The Greatest Ad Ever Told?

Today’s gospel and sermon were about giving thanks to God for what we have. It’s a pretty standard Christian lesson, in my opinion, and not really one that requires a whole lot of discussion. It’s just one of those givens.

The gospel story that was used was from Luke. It told the tale of the ten lepers that asked Jesus for healing. Jesus instructed them to go to the priests and they’ll be cured (in Jesus’ time, only the priests can decide whether or not someone has leprosy). Naturally they’re all cured on their way to the priest. Only one man comes back to thank Jesus and praise God, the other nine continue on to be declared cured by the priests. Jesus wonders were the other nine are but tells the one that came back that his faith has made him well.

So the moral of the story is to be thankful for God’s blessings. I’m more interested in the set-up of the sermon and another contrast to the Catholic Church.

The priest started the sermon by first saying that the story of the ten lepers was only told in Luke – not in Matthew or Mark. (Matthew and Mark do tell the more famous story of the sole leper that Jesus healed.) He then goes on to say that, like modern day advertisers, the writers of the gospel understood the importance of numbers…

The curing of a leper was only attributed to one man in the Old Testament – the great prophet Elisha. So the fact that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all attributed this miracle to Jesus was another way of tying him to the ancient prophets and kings, strengthen their case for Jesus as Messiah. Luke, however, took it a step further and said Elisha only cured one leper – Jesus cured TEN.

To hear the priest describe it as smart advertising was…refreshing.

Smart advertising doesn’t necessarily mean it was a false story – it was just a way to acknowledge that, at the end of the day, no matter what happened, these gospels were written by men that were trying to start a movement. History shows us that the gospel of Luke wasn’t written by the Apostle Luke. It was written by someone who was trying to compile the account of several texts and provide a single history, probably around 100AD. Whereas a lot of it was based on existing gospels and other texts, we sort of have to understand that some of it was, in fact, embellished.

Did the priest say that, exactly? No…but it was certainly subtly implied.

Even being subtly implied, we’re talking about something no Catholic Church that I’ve ever been to has ever even acknowledged – that the gospels were written by men and it’s not the literal interpretation of events that matters – it’s the message behind it.

It was a great sermon. I hung on every word mainly because it wasn’t about listening and following – it was about understanding and applying.

I have to say, I’m enjoying my return to the Church so far. I’m starting to feel like an Episcopalian.

Faith in the Plan

I was a little bit late to church today. It was odd – I really thought I was making good time but by the time I parked my car I was already five minutes late and since I only had two bucks on my I had to get money out of the ATM.

It happens, I guess. I just hate being late for mass after only three weeks in…

I’m starting to get comfortable with the church. I’m singing a bit louder and turning to the right pages in the prayer book in a timely fashion. I’m starting to fit in.

Speaking of fitting…today’s gospel and sermon were spot on. It was all about how having faith in God’s plan will allow you to do more than you ever imagined you could do and, in turn, God will use the labors of your work as he always intended to. It’s a powerful theory, one that resonates with another one of my big insecurities.

Back in college I started noticing something – stuff just goes my way. I’m not bragging here. It’s actually this freakish thing in my life where solutions don’t just present themselves; they wrap themselves up and overnight deliver themselves to my doorstep. Robin has noticed it and she’s called it “freaky” on several occasions.

Sometimes it’s big things. There was this one point in my life when I was hurting for cash and by a series of occurrences I obtain an over-twenty-grand cash infusion which got me out of my bind and financed the early stages of Postcards. And it’s small things. I’m out driving with only a permit and pull an illegal u-turn; I’m in danger of a five-year delay on my license. A cop pulls me over but lets me go the moment he walks to my car, saying he got a call he needed to answer.

Maybe taken on its own, stuff like that isn’t a big deal. But it honestly happens all of the time – it’s been happening since college.

It’s what got me to start praying in college, honestly. My prayers sounded like this, “Lord, I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this but thanks!”

And I think it’s gotten me pretty far. I’m well taken care of at my day job. I take on too many projects, let some slack, and it’s always the ones that I focus on that turn into more money. The comic gig has been a dream come true. There are so many people trying for a little bit of anything – I edited two books that came out through Random House this year.

And every night I’d lay down in bed and say, “Lord, I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this but thanks!”

I’ve always felt like there was some sort of plan. Like the road was being cleared for me and I was lunging forward, moving towards something. Now I’m approaching thirty and I’m starting to wonder when God will collect his dividends. Did I fall out of favor? Do something wrong? Miss an opportunity I was supposed to take? In other words, did I no longer deserve the added attention it felt like I was getting?

But reflecting on the sermon I realized that for all I know I’m currently doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. Maybe there already is some benefit being gained from my work. No matter what, I’m not sitting back and doing nothing. I’m doing the most I can with what God has given me and I’ll just keep doing it – it’s going to fit into the plan.

I just have to have faith. When I pray at night, I just need to say, “Thanks.” It’s not a matter of what I deserve; it’s a matter of what I’m doing because it’s what I’m supposed to do.

I like the philosophy, I’m going to try and realign myself. It might sound stiff but I think it’s a great example of the free will we all have. I can do the minimum, or I can do the most I can with the gifts I have. That’s a big choice to make, and maybe it’s what really defines Good People. The ones who accomplish beyond even their own expectations. Whether you believe God benefits or not from your accomplishments is irrelevant; shouldn’t you want to be the best you can be no matter what?

Becoming Charitable

I did some research and found a charity that I wanted to volunteer with – the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry. I actually worked with them last year; I adopted a family through them for Christmas. I talked to some representatives from the agency at the Arlington County Fair this year and decided to look into what programs them have. I’m applying for their mentor program but I also offered to help out with their other programs, as well.

The mentoring thing makes sense. It’s a good use of my time. I could go two ways. On one hand, I’m a mathematician by day. I have a Masters. I could easily work with a kid that likes science or math, no problem. On the other hand, I’m a comic book and graphic novel editor by night. A pretty successful editor, too, I’d say. I could help a kid that likes to write and/or draw. Take him (or her) to the comic shop, go to museums, and maybe make a mini comic. The latter sounds like more fun, but the former would be more practical. Let’s face it, I’d love to quit my day job but I don’t see it happening anytime soon…

Anyway, NOVAM is just a perfect fit. I’ve had quite a bit of experience with HIV and AIDS before. There were two early deaths in my family – one that I actually just found out about recently, my Uncle’s sister. I was young when she died, however, and the disease was new so it makes sense that I didn’t know the full story until now. I learned a distant cousin died from HIV-related complications after-the-fact, as well, and even then it was very hush-hush in the family.

My cousin Steven was the first one that we rallied behind, as a family. I was sixteen at the time, he was eleven. He received a bad blood transfusion as a kid that came back in a bad way. We had about six months with him before he passed on and we tried our hardest to make it a good six months. He got to meet his hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger – I really couldn’t top that. I mainly brought him comics and I was there for his brother RJ all the way, I think he appreciated that. He was such a loving kid – loved his family so much. His love was infectious – we pulled ourselves closer. It’s kind of amazing how something so tragic could bring the whole family together like it did.

My Uncle Alex also died from HIV-related complications. He was a heroine user when he was younger but he moved out to Arizona, got cleaned up, started a family, and became the very definition of a Good Man. His past caught up with him, however. It wasn’t fair at all. I didn’t know it was HIV until after he died. I was so upset that no-one told me until I realized that hardly anyone knew. My dad, I believe, was the only one of his siblings to know. My dad told me Uncle Alex didn’t want anyone to know unless they asked. He didn’t want anyone to worry about him. Everyone knows the life he lived, if they really wanted to know about his disease they’d ask. It was such a powerful thing – realizing that someone would be so selfless that he’d voluntarily live with an awful illness and not let anyone else shoulder some of his grief. I try to get sympathy when I have a cold, I couldn’t even fathom my uncle’s decision (but I could certainly appreciate it).

I did some AIDS-oriented volunteering in college. I worked in a soup kitchen for individuals infected with HIV. I also volunteered for an HIV-centric “Meals on Wheels” program. A couple of AIDS walks and then last year with NOVAM. But, as discussed in my last post, it’s time to do more. I really hope it works out.