“I want to keep telling Jesus that I love him. It is not difficult, and it keeps the fire going.”
- St. Therese Lisieux
Almost two months ago I called my doctor to make an appointment for an annual physical. The receptionist offered several possibilities. I selected Friday, September 9, since that same night I was taking a group from St. Joseph Parish to attend the “Night of Hope” by TV evangelist Joel Osteen at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. My doctor always gives me undivided attention during my physicals. We update one another about our personal and professional lives and he follows by giving me a thorough examination. When I leave his presence, his calming nature makes me feel like a million bucks! He noted that all my vitals were in the average range and category for my age. My height - 5‟11”, weight - 160 lbs, my blood pressure - 128/82. He remarked that with age 50 looming, there will be a new battery of exams around the corner. I thought to myself that living a half century with five decades "over the dam," and almost a quarter century of serving as a priest, that time flies. As the Latin saying goes, “Tempus fugit.” Near the end of the exam the doctor asked me if I wanted a flu shot. I told him that I did and mentioned to him that I wish I could give "forgiveness shots‟ to people, as it is the best remedy for the malady of sin.
After receiving a "flying colors‟ report, I was on "cloud nine‟ only to return to the rectory to open my daily mail. When I opened my Sprint cell phone bill I was aghast at the amount which read, $2,737.74 — amount due by September 26, 2011. Immediately I got on the phone to contact a customer service representative from the company. I spoke to people from India, Philippines and Argentina. Being on the phone over two hours was frustrating. I was glad that I had gone to the doctor prior to receiving this bill, as my blood pressure probably would have been higher! I was asked a series of questions to get into my account, to which I thought, “How many millions of Richard Jones could there possibly be in the world?” I was told by the supervisor at Sprint to go to the store where I purchased the phone over two months ago. To be honest, I was ready to throw the phone in the river, but instead, I decided to collect people in the parking lot for Joel's "Night of Hope."
I must admit that when I went to the "Night of Hope‟ to listen to Joel, I was distracted and burdened by the weight of this financial debt. The office staff reminded me to “enjoy the night and trust that God will take care of all things - just put it in His hands and allow it to be a night of hope.” For the past 12 years Joel Osteen has led Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. He has a congregation of 48,000 members and a staff of 360 people. All of his books, CDs and music of the Lakewood Church Choir were available for purchase at the Consol Energy Center.
Joel Osteen is 48 years old and has been married to his wife, Victoria, for 24 years. They have 2 children. Both his mother, Mae, and his wife spoke that evening. Their daughter sang and their son played the electric guitar. Joel encouraged us to see this night not as a show but as “worship and praise to God.” It was a joyful, stirring, uplifting and grace-filled night of praise, unity and hope!
There were ministers there from various faith-denominations from the city of Pittsburgh who came forward to give testimonies. And there was a crowd of 15,000 believers gathered with lights, media, songs, trumpets and bugle calls. It was inspiring to see countless young people coming out for this night of faith. For me it rivaled the Penguins' hoisting of the “Lord Stanley Cup” as the champions of the hockey world. Joel spoke about the "heroes of faith‟ in Hebrews 11 who were in the "grandstand‟ spurring us to greater holiness. He spoke of heroes such as Joseph, Moses, Rahab, David and Job. He added his father to the list who served as minister of Lakewood Church for 40 years. He highlighted that every faith-journey includes peaks and valleys. We must pray about what we share, for our own journey can bless others as well.
As I was growing up in a family with a Presbyterian father and a Catholic mother, my Dad would always say of his "mixed marriage," “It is two faiths but one love.” For 51 years my dad belonged to the First Presbyterian Church on 6th Street Downtown. The only times that we were permitted to accompany Dad for worship were on Christmas and Easter, or when Anita Bryant came to sing and to give out orange juice. I recall Dadbeing inspired by the evangelist Billy Graham who came to Pitt Stadium in 1960. In June of 1993 I had the privilege of hearing him at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. I guess these Protestant evangelists have always been “in my blood.” On my bookshelf I have both Billy Graham and Joel Osteen's books. In October of 2004 I took a group of 105 people to Madison Square Garden in New York City to hear Joel Osteen. In March of 2008 I took over 200 people from St. Patrick Church in Canonsburg to listen to him. So on September 9 it was a joy to hear him again in Pittsburgh. In one day I experienced a physical exam, an emotional trauma and a spiritual renewal! I felt confident after the evening that my bill dilemma with Sprint would be resolved. The following day I journeyed to Beaver Valley Mall to speak to a representative at the store. He mentioned to me that this kind of fraud occurs about once a month. It took 2 1/2 hours to resolve the ordeal. I was given a new PIN number and security name and a reduced bill to the cost of $63.75 which was due September 26, 2011. I was relieved. Hallelujah!
On this 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear the story of the vineyard owner sending workers out to work in the vineyard throughout the day. Some were “early birds” and some were late arrivers, but the generous land owner gave equal pay to each. Often times we expect to be paid according to the hours we work, competency level, degree of credentials, years of seniority or skills to get the job done. But God's ways are not ours and aren't based on those criteria. The key qualities to God's kingdom is generosity, justice, mercy and compassion.
