{"id":1466,"date":"2007-05-29T20:16:00","date_gmt":"2007-05-29T20:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html"},"modified":"2007-05-29T20:16:00","modified_gmt":"2007-05-29T20:16:00","slug":"homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html","title":{"rendered":"Homily for May 20, 2007: The Mass of Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>
There\u2019s an old Yiddish saying: \u201cIf you want to hear God laugh, just tell Him your plans.\u201d <\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure, this morning, He\u2019s in stitches. <\/p>\n

Not so very long ago, I would never have dreamed that I\u2019d be here. And I know a few of you who are here who couldn\u2019t quite imagine it either. But the last few years have taught me to expect the unexpected. As John Lennon put it: life is what happens while you\u2019re busy making other plans. <\/p>\n

During this moment near the end of the Easter season, I can\u2019t help but wonder what plans the apostles were busy making. <\/p>\n

This Sunday, we\u2019re cradled between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost. A few days ago, the apostles saw Christ disappearing into the clouds. And they\u2019ve now gone back to Jerusalem \u2013 confused, confounded and maybe conflicted. They have no idea what will come, no idea what lies ahead. And so they go to the upper room, to close the doors against the world, and draw the curtains against the light\u2026to wait and watch and wonder. <\/p>\n

It is, in a way, a mini-Advent. They are anticipating something. But they don\u2019t yet know what. <\/p>\n

And at this moment, in this twilight zone of time, scripture speaks to us. <\/p>\n

This Sunday, we hear Jesus\u2019 words of prayer. It is a prayer for unity. A prayer for communion. A prayer for all those who follow Him \u2013 even the generations yet unborn. <\/p>\n

He prays, in fact, for us. <\/p>\n

\u201cFather,\u201d he says, \u201cthey are your gift to me.\u201d What a breathtaking statement that is. Here, God\u2019s gift to mankind says that mankind is God\u2019s gift to HIM. <\/p>\n

How desperately the world needs to hear that \u2013 a world that is too often terrified\u2026or terrorized. A world that thinks that God doesn\u2019t matter\u2026or that seems to have forgotten just how much we matter to God. <\/p>\n

This morning, I think about the apostles in their upper room\u2026and I think about others who are also waiting, and watching, and wondering. <\/p>\n

A young woman whose husband is serving in Iraq. <\/p>\n

A father who was laid off from his job. <\/p>\n

A grandmother undergoing a CAT scan. <\/p>\n

A teenage girl, listening for the car in the driveway and wondering if her father will come home sober \u2013 or even come home at all. <\/p>\n

Each of us at some moment in our lives has known that upper room. That place of uncertainty. We can measure its walls. We have all walked its floor, locked its windows, and prayed that no one will find us — just like the apostles in this dark valley between last Thursday and next Sunday. <\/p>\n

And yet in this mysterious void, we are reminded how much we are loved. <\/p>\n

\u201cFather, they are your gift to me.\u201d <\/p>\n

Those are words to give us reason to wait, reason to hope. <\/p>\n

The message of these days before Pentecost is one of the hardest to accept: it is simply to trust. Trust that God\u2019s promise will be kept, that he will not leave us orphans. Because when we feel abandoned and alone\u2026when we flee to our own upper rooms\u2026THAT is when God often makes Himself known. <\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t always do it with a roaring wind or a burning bush. He may do it with a friend who listens\u2026a child who suddenly masters a two-wheeled bike\u2026or a wife who holds her husband\u2019s hand and calms his fears when the rent is overdue. God\u2019s spirit is in all those things \u2013 a small slice of Pentecost, his way of reminding us: we are His gift. And he continues to give us Himself. In each other. And in the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

When I was a kid \u2013 and my sister can vouch for this \u2013 every gift had to be acknowledged. Our mother made sure we wrote our thank you notes. The day after Christmas, if you didn\u2019t have the notes done, forget it. You were in trouble. Well, this is a Mass of Thanksgiving \u2013 and in a way it is a thank you note to God. <\/p>\n

In Teilhard de Chardin\u2019s \u201cMass of the World,\u201d there\u2019s this beautiful line: “One by one, Lord, I see and I love all those you have given me to charm and sustain my life.” Many of those who charm and sustain my life are here today \u2013 my family, friends and colleagues from CBS — and my gratitude and love go deeper than I can say. <\/p>\n

I thank God, too, for people I\u2019ve never met\u2026so many who have filled these pews, and who have prayed me to this place. <\/p>\n

But if anyone understands the power of prayer \u2013 and how God intercedes in our lives — it\u2019s my wife, Siobhain. She has worn out so many rosaries on my behalf. Not a day goes by that I don\u2019t thank God for bringing her into my life. When I was doubting and disbelieving, she prayed. When I lost courage, she prayed. When I wasn\u2019t sure I could complete this journey, and make it to ordination, she prayed even more. <\/p>\n

And here I am: definitive proof that you should be careful what you pray for. <\/p>\n

This Sunday, as we wait for Pentecost, let us join our prayers with the apostles who were waiting in Jerusalem\u2026and with all those in the world today who are waiting, and praying, and pleading. Carry their intentions with you to communion. Pray with them and for them. <\/p>\n

And, if you can, please pray for some men whose waiting is finally over: all of the newly ordained deacons, embarking on this new chapter of our lives. <\/p>\n

For myself, this new deacon prays that you\u2019ll be patient with me. I pray that you\u2019ll pick me up when I fall, and help me find my way when I\u2019m lost. The road won\u2019t always be smooth. There is a lot to do. And I have a lot to learn. <\/p>\n

But I have learned this much: God doesn\u2019t want us to spend our lives in the upper room. <\/p>\n

Open the windows. Let in the light. Have faith. And trust. <\/p>\n

Because Pentecost is coming. Grace will abound. Wait for it. Look for it. And listen for it. <\/p>\n

Because, when you least expect it, you just may hear the beautiful sound\u2026of sacred laughter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s an old Yiddish saying: \u201cIf you want to hear God laugh, just tell Him your plans.\u201d I\u2019m sure, this morning, He\u2019s in stitches. Not so very long ago, I would never have dreamed that I\u2019d be here. And I know a few of you who are here who couldn\u2019t quite imagine it either. But…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nHomily for May 20, 2007: The Mass of Thanksgiving - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Homily for May 20, 2007: The Mass of Thanksgiving - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There\u2019s an old Yiddish saying: \u201cIf you want to hear God laugh, just tell Him your plans.\u201d I\u2019m sure, this morning, He\u2019s in stitches. Not so very long ago, I would never have dreamed that I\u2019d be here. And I know a few of you who are here who couldn\u2019t quite imagine it either. But…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-05-29T20:16:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/RlzC2evVPFI\/AAAAAAAAAAU\/JEVm_GqZ31I\/s320\/Entering.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"deacon greg kandra\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Homily for May 20, 2007: The Mass of Thanksgiving - The Deacon's Bench","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Homily for May 20, 2007: The Mass of Thanksgiving - The Deacon's Bench","og_description":"There\u2019s an old Yiddish saying: \u201cIf you want to hear God laugh, just tell Him your plans.\u201d I\u2019m sure, this morning, He\u2019s in stitches. Not so very long ago, I would never have dreamed that I\u2019d be here. And I know a few of you who are here who couldn\u2019t quite imagine it either. But…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html","og_site_name":"The Deacon's Bench","article_published_time":"2007-05-29T20:16:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/RlzC2evVPFI\/AAAAAAAAAAU\/JEVm_GqZ31I\/s320\/Entering.jpg"}],"author":"deacon greg kandra","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html","name":"Homily for May 20, 2007: The Mass of Thanksgiving - The Deacon's Bench","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/RlzC2evVPFI\/AAAAAAAAAAU\/JEVm_GqZ31I\/s320\/Entering.jpg","datePublished":"2007-05-29T20:16:00+00:00","dateModified":"2007-05-29T20:16:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/#\/schema\/person\/052b8cd86cc713feaccdc8282b03cf10"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/RlzC2evVPFI\/AAAAAAAAAAU\/JEVm_GqZ31I\/s320\/Entering.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/RlzC2evVPFI\/AAAAAAAAAAU\/JEVm_GqZ31I\/s320\/Entering.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/05\/homily-for-may-20-2007-the-mass-of-thanksgiving.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Homily for May 20, 2007: The Mass of Thanksgiving"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/","name":"The Deacon's Bench","description":"Where a Roman Catholic Deacon Ponders the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/#\/schema\/person\/052b8cd86cc713feaccdc8282b03cf10","name":"deacon greg kandra","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/a4e\/a4e07ce6fde3f10d4d9753243fd48d45x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/a4e\/a4e07ce6fde3f10d4d9753243fd48d45x96.jpg","caption":"deacon greg kandra"},"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/author\/deacon-greg-kandra"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/365"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1466\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}