God-arranged 'opportunities':
Encourage compassion

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Lujean and Tom Braunger

Lujean and I know a friend with a strange way of looking at life's disasters.

I always had confidence in this man after he said, "I believe in God because I see 'coincidences' occurring that simply should not be happening, against all odds - and amazingly good results come out of these 'sudden-happenings.' God seems to help our lives through people around us - and we should have faith in these 'opportunities' that make us grow more compassionate."

So it became a joke among us about the newest "opportunity." He would laugh about how lucky we were to have these events, and we would look at him as if he were nuts.

The most recent "opportunity" involved a promise to my stepmother that I would come to Arkansas to care for my ailing 86-year-old father when she would need to go to Miami to be with her terminally ill son.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Oct. 24, 2004) Sir 35:12-14, 16-18 Ps 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 2 Tm 4:6-8, 16-18 Lk 18:9-14

"It won't happen for months," I thought.

I was floored when she called a few days later.

So I raced down to Arkansas. Neighbors had taken care of Dad until I arrived. He had, however, passed out, bruising himself in the fall. That news really stressed me.

So eight days slowly went by. It actually wasn't half as bad as I had expected. Home services came in to bathe and shave him, and neighbors brought in meals.

And though Dad and I didn't say more than 10 sentences, I began to understand how frightening life must be for someone at the edge of death also struggling with Alzheimer's.

"Talk about having one's 'head in the lion's mouth,'" I thought, as I walked behind to catch him if he should pass out. I really felt for him; he, however, evidently has a faith in God that will get him through whatever comes. Like a veteran trapeze artist, he has a belief that God is a net under him, arranging and yet protecting him through anything.

And I know that God had arranged this very incident to help me evolve. I also know now how to face old age and death.

For Lujean, on the other hand, an "opportunity" included a teaching assignment change. Instead of working with third graders, she would be teaching math to hormone-driven seventh and eighth graders.

A demanding, but fair, teacher, she did a good job. But there were few tears when she was able to go back. She had learned, however, about her own inner strength and how to be a better teacher, to appreciate the enthusiasm and complexities of these older students.

	Reflection questions • Do you accept life's struggles with faith in God's mercy and purpose, or are you embittered about the unfairness of it all? • Have you ever experienced "odd coincidences" that have improved you and those around you? Did you appreciate God's hand in these situations at the time?

So sometimes we are the brokenhearted, and sometimes we are shaped by the brokenhearted. And at times the darn "opportunities" come way too often too fast.

But as Psalm 34:19 tells us: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and those who are crushed in spirit He saves."

It is this belief in a merciful God that may help us to accept life's situations and to grow through them as gifts straight from God.

Lujean and Tom Braunger are retired teachers and long-time community members of St. Paul's University Catholic Center.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive!

In a Nutshell The birth of a child changes a family forever. Daily choices will be made in favor of this new life. Unconditional love and acceptance, patience, fidelity and forgiveness are practiced in the ordinary care of a child. Without knowing it, babies challenge us to undo the cultural notion that being perfect, beautiful, constantly well-behaved and rich are the measure of a person's value. Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   Generally I find that time flies. Hours, days and weeks rush ahead. Rarely does time slow down or even seem to stop. But time has stopped for me, I've sensed, for the births of our children and grandchildren. What happens in many families, I suspect, is that a lot of priorities recede in importance for awhile at the time of a birth as the family members' attention is seized upon by the newborn child and riveted to his or her needs. Immediately the child not only is attentively served, but is loved unconditionally. Which is remarkable. I mean, the child makes a remarkable sort of statement on its own by stopping time this way and eliciting so much love without even trying. Who is this, after all? But it is perfectly clear who this is. Time, naturally, starts to fly again soon enough. That, too, is because there's been a birth, which means that a life has gotten under way and will grow quickly. full story   A Newborn's Impact on the Family By Mary Jo Pedersen Catholic News Service Babies have a way of turning life upside down: Labor pains turn to tears of joy, nights become days, neat becomes messy and quiet gives way to noise. With a baby in the house, the best-laid plans are scrapped at a moment's notice; adult vocabulary dissipates into coos! Few of life's events bring greater change to a family than the birth of a baby. Sons become fathers. Daughters become mothers. Siblings begin to relate to each other in entirely new ways as aunts, uncles or godparents. For many seasoned parents, grandparenthood unfolds as an opportunity to enjoy childhood again, this time free of the parenthood duties. full story  Why Vibrant Memories of Our Children Matter By David M. Thomas Catholic News Service When I was born 60-plus years ago, childbirth was a very important event without applause. There was no audience. It was mostly between a trained medical doctor and the mother. And most mothers were happy to be quite sedated during childbirth. Fathers, sequestered in a distant waiting room, awaited news of what had happened. Today, fortunately, both mother and father can experience the fullness of the birth event up close and personal. full story  God Calls Children by Name By Father Lawrence E. Mick Catholic News Service At the beginning of the Rite of Baptism for Children, the presider asks the parents what name they give their child. Normally, though, the presider already knows the name, so this is a ritual act. It is a reminder that God calls us by name, that God deals with each of us as unique individuals. This same perspective on each individual person's value is the basis of the Catholic concern for respect for all human life. In a recent statement, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Administrative Committee said: "Every person is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore each person's life and dignity must be respected, whether that person is an innocent unborn child in a mother's womb, whether that person worked in the World Trade Center or a market in Baghdad or even whether that person is a convicted criminal on death row." full story
	Faith in the Marketplace   This Week's Discussion Point: What activities does your parish sponsor for children (and/or their parents) under 5?     Selected Response From Readers:
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