just being dragged along reluctantly, fighting and kicking all the way,  maybe even looking for a way out; or, are you looking for the voice of the Shepherd along the way, whatever the route he takes you on.   

In my life, there are times when the way that God chooses for me seems distressed. It is painful and distressing to experience sickness or health problems- in my case 2 heart attacks, to discover you will not achieve your goals because others are stifling you; and to have family members hurt you.  But that is the reality of life- the environment that we were placed in.  And yet ultimately, all life follows after God’s plan.   

And so life itself is for me, and I suspect for most of you too, a great time of distress.  Not that it doesn’t, and can’t have its joys, but it certainly also has its distress.  The secret is to listen for the voice of the shepherd, and to follow his voice in whatever situation you find yourself.  Follow that voice of conscience deep inside of you, when it tells you to hang in there; bear up; or make a difficult choice that you know is right.  Why?  Because in today’s Gospel Jesus promises us not once, not twice, but three times, that no one can take you away from Eternal Life if you listen to His voice and follow Him.  That is our Easter joy fulfilled. 

Second Sunday of Lent

Gen 15: 5-12, 17-18; Phil 3: 17 – 4: 1; Luke 9: 28b-36

Dc. Larry Brockman

Glory.  What is Glory?  We talk about a glorious sunrise; we talk about people being in their glory.  But what do we mean.  Is glory incredible beauty?  Is it an ultimate state of happiness?  Is it both of these things and more?   

All three readings today address Glory- an other-worldly Glory.  First, Abram, soon to be Abraham, is cast into a deep trance, and, in the midst of a terrifying darkness, he senses the glory of the Lord passing between the animals he has prepared as smoking fire pots and a torch.  And in that trance, he hears the Lord make a covenant with him.  This sensing of the Glory of the Lord motivates Abram to believe- to believe the incredible promise of the covenant made to him that an old man with a barren old wife could be the Father of a nation as numerous as the stars in the sky, if he obeys the Lord, and goes on an exodus, a journey where he takes his family away from safety and prosperity, and goes to the land the Lord promises to him.  The vision of that promise became believable to him, as hard as it might be to believe- and it came true.   

In the Gospel, the Apostles John, Peter and James, witness Jesus in a transfigured state, along with “glorified” appearances of Moses and Elijah.  They are dumbfounded and don’t know what they are saying.  But it had a lasting impression on them, whatever they really saw.  It was an image and an impact that wasn’t fully appreciated until after the Resurrection of Christ; an image that predicted that Jesus would have to suffer and pass into his glory at the resurrection.  That’s what the exodus was that Jesus was foretold in the image- Jesus’ exodus, Jesus’ journey to fulfill the will of his Father.  And that exodus, that journey, involved suffering and self sacrifice.  That also came true, the suffering, death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus.  So, just as with Abram, the Apostles are blessed with an image of the Glory yet to come, the promise made to us all.   

Now in Paul’s letter, he talks about how our bodies will change into a glorious state to conform with the glorified body of Christ, if we can rightly claim our citizenship in Heaven.  How do we do that?  How do we catch sight of the glory in store for us, and change our lives to claim that citizenship in heaven? 

Paul tells us what we cannot do.  He tells us that many conduct their affairs as enemies of the Cross of Christ.  Their God is their stomach, and their glory is their shame.   

Now we are all human, and we have needs as humans.  These needs might be summed up as follows:  Oh that I was younger and stronger.  Oh that I would have comfort and no pain.  Oh that my hungers for the things of this world would be filled.  Then I would be happy; then I would be in my glory.  But the fact is, despite the human needs we have that need to be met to live this life, these are not the needs that define what life is about.  The fact is, in the end, they are not what real life is about at all.  Because when we die, these wants, these needs, pass away along with our mortal bodies.  And so we should be seeking other things during our life.  We need visions of our future glory so that we might seek after them, just as Abram and the Apostles did. 

What can these things possibly be?  Can we have visions of the glory that God has in mind for us?  I would like to suggest that we can.  I think that all of us are given experiences- dreams, visions, life experiences, in which we catch a glimpse of the glory meant for us.  But it is not in the fulfillment of our bodily or worldly needs.  Rather, it is our appreciation of God’s creation, appreciation of each other when others do things for us; and the feeling of happiness we feel over successful efforts we make to help others.  It comes in our visions of what can be, when we apply ourselves, even in a small way, to solving the problems in the world.  And, for some, deep in their prayer life, it comes from glorious visions of things to come for them who live life jst the way God has given it to us, no matter how difficult and painful that is and yet, still believe in Jesus and the Glory he promises.  I believe that we can sense that ultimate glory, a glory where we are with our Father in heaven and our loved ones, at peace, with no more pain, no more concerns, no more wants.  But just peace and love. 

 

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Micah 5: 1-4a; Heb 10: 5-10; Luke 1: 39-45

Dc. Larry Brockman

“He shall be peace”-  This from our first reading.  Boy, can we use peace at this time of year.  It seems to me that the holiday season can be anything but peaceful.  There are cards to write, gifts to buy and wrap, parties to attend, cooking to be done, relatives to visit with.  And when the relatives visit, often times old hurts come up, and they quickly dispel the feeling of peace that should be heralded by the season.  And then, in the background, we have to deal with uncertain economic times and the problems that brings.  So, amidst all the turmoil, what can we do to experience the peace of the season?   

Well, first, we need to realize what kind of peace is being talked about.  Mary gives us a clue about what real peace is.  She had just encountered the angel Gabriel, who had told her that she would bear God’s child even though she had not been with a man.  Initially, this message had to bring pain to Mary.  What would she tell her fiancée?  What would her parents think of her?  Would she be stoned by the authorities for adultery?  What about her dreams of a normal life?  All these things had to weigh heavily on Mary.  That had to be anything but peaceful.  They are like the things that weigh heavily on us during the holidays- conflicts over demands for time; so many chores to be done. and for some of us, job losses and financial uncertainty; illnesses or infirmity; and old hurts that are resurrected.  Where can the peace of the season be in all that?  Why can’t I just have it my way for once?  That’s what we ask ourselves-  that’s what we think would bring peace- having our way.  

But in contrast, what did Mary do about her dilemma?  Despite all that weighed on her, Mary said yes to the angel.  She accepted God’s will for her, and trusted in his providence.  Just like Mary, all of us are challenged during Advent, to listen intently for the voice of the Lord, to discern what he is calling us to be and to do, rather than how we want it.  We need to accept what we hear, and make God’s will our own, because once Mary did that- once she said yes and vowed to be the handmaid of the Lord, then, she experienced a deep, interior peace.  That is the kind of peace that Micah is talking about in the first reading.  It’s the kind of peace you experience when you know that things are right in your heart.  There can be lots of turmoil on the outside, but inside, you feel a calmness, a peacefulness that says everything will be OK, because God is with me.  That peace comes to us when we accept things the way they are intended by God, and offer our pain up to God as the sacrifice we are making for doing His will, not our own.  Only God can help us get through all the turmoil around us.   

That, in fact, is the essence of our second reading.  Meaningless sacrifices of animals are not what God wants.  No, rather, he wants us to sacrifice our will and wants in deference to his will.  It is only then that we will feel the peace that comes with being in harmony with God.  This will not immediately resolve all the pressures and problems we have.  That will come in time as we trust in the Lord’s grace and providence.  But it will give us a sense of peace.  Notice that Elizabeth tells Mary that she is blessed.  And indeed, all of us who accept God’s will for us are destined to receive the grace and peace of the Lord.  We, too, will be blessed.   

One more thing we should do.  We should spread our peace to those around us with confidence and self assurance.  We can be bringers of God’s peace to others-how: by biting our tongue when we are baited with those old hurts; by accepting the demands on us with gracefulness and not bitterness; by treating the clerks in the stores and the people around us with kindness and consideration.  In these ways our peace can radiate like the sun.  And in the name of the Christ child, we shall be peace.