November
11, 2013
[Pastorgraphs now online at ChristSD.com]
Pastorgraphs: “Francis, Therese, and Being Who You Are”
In
the past week or so, there were two incidents that are most revealing about
human nature.
The
first occurred when Pope Francis was speaking before some church gathering when
a small boy stepped to the podium, stood next to the Pope, and even hugged him.
As you might imagine, the clerics (and probably his parents) were shocked that
the boy would do such a thing. Their efforts to coax the lad away from the Pope
and off the stage were unsuccessful. Not even a bribe of candy worked. The
little boy finally sat in the Pope’s chair for the remainder of the ceremony.
Pope
Francis seemed totally unfazed by the event, even reaching down as he spoke to
rub the boy’s head in a loving way. A pastor friend of mine commented that this
is the way church should be, with children being themselves. It called to mind
a similar incident when children found their way to Jesus while he was
teaching. The disciples tried to rustle the children away. But Jesus said,
“Suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of
heaven”.
The
second incident was when Pope Francis saw a man horribly disfigured by hundreds
of growths over his body. Rather than being repulsed by the man’s appearance
and condition, the Pope went to the man, and to the shock of some nearby,
touched, blessed and kissed him. It called to mind how Jesus was not afraid to
touch the lepers.
How
Christ-like!
In
a conversation about these two events, someone said the Pope was setting a good
example or role model for Christians. I replied, “No, it is even better than
that.” Because if it were simply a demonstration or lesson, it would be less than
spontaneous. I believe the Pope did what he did because it is who he is! He
didn’t have to think about it. He was not offended or threatened in either
situation, unlike those around him. He responded in love to an innocent child
and a disfigured man because, much like Christ, that is who he is on the
inside.
In
my book on Integrity, I state “Integrity is who you are”. Identifying this Pope
as a person of integrity is an easy call for me. Integrity is more than what
and how you think, or what you do, or even why you do it. It builds on all of
those parts, but ultimately comes down to “who you are” at your most intimate
being. It comes from conditioning your soul. Obviously, Pope Francis has
conditioned his soul to live a humble life of love. There have been too many
examples where he didn’t have to think, he just did what was natural, loving
and right.
Today
is Veterans Day. Often when a soldier receives a medal for valor, he or she
replies, “I was just doing my job”. They were conditioned to do what a soldier
should do. God bless all our servicemen and women for their service with duty,
honor, courage and integrity.
TWENTHIETH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Tomorrow
(11-12-13) marks Anita and my Twentieth Anniversary. I will resist the temptation
to say something like you would read on a Hallmark card. But I will tell you a
short story, including something I learned about my wife just this week.
Anita’s
legal name is Therese (with an ‘e’ – no ‘a’). She told me just this week that
her mother, a fervent Catholic, named her for “Saint Therese of the Roses”. So
I began to learn more about my wife’s namesake. What I found makes all this tie
together.
Saint
Therese (1873-1897) was a French nun who died at age 24, but left an impressive
legacy upon the church. Ironically, she and Saint Francis of Assisi (for whom
the current Pope is named) are identified as the two most popular saints of the
church. Pope Pius X went so far as to call Therese “the greatest saint of
modern times”. In 1997, Pope John Paul II named her the thirty-third
“Doctor of the Church” and only the third woman so named. The current Pope
Francis is a devotee to Saint Therese.
I
will not take time or space to tell all her remarkable story, but encourage you
read a brief biography. Wikipedia has an excellent short history of Therese’s
life.
My
wife Therese is like her namesake in that she works behind the scenes to help
others so they may help even more. Saint Therese said her role was simply to
pray for the priests and thereby help them help others. Saint Therese wanted to
live a hidden life, and “wanted to be unknown”. Yet in her short and humble
life, she became a shining example of a Christ-like life.
Never
underestimate what one woman can do. My Therese and Saint Therese are alike in
that they never sought to be out front, but realized the power of working
faithfully out of the spotlight. Anita began over a year ago to do what an army
of men would have found challenging. She resolved, working behind the scenes,
tackling the task of renovating our huge 25,000 square foot church building
which had fallen into embarrassing disrepair. In spite of her high blood
pressure, congestive heart failure, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and a host of other
ailments, she has taken one room at a time and painted, cleaned and repaired
them so folks now say “Wow” when they come into our building.
I
shouldn’t be surprised. I was pretty much broken down and in an embarrassing
state of disrepair when we met in 1993. My Saint Therese kept working, silently
and relentlessly, to whip me into shape. That, so if I do my job, I may be a
blessing to others, who will bless even more.
She
does it because it is who she is. I love you, Anita, for being who you
are!
Devotedly
yours, Bill Jenkins, Pastor
From the Quote Garden:
“I understand how all the flowers
God has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness
of the lily do not take away the perfume of the violet or the delightful
simplicity of the daisy. I understand that if all flowers wanted to be roses,
nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be
decked out with little wild flowers. So it is in the world of souls, Jesus'
garden. He has created smaller ones and those must be content to be daisies or violets
destined to give joy to God's glances when He looks down at His feet.
Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be.”
~ Saint Therese of the Roses ~
Christ United Methodist Ministry
Center
“Christ
in the Heart of San Diego”
3295
Meade Avenue - San Diego, CA 92116 - (619) 284-9205
No comments:
Post a Comment