May 28, 2010
The Second Half
What do bees know?
BY DEACON JIM AND ANN CAVERA
Granddaughter Rachel asked, “Daddy, do the bees know they are bees?” He replied, “That’s a very good question.” She thought for a moment and then added, “What if they know we are talking about them?” We have no idea what bees think, but neither of us has ever seen a bee trying to behave like a butterfly or a bird. The only thing they seem to know how to do is fly from flower to flower, make honey and take care of bee business.
Followers of Christ, on the other hand, sometimes seem to have more difficulty remembering who they really are. Being a Christian can be lonely and confusing in a culture where fewer and fewer see the value of a life lived in faith. Time for prayer is easily gobbled up by daily life. Getting older may mean less energy for involvement in parish ministries. Other people may be so busy with their own lives they seldom have time to appreciate or even notice the good things we do. How do we stay true to our calling in a culture that tells us we are swimming against the current?
The difficulties we face in remaining true to our Lord are hardly new. Even the prophet Elijah had his moment of uncertainty. After a great triumph over the false prophets of Baal, he became so frightened for his life he ran into the wilderness. In spite of Elijah’s loneliness and depression, God was with him. Elijah’s journey took him back to the source of his faith, Mount Horeb. While he hid himself in a cave on the mountain, he must have asked himself why he was being persecuted. Hadn’t he been a faithful servant?
Twice God gently asked Elijah, “What are you doing here?” Twice Elijah reminded God what a faithful servant he had been and then complained, “I am the only one left, and they want to kill me.” God had little sympathy for a whining prophet. In effect he told Elijah to get back to work because he is wasn’t alone. God still had 7,000 other faithful servants in Israel who had not run away.
In a TV show last week, actors were placed in difficult situations while hidden cameras waited to film how many strangers would stop to help. In a public park an actor posed as an unbelievably overbearing coach berating a young man who appeared on the verge of physical collapse. Many people looked the other way and walked on saying nothing. One of the few who stopped was a middle-aged man who confronted the “coach” about his unacceptable behavior and then led the young man away from the scene. When the producers stepped in, revealed the set-up and asked the man what made him get involved, he said, “Because every morning when I get up I ask God to show me what to do.” He had intervened because he was simply going about the business of being who he was.
The question is, do we know who we are? In spite of turmoil around us, personal difficulties, or what other people might think, do we stick to the business of being a Christian? Bees know who they are. So should we.
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.