2006

Regardless of make or year, all units known as “human beings” are being recalled by the Manufacturer. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units, code named “Adam” and “Eve” resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect is technically termed, “Serious Internal Non-morality,” but more commonly known as “SIN.”

 

Some of the symptoms of the SIN defect include loss of direction, lack of peace and joy, depression, foul vocal emissions, selfishness, ingratitude, fearfulness, rebellion, and jealousy.

The Manufacturer is providing factory authorized repair service free of charge to correct the SIN defect. The Repair Technician, Jesus Christ, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs.

To repeat, there is no fee required. The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R-S.

 

Once connected please upload the burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus Christ, into the heart component of the human unit.

No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Christ will replace it with: Love, Joy, Peace, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Patience, and Self-control.

Please see the operating manual, known as HOLY BIBLE, for further details on the use of these fixes.

 

WARNING: Continuing to operate a human being unit without corrections voids the Manufacturer’s warranty, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list, and will ultimately result in the human unit being incinerated.

Thank you for your immediate attention. Please assist by notifying others of this important recall notice!

 

Recall notices as we know them didn’t exist in biblical times but the need was there. That was why Jesus appeared on the scene, catching the attention of Andrew and his companion. “What are you looking for?” Jesus asked them.

John doesn’t tell us what Andrew said to that question. Instead, we find Andrew asking, “Where are you staying?” and Jesus replies, “Come and you will see.” And so he did, beginning the biggest chain reaction in human history. Andrew then invites his brother, Peter, to come and see for himself who this Jesus of Nazareth is.

 

Jesus extends the same invitation to us, “Come and you will see.” The first challenge of being a disciple is to discern how God is calling us and then respond with prayer so that our lives can be changed. As the recall notice suggest, so that sin and its symptoms can be replaced by those qualities that every heart is ultimately looking for, including love, joy, peace, kindness, and patience.

 

None of us would be here today if someone had not shared the good news of Jesus with us at some point in our lives. Whoever that person was, be it our parents, our spouse, a friend, a teacher or some evangelist, the point was that person hit a chord in our heart by sharing with us their discovery of Jesus. Like Samuel in the first reading, they were willing to listen to the Lord, then like Andrew, who< shared his discovery with Peter, they couldn’t keep their discovery of Jesus a secret, so they shared their awareness of Jesus with you. You could say that by hitting the right notes, they left a lasting impression on you.

 

Speaking of notes, one movie I enjoyed last spring was Ray. Actor Jamie Foxx won the Academy Award last year for his portrayal of Ray Charles in this film. Before filming began, Foxx met with the legendary musician, hoping to receive the blessing of the man whose character he would portray.

 

Charles invited the actor to sit down and play some blues with him. Foxx sang and played on one piano while Ray Charles led the jam session on another piano. Without warning, Charles strayed into the works of Thelonious Monk. 

Foxx didn’t expect such a challenge. Trying to keep up, he hit the wrong note. Charles abruptly stopped playing to ask, “Why did you do that?”

 

Foxx didn’t know what to say. “Look,” Charles said. “The notes are right underneath your fingers. All you have to do is take the time to hit the right notes.”

 

Foxx came away from his jamming with Ray Charles understanding what made him the great musician that he was. Likewise, Andrew and Peter came away from their time with Jesus understanding what made him the great teacher that he was. When we take time to hit the right notes in life, which happens whenever we heed this recall notice, imagine how many others will come to understand what a great teacher Jesus Christ truly is.

On the desk in my study, I have a small beautiful clock that Archbishop Brunett gave me for Christmas five years ago. While he offered no explanation for giving his priests such a gift, I thought that receiving a clock was very fitting to the occasion. After all, the mechanical clock was one of the most significant inventions of the past millennium, if not, pardon my pun, of all time. Granted, hourglasses and sundials have been around for centuries, but with the mechanical clock, we were no longer controlled by the sun.

 

Clocks have come a long way since they were first invented. Lacking minute hands, they pealed only on the hour. Originally, they were designed to enable monks to fulfill the

duty of praying at appointed times of the day; the third, the sixth, the ninth hour, and so on. Now we have atomic clocks that measure time in millionths of a second. It seems to me that we value every minute of the day.

 

In the past quarter century, the number of Americans holding two or more jobs has grown significantly. So too have the number of households where both spouses are working full time in order to keep up with the Jones, as the saying goes. Some do this out of dire need; but many do so because they find themselves consuming more. Statistics show that Americans work more hours than ever before, spend nearly four times as many hours shopping as do Western Europeans and vacationing on the average of two weeks a

year less than their European counterparts.

 

The end result is stress, which, literally and figuratively, is killing many of us. Did you know that the three best selling prescription drugs are prescribed for relaxation, high blood

pressure, and ulcers? Doctors have also seen an increase in depression and surmise that its epidemic growth is due to a decline in the belief of God and the afterlife.

 

Other reasons they give include broken families and our fast pace of life, which leaves no time for us to mend ourselves.

 

Since its invention, the clock has taken on a different duty. As I said, the mechanical clock started out intoning the hours for monks to gather in prayer. You could say it has evolved into a giant press determined to squeeze every moment of time out of us. We are trying to cram more into our days then ever before. Can you get through the day without glancing at a clock, a pda, or a watch? Do you feel naked without a watch?

 

Because we are busier than ever before, that leaves me concerned for both our spiritual and physical well-being. Several years ago, first lady Barbara Bush gave an insightful commencement address to some college students. She told the graduates, “As important as your obligation as a doctor, a lawyer, or a business leader may be, your human

connections with your spouse, your children and your friends are the most important investment you will ever make. At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal, but you will regret time not spent with your spouse, your children or your friends.” To her last line, may I add God?

 

As we enter into this New Year, keep in mind that time on this side of death’s door is not infinite. It won’t always be there. The coming year began with 365 days, or 8760 hours, for us to do what? To rush, to acquire, and to ignore loved ones in the pursuit of what we call the better life? Or to be called to prayer, contemplation, and the deepening our relationships with others and God?

 

Much ado was made when we entered the new millennium. Actually, that was an arbitrary point in time, for we don’t know for certain when Jesus was born. Still, it marked a point in time, as does the start of any new year, to remind us that time doesn’t stand still, nor do our lives.

 

Traditionally, many of us make New Year’s resolutions for the sake of breaking bad habits, taking better care of ourselves, or getting certain things done. There is a line in

the gospel that prompts me to suggest one for all of us to make. “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” That her life centered on contemplation shouldn’t

surprise us one bit. Mary was a woman of prayer. What might surprise a fair number of us is the notion that contemplation is really the vocation of every Christian.

 

At the top of your resolutions for the New Year, considering all the time that God has given you, may I suggest that you set aside more time for prayer than you did in the past year?

 

Take time, not just a hurried minute, each day to reflect as Mary did on all that God has done for you. That can be done in any number of ways, including daily Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, praying the rosary, reading scripture, sitting quietly in contemplation, journaling, meditation, or doing the liturgy of the hours. May your resolutions, whatever they are, contribute to a holy and grace-filled year for you. All the time we have is God’s gift to us. How we use that time is our gift to God. With the grace of God, may we make the best use of this gift of time in the New Year, cultivating what really matters in our lives. May this time be filled with love. Just as Mary had much to reflect upon in her heart, so do we, but first we must give ourselves the time to do so.