October 2005

Dear Friends in Christ’s Divine Mercy:

I apologize for not writing sooner to you. Even though I have not written, you have been in my prayers. Summertime was a chance for me to spend time with my family and to step away from schoolwork for a time. I believe that family is just so important. While I do not, of course, have children of my own, I treasure the time I can spend with my brothers and their wives and my nieces and nephew. They are such a gift and as you know, they grow up so quickly. They need our love, support and prayers (sometimes I think parents need it more)! Of course, I treasure very much spending time with my mother and we went to California to visit relatives. It was my mother’s first time in California! Summer was not without work, however, it had its’ share of retreats, conferences, and organizing the year for campus ministry. Is it not true that we think we can get so much accomplished when we are less busy? It is true for me; when I have time to do things I usually do not get to them. When I do not have time things get done. Now I have been named administrator of St. Casimir parish in Brockton, MA to go along with my campus ministry responsibilities so I will be keeping busy enough so that I cannot get too comfortable “doing nothing.”

My thoughts at this time concern interior attitude. It is just so essential that we possess generous spirits. Generosity is, of course, seen in the heartfelt and in many cases heroic offerings of people to the Hurricane Katrina victims. Generosity or an impulse of generosity tugs at our hearts as we look at people suffering. “What can I do?” Everyone wants to do something. Some people do to be recognized; some do out of guilt; some do out of love; some do out of instinct; some do out of the memory when others helped them. We give and “do” for many reasons and so much attention is given to what is done. Yet, God who reads hearts, is not impressed by how much people do and/or give but with what the intention is in the heart of the doer.

It may just be that I am getting old and cranky, but it seems to me that I cannot pick up the newspaper without seeing a picture of people standing in front of a shelter, a hospital, or a nursing home with the caption telling us how great these kids/people are for giving two hours of their time to “make a difference” in the world. At least in Boston and the surrounding area one wonders if it is possible for someone or a company to give $1.00 without getting publicity! We have “Corporate Giving” and school service projects, and swimathons, walkathons, bikathons, marathons ….well, you get the point. “Giving” is “in”, especially if others applaud it and take notice of it.

St. Faustina spoke often about the importance of deeds of mercy. Make no mistake: deeds of mercy are essential. But, the attitude with which we do good deeds is also essential. Too often those who are served become props for those doing the good work. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, for example, politicians will appear at a soup kitchen, put on an apron, serve a “homeless person” and after all the pictures are taken depart from the premises in ten minutes. This act is not a “deed of mercy.” It is offensive. We must never give or serve without prizing the dignity of the one being served. It is Jesus that we are serving! If we give with the consciousness that we are serving Jesus we do some with humility, sensitivity, gentleness and love.

When a disciple of Jesus gives it is “different.” I remember several years ago an elderly woman was in the nursing home. She was blind and required that dressing on a sore be changed quite often. She said to me, “Father, I can tell who is changing the dressing before they even speak! They all change it okay, but when Jenny changes it I can tell. I know she cares.” Jenny was and is a holy woman. The blind woman knew the difference in the way she touched her and ministered to her. She could sense the difference.

Can we not recount similar circumstances? Are there not some teachers we feel more comfortable leaving our children with than others? Are there not some people that make us feel comfortable asking them for help and others we would never approach? Are there some priests that when they celebrate Mass you feel their faith and love coming right through the celebration while we sense others might be “going through the motions”? I was speaking to a priest this week that is ninety years old. He is truly a holy man. He told me about the privilege he had of concelebrating a Mass with Pope John Paul II one morning many years ago. The holiness of the Holy Father struck this priest in a profound way. Even years after this celebration the priest had tears in his eyes as he recounted the Holy Father’s love and reverence for the Eucharist! It was not that the Pope spoke different words or used different gestures. It was the love that John Paul II had for the Eucharist that conveyed a depth of faith that had a transforming effect on those who witnessed it.

Love and caring cannot always be seen or explained, but they are felt deeply. How often I have felt that love and caring in my life from others. First of all, of course, I experienced it from my mother and father. Even now my mother is trying to look after me and making sure that I have the things that I need to live healthily. I remember with gratitude when I was a young boy the teachers who stayed late so that they could tutor me and the coaches who took special interest in me and my potential. Not a day goes by when I do not think of the priests, the professors, the mentors, the friends all through life who have cared, who have helped me. They are never far from my memory and my prayers. I think of the sisters who have been so kind to me in recent years. It may be juice left in the sacristy, water left by my car, fruit left near my door, my alb “mysteriously” washed and dried. It is not the largeness of the gesture that moves me, but the love that it indicates. “They all change it okay, but when Jenny changes it I can tell. I know she cares.”

You can never pay a person enough to care. You can never quite fit it into a job description. People love and care or they do not. It usually does not take us long too figure it out! One of the principle questions oblates ask me is, “what should I do?” It is not an unimportant question. What we do is important. But what we most need to do is be filled with God’s love. Then what we do will give glory to Him! Our intention to love and serve Him and our generous spirits will “do” all that needs to be done even in the midst of our busy and ordinary daily lives.

When the wards that the sisters cared for in Poland recounted Sr. Faustina more than one of them described her in this way: “she was a real sister!” All the sisters loved them and cared for them, but they could feel Sr. Faustina’s love in a deep way. When we love and when we care we become available to serve people in profound ways. The casual conversation opens up to a life changing moment. The small acts of love and mercy are felt profoundly by those who receive them. It is not how much we give but how much love we give with that matters most. Never underestimate the good for souls that you are already doing or the power of your example to change lives. God will use your generous response to His invitation to touch more souls than you could ever imagine. Focus on loving Him and doing His Will and the power of your witness will be multiplied.

“Father, I can tell who is changing the dressing before they even speak! They all change it okay, but when Jenny changes it I can tell. I know she cares.”

“Jesus, I Trust in You!”

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Richard F. Clancy