PICK UP THE PIECES
Whether it's a hurricane or an
earthquake, whether disaster strikes outside or in your own inner-self, there
is nothing else so worthwhile doing as picking up the pieces. So stay calm,
trust, and stay on the path of life, which is a gift from God.
The
brilliant guitar player, Tony Melendez, is admired by many for his music and
physical ability to play his guitar without hands. Tony can't clap or shake
your hand, but he can sure jam on the guitar. Even though Tony was born without
arms, he had become a talented guitarist. He received the Inspirational Hero
Award from the NFL Alumni Association at Super Bowl XXIII in Miami. Tony may
have been born without arms, but that didn't stop him from dancing, dating,
playing the guitar and enjoying life to the fullest. Tony is known around the
world for playing the guitar with his feet.
In
1985, he began playing and singing in the Los Angeles area. Just two years
later, his life was changed forever when he performed for Pope John Paul II
before a live audience of 6,000 people and a TV audience of millions. He was
instantly thrown into the limelight. He also had many friends help him along
the way, and he came to believe that God sends people to help at just the right
moments in life. Today, Tony lives in Texas with his wife and daughter! It is
important to him to make sure that every time he performs, it is as near to
perfection as God intends it to be. Tony Melendez's reaction to his physical
challenges speaks volumes about his courage and his ability to "pick up
the pieces."
In
today's Gospel, we hear of people who are talking about the beauty of the
Temple in Jerusalem - "adorned with costly stones and votive
offerings" (Lk 21:5). The Temple is a source of peace and contentment;
such a magnificent sign of God's Presence and a clear sign of their fidelity to
Him. But the mood is quickly changed when Jesus tries to prepare them for
future events. Jesus says, "All that you see here - the days will come
when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown
down" (Lk 21:6).
Imagine
their distress as they contemplate Jesus' words - those precious stones thrown
to the ground and broken into pieces. Then He tells them to expect other dire
happenings as well. He speaks of times when "Nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes,
famines, and plagues" (Lk 21:10-11a). Does any of this have a contemporary
ring?
Jesus'
purpose is not to instill fear but to inspire courage and hope. "... But
not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will gain
your lives" (Lk 21:18-19). In other words, if we persevere in our fidelity
to God, in our trust in His ultimate victory over the world, and in our abiding
hope in His promise to transform sorrow into joy and death into new life, then
we will be able to work through those chaotic and catastrophic events with
complete confidence. Jesus tells us that even when disaster strikes and
everything seems to be coming apart, we will be able to pick up the pieces and
start all over again in total confidence.
This is
a true story! A mother was answering her three-year-old daughter's questions
about God. The following exchange took place:
"Where is God?"
"God is everywhere. He's in
everything."
"Is He in you?"
"Yes, dear."
"Is He in daddy?"
"Yes, dear."
"Is He in me?"
"Yes, dear."
"Did He make us with His fingers?"
"Yes, dear, in a way."
"Did He use glue?"
"Sort of. And He still uses it because sometimes we come
apart."
Jesus
says, "Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise It up" (Jn
2:19). The Apostle Paul writes to the people of Corinth: "To this very
hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we
wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands. When reviled, we
bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently."
Then he adds, "I urge you to be imitators of me" (1 Cor 4:11-13a,
16).
In his
Letter to the Romans, St. Paul reminds them of their faith and hope in Jesus
Christ. With faith, hope and love as our foundation, "we even boast of our
afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven
character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because
the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit
that has been given to us" (Rom 5:3-5).
To put
it mildly, Paul believed in picking up the pieces. Whenever he was threatened
to unglue himself, he allowed the glue of Divine Grace to keep him from
"coming apart at the seams," spiritually, emotionally and physically.
Whether it's a hurricane or an earthquake, whether disaster strikes outside or
in your own inner-self, there is nothing else so worthwhile doing as picking up
the pieces. So stay calm, trust, and stay on the path of life, which is a gift
from God.
"Destroy
this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Let us keep on giving
thanks for a God who not only can shake the world but who can also pick up the
pieces!!!