February 13, 2009
The Second Half
Why bother asking?
BY DEACON JIM AND ANN CAVERA
A man in his sixties, though not Catholic, had been coming to church with his wife for many years. One day a parishioner asked him if he had ever thought about becoming a Catholic. He looked surprised and said, “No one has ever asked me.” Within a short time he joined RCIA and entered the Catholic faith; all because someone had taken the time to ask.
We thought about that man this past weekend when the parish newsletter came out. Included was a plea for volunteers to stitch tunics for the Good Friday presentation of the Living Stations of the Cross. Monday morning one woman voiced doubts anyone would volunteer because “Nobody sews anymore.” In fact, in less than 24 hours after Sunday Mass, seven women had volunteered to sew and three of them had extra material to donate. The husband of one of these women told us he was amazed his wife volunteered because she “never volunteers for anything.” We wonder how many more might come forward before the week is over. All we had to do was ask. Too often we make assumptions about who does or doesn’t have talent and what they might be willing to offer.
Imagine getting up one fine morning 2,000 years ago and finding a suspicious looking patch on the back of your hand. According to the law you must show this spot to the priest and if he believes you have leprosy, life as you have known it is over. Not only would leprosy be a death sentence, it meant the loss of home, family and friends. Leprosy meant having to wander outside in pain and misery with nothing but the company of other wretched souls in the same condition. Such a fate is beyond anything most of us can comprehend.
In this Sunday’s gospel, one poor soul, a leper in Galilee, refuses to accept the inevitable. He gathers his nerve, kneels before Jesus and says “If you wish, you can make me clean.” We love the humility in his request. It wasn’t a demand. There is an acceptance of his life in the words, “If you wish . . .,” as he places his fate in Jesus’ hands. We’ll never know how many other lepers in Galilee figured it wasn’t worth the bother to ask for Jesus’ help.
In Matthew 7:7 we are encouraged to “. . . ask and it will be given, seek and we will find, knock and it will be opened,” and so we assume God is willing help us with whatever we need. Often we do pray, “Oh Lord, provide us with work. Put an end to war, heal our friend, forgive us our sins, and bring our child home safely.” But, we pray with such half-hearted feeling that our doubt God can or will change anything is evident. Part of the problem may be that we lack enough imagination to see possibilities not only in the people around us but in ourselves as well. Who knows what God might be willing to stitch together for us, if only we put our hearts into asking for his help?
Deacon Jim and Ann Cavera are former residents of Evansville; their award-winning column is a regular feature of the Message. Contact them at www.catholicseniorspirit.com.