July 23, 2010
The Second Half
Ten good people
BY DEACON JIM AND ANN CAVERA
We write this with summer heat streaming in the windows. Our air conditioner bit the dust, once and for all, in the long-running heat wave. We felt sorry for ourselves until our friend Sue reminded us she does not have air conditioning at all. It’s hard to indulge in self pity when we are confronted with what others face on a daily basis. In addition to living with simplicity, Sue is one of the hardest workers in our parish. For many years she has carefully prepared second graders for First Communion. In addition to singing in the choir she is a faithful youth group and Vacation Bible School volunteer. When we think of the proverbial light set on a hilltop, a candle in the darkness or salt of the earth, Sue’s name immediately comes to mind.
If there had been 10 people like Sue in the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot would not have had to relocate his family. In this Sunday’s first reading, we admire Abraham for trying to save not only his nephew, but everyone in those towns. The question Abraham asked God was how many good people would it take to make a difference? God’s answer: only a few. The whole town could have gotten a “get out of jail free” card if 10 good people lived among them.
This Sunday’s first reading gives us a lot of hope. People of faith seem to be fewer in number. The media take every opportunity to highlight the negative. Church attendance fades, especially in the summer. How many people will it take to turn things around? Anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
For the kind of change the world needs, an overwhelming army isn’t necessary. The early church survived and spread through the efforts of a handful committed disciples powered by the Holy Spirit. Think of the difference made by one St. Vincent de Paul, St. Francis of Assisi or Mother Teresa surrounded by a small band of followers. The personal sacrifices of the sisters who founded the Monastery Immaculate Conception at Ferdinand and the monks who founded St. Meinrad opened doors for the work of the Holy Spirit that continues today in Southern Indiana.
On opening night of Vacation Bible School, more than a hundred happy children filed into the sanctuary. Near the end, one little guy came kicking and screaming, clinging tightly to his mother. She firmly told him he was going to stay, deposited him on a pew and left. One of the volunteers, a teenage boy, slid down the pew next to the child, put an arm around his shoulder and reassured him. There were a couple of dozen teen volunteers present, but this one boy made all the difference to an unhappy child.
Chances are most of us could name a few extraordinary people who made a difference at a critical point in our lives. One friend often speaks of the man who came every day and did all of the farm chores when her husband had cancer. When we look around and see the state of the world, it is easy to wonder whether or not what we can do matters. God’s answer to Abraham long ago was that only a few good people can save a whole city. In fact, when God set about to offer salvation to the world, he sent only his Son.
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.