Readings:   Wisdom 12, 13-19; Psalm 86, Lord, You are good and forgiving; Romans 8, 26-27; Matthew 13, 24-43

Wisdom:

• Author: not Solomon, but an unknown Jew from Alexandria
• Original Language: Greek
• Time: 1-2 centuries B.C.
• Message: Yahweh rewards those faithful to him.
• Means: Greek Philosophy common in Alexandria (Platonism & Stoicism) and Jewish traditional  teachings (wisdom of Solomon).
• Uniqueness: one of the ca. 11 deutero-canonical books (not originally part of the Jewish bible).
• Today's reading from chapter 12 emphasizes a God who cares for all, is merciful, and kind, perhaps as a balance to the parable of the wheat & weeds in Matthew

How We Help Each Other Along the Way

    Last Friday morning Rosemary & I, Gilberto & Bernadette were riding around White Rock Lake.  It was about 7:00.  We had started at Royal Lane and had passed through the marvelously dense forest along the White Rock Creek Trail.  We had crossed Mockingbird & Northwest Hwy, and were going around the stunningly beautiful lake in a clockwise direction.  We had split up, each going at their comfortable speed until we meet up at the boat house on the south end of the lake near the dam, the half way point.

    I’m ahead and see a lady on the left side of the road with her bike down.  I ask if she needs help, hoping, I confess, that she will say no.  She says yes.  Ugh, oh.  So I slow down, turn around, and get off next to her.  Shortly after that Gilberto rides up.

     She says her rear tire is real low, she has an air pump, but she has never used it, and cannot get it to work.  The problem was she had her pump set for one type of inner tube valve and she had the other.   For bikers, she had a schraeder valve, and her pump was set for presta, the skinny tire..

     So we showed her the problem, helped her pump up her tire, and she took off with a hundred thank you’s.  

     Meanwhile, my phone is ringing non-stop.  I usually do not answer when riding.  An 18 year old riding with us once fell down when he answered a call from his mom.  

     On the phone is Rosemary.  You guessed it, she has a front flat.  She is behind us at the Bath House.  So I return and we start a pump and run strategy to help her get back to a good pick up point, which turned out to be the Dart station on Northwest. Hwy.  

     Twice as we return we encounter the lady.  The first time she even says to Rosemary, “You are a lucky lady!”   Yahoo!   The second time she is taking a break at the same place Rosemary has stopped to pump up her tire again.  

     After Rosemary departed on her run, she says again how grateful she is and she adds, “I really learned something special about myself this morning.  I normally hate to ask for help and when I did it today it was okay.  From now on I will always ask others on the side of the road if they need help.  But I will also let myself ask for help.” 

     We have here a metaphor for community, folks.  We are not alone.  We help and accept help.  It is how I would like to handle the three parables, one of which could scare you.  Actually, it was intended by Matthew to scare his young Christian community, because he thought some members were not always doing good. 

     I see two community symbols in what happened on the shore of White Rock Lake. First, what we did.  Secondly, what took place in the lady.

     The first thing, normal for community, we stopped to help someone.  Simple.  What about people who are unemployed or sick?  We help them, too.  What about fear?  You hear the parable of the wheat & weeds and immediately see yourself heading for the furnace.  

     Naturally, we all see the weeds in ourselves.  Everybody does because we all see our weeds.  In a caring community we hear that we are both, not either/or, wheat or weeds.  You might even hear that one old priest doubts that there is a furnace.  After all, it has been admitted that limbo was imaginary.  What about purgatory?  Enough with fear of me going to hell.

     Secondly, what happened inside the lady is symbolic.  One little community event has touched her into new sensitivity and acceptance.  Even deeper peace.  Can you see the mustard seed growing, the yeast expanding in her spirit?  

     Can you give me one way you are richer because of community and one way you make community richer for another?

 Picture 1:   Mass

 Picture 2:   Georgie with Buddy & her dad, Randolph

 Picture 3:   Zoe with her mom, Michelle

 Picture 4:   Hugh & Sydney Bivona

 Picture 5:   The Girls, Gayle, Jackie, & Mary Ellen 

Readings:

Isaiah  55, 6-9,  Our God who is generous in forgiving.

Psalm 145,   The Lord is near to all who call upon him

Philippians 1, 20-27,  Christ will be magnified in my body.

Matthew 20, 1-16,  The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Leo says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in. It is so fun."

Isaiah 55  observations—

Who:  My favorite prophet.  In fact , Isaiah 2 is my favorite of the 3 composers of the Book of Isaiah, and our selection today is the very last chapter of Isaiah 2.

When: remember these 3 writers wrote more or less before, during, and after the Great Babylonian Captivity, ca. 555 before Christ.  So, we can guess that today’s selection from Isaiah 2 comes from the time during the Captivity.

What:  Isaiah 2 has some of the best and most beautifully consoling passages. Check out The Messiah. Unfortunately, our little selection today talks about scoundrels and the wicked, in other words, about us.   Maybe these people are mentioned in connection with the people who grumble in the Gospel today.  See what you think.  I am cheating a bit with the reading.  I've added about 4 more lines that are more typical of Isaiah 2.

Y Alesia dice, "Bienvenidos, Todos. Descansense aqui.

This is not Fair!

This morning, Folks, I would like to talk about these workers hired by the vineyard owner.  We hear how the workers who worked all day got the same wages as those who worked one hour and we want to yell, “This is not fair!” 

Want to know what this parable is basically saying?  First, it is all gift.  Everything is gift.  Secondly, comparison is poison.  “How come he got this and I did not?”  “How come I got sick and he did not?”  Our lives are all gift.  Comparing myself with others poisons my spirit.

A story of the week to illustrate.  Guess from where I got it.  From our Yosemite trip.

The Bridge.

There was a man I met on the trail.  It is the second half of our 8 night adventure and the second day of rest, nights 6 & 7.  It is a gorgeous day after a rainy day.   I am standing on a suspension bridge over Woods Creek, just contemplating the beauty all around me.  A great sense of gratitude at being there at that moment.

We are in a valley.  The bridge is about 40 yards long and about 40 feet above a rushing stream.  The bridge sways and rocks when you walk on it.  There are two long cables going over two wooden towers.  There are vertical cables holding up the walkway.  We have a beautiful campsite just off the upper end of the bridge and just above the stream.

The Bridge looking toward our campsite on the left in the trees. Somebody is coming.

An elderly man comes onto the far end of the bridge.  As he approaches my back, I say over my shoulder, “Good afternoon, how are you doing?”, like I do all the time with people I meet on the trail and even at White Rock Lake.   No response.  Thinking he may not have heard me because of the roar of the stream, as he passes my right shoulder, I say, “You okay?” 

He grumbles, “Surviving.” 

His wife is following, so I enquire a bit more.  Turns out they are hiking the John Muir Trail for about a month and they are maybe in a little bit over their depth.  Both are elderly, though not probably as much as my 74 years, but not in good shape.

Contemplating the beauty looking south & east.

The John Muir trail is one of two famous trails going north-south through Yosemite.  The other is the Pacific Crest Trail.  The John Muir runs south from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental U.S.  People hike the whole thing in 3-4 weeks, depending upon food supplies stationed along the way. This year we saw an unusually high number of these John Muir hikers.   For part of our trip we were on the trail for a few miles.  

This couple touched me and I talked later that evening around the campfire with our group.  I mentioned how sad.  I have been overwhelmed all day with the gift of being where we are.  I am so grateful that I can still hike to these beautiful places.  And this hiker is grumpy.  Does he not see the gift?  

It is all gift.  Health or no health, rich or poor, life.   

What is your gift today?

Contemplating, looking west & north. Going right on this bridge we headed down the trail to Lower Paradise Campsite, our last campsite of the 8 nights.

Rosemary's Blessing:

O God, we thank you for the fact that you have inspired men and women in all nations and in all cultures. We call you different names: some call you Allah; some call you Elohim; some call you Jehovah; some call you Brahma; some call you the Unmoved Mover. But we know that these are all names for one and the same God. Grant that we will follow you and become so committed to your way and your kingdom that we will be able to establish in our lives and in this world a brother and sisterhood, that we will be able to establish here a kingdom of understanding, where men and women will live together as brothers and sisters and respect the dignity and worth of every human being. In the name and spirit of Jesus. Amen.

Taken from The prayers of Martin Luther King Jr.  by John Dear appearing in the National Catholic Reporter, January 15, 2013

The Production Team.

Thanks to the Team

Music, Shonda & Ben

Readers, Rose & Patricia,  & Buddy, the candle blessing

Eucharistic Prayer & Gospel, John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers, Mike & Ben & Becky & Richard & Tom

Final Blessing, Rosemary

Almost time, 9:30

Readings:

Exodus, 34, 4-6, 8-9, The Lord, gracious and merciful, rich in kindness & fidelity. 

Daniel (Psalm) 3, Glory & Praise forever.

2 Corinthians  13, 11-13, The Grace of the Lord Jesus and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

John 3, 16-18,  God so loved the world…

On air.

Please Remember these special people:

For Jim Esparza, the son of Frank & Mary, who just passed Saturday with sepsis;   For all the medical personnel struggling to treat the tsunami of sick people, in particular, locally, Cindy's staff at Presby, Dallas and at Frisco Presby, the mother of Harper and Betsy, Kendle, working in labor & delivery;   For Jim Esparza, the son of Frank & Mary;   For Joe Hogan with cancer;  For Loretta's aunt Alicia;   For Ryan, Rosemary's nephew, who had surgery; For Bill Hammond,    For Sydney;  & For Sir Charlie;  Shonda's mom;   for Michelle;  For a friend, a neighbor, & a doctor, Karen, with brain cancer; For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free.;    For Hue;  For John O'Donnell;    For Dee, and for her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued health;  For Anthony & Sabrina;    For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli and Lambrini;  Virginia Mattingly

Becky & Tom.

Birthdays:  Shonda (last Week), Deacon Mike ordained '78, Bill Ekes, Alison DeGenova 

Anniversary:  The McClurgs, Diane & Kent, 48 years, & Diane's knee replacement this week.

On air with Ben.

This  week's Readings:

Download MASS 20 0607 Trinity Readings

Homily by John Stack

Here it is, folks, that line again, the one that says The Lord is gracious and merciful, never gets angry and abounding in love.  That summarizes for me who our God is.

I want to talk this morning about a black lady I knew when I was teaching at Jesuit '65-'68.  She was one of the first important black persons in my life who exemplified this description of God.  You ever heard of Juanita Craft?  A big lady with a big voice and a bigger heart.  She was elected to the Dallas City Council after I had departed Dallas.  She came to my '71 ordination in a police car at the old St. Rita.

Juanita taught me at least 3 lessons.   First she taught me how to take charge and get things done with grace.  This came about because she invited me to join her and about 25 young members of the Dallas NAACP on a greyhound type bus trip to the annual NAACP convention in Atlantic City.  I must admit that I gulped a time or two, then accepted her invitation.  I was the only white guy on that bus.  Juanita charged each of those kids to be the best  & clean that bus every time we got off that bus.

I was impressed as a fellow bus driver at Jesuit.  Never had I instructed my Jesuit kids on the bus to clean up.  I did that after.  Because of Juanita I realized I could organize a planting of 400 trees, put together a group of friends to visit Yosemite, and accept an invitation to work in East Africa.

Because Juanita was abounding in love, she taught me how to ask help from others.  Therefore I wrote to my Jesuit confreres at Georgetown and asked if they could shuttle two dozen black kids around D.C. for a day.  Not only did they supply about 5 cars and guides, they invited the whole bunch of us to dinner in the Jesuit dining room that evening.  The Jesuits were gracious and merciful

You will never guess what I did when I returned to Dallas from Atlantic City.   I accepted Juanita's invitation to move into her little house in South Dallas and help her with the NAACP youth group that summer.  I knew then, Black Lives Do Matter.

How do Black Lives matter to you?

Ben doing the Magic.

And a repeat:

Birthdays:  Shonda (last week), Bill Ekes, Alison, Deacon Mike ordained '78

Anniversaries:  McClurgs, 48 years & Diane has a knee replacement this week.

Communion for Mike.

Community Finances, June 7, 2020

Expenses: $825.00

Outreach:  $500.00  (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

This week we donated $1,500 to Soul's Harbor.

Thanks, Folks, for doing what you can.

Readings: 2 Chronicles 36; Psalm 137; Ephesians 2, 4-10; John 3, 14-21

Chronicles:

Author (s): Unknown

Date:  ca. 450-350 BCE, at least after The Babylonian Captivity.  You will see why. 

Subject:  a summary of the entire span of history to the time the people returned to Jerusalem, i.e., from Adam to the end of the Babylonian Captivity, 450 BCE.  Therefore, it begins with Adam & a genealogy up to King Saul and King David, through David's son Solomon & the building of the temple to the Babylonian Captivity with Nebuchadnezzar to Cyrus the leader of the Persians who defeated Nebuchadnezzar & the Chaldeans and allowed the Hebrews to return to Jerusalem.  Note that Babylon was near Baghdad in Iraq, while Persia was Iran.

Our selection: this is the very last chapter of ca. 60 chapters, including Chronicles 1 & 2.  A bit of a summary chapter, it says that Yahweh was so mad he got Nebuchadnezzar to defeat the Hebrews and cart them off to captivity in Babylon.  Then some 50 years later he gets Cyrus to defeat Nebuchadnezzar and free the Hebrews to return to Jerusalem, which they do. 

Sources: Wikipedia, Catholic Encyclopedia.

Two Questions

Last week I saw a story that struck me.  A couple in their mid forties were at home watching TV Tuesday about 9:00 in the evening.  The husband's brother was with them and the couple's 3 youngest kids were playing.  The family lives in Pleasant Grove, which is about 5:00 o'clock on the circular map of Dallas. 

Suddenly the door was forced open and a kid around 24 came banging in demanding money.  The brothers work construction, but they had no cash on them.  The wife, Carmen, emptied out all she had in her purse, $2. 

The kid was angry and demanded that they get the money they had hidden.  He had a pistol and slapped around Alfredo, the father.  He tied up the brothers and shoved them into the bathroom.  He then said he would kidnap Carmen or one of Alfredo's daughters if he did not hand over more money.

So Alfredo and Carlos, the younger brother, in order to defend Carmen and the kids, tried to break loose attack the kid.  They were both shot dead on the spot.

Meanwhile, one of the older children, a boy, snuck out a window and ran for help to a neighbor.  They called 911 and the police arrived while the shooting was still going on.  The kid ran out the door, saw a cop, fired at him, and ran around toward the back of the house where he encountered a second cop.  This cop shot the kid and now he is in the hospital in critical condition. 

Apparently the kid did not know the family and just chose them at random.  All for $2.

Which, taking into account our readings today, leads to two questions.

First, does God get angry and punish bad people?  The Bible certainly seems to think so. 

• For example, Chronicles says today that the "anger of the Lord was so inflamed that there was no remedy."  As a result he had the Hebrews killed, burned out, and carried away as slaves in Babylon.  For a symbolic 70 years, which seems to suggest that the Hebrews had neglected to rest on the sabbath.

• For example, Yahweh got so mad at his earlier creation that he sent the great flood, killing everybody except Noah, his wife, and the animals.  

• For example, in John this morning you find out that you will be condemned if you do not believe in the name of Jesus.  So you better be Christian or even better Catholic according to the messages I heard growing up, or you are condemned.  To what?

• For example, it is held that Jesus had to come and die on a cross as he did so as to take away the Father's anger at us for our ancestors' sins.  Thus, the gates of heaven, closed up to that time, would be reopened.  True? 

Was the family in Pleasant Grove watching TV Tuesday night bad?  Had they sinned so horribly that they must be punished like happened to the Hebrews in Jerusalem?

So, what do you think, what do you believe?  Does God get angry and punish bad people as we see repeatedly mentioned in the Bible?  Which leads me to my next question:

Second question, who are the bad people?  Or who are the good? 

Obviously the 24 year old kid who barged in on the family is bad.  He deserves what?  Be condemned?  Forever? 

From my experience as a priest and as as psychotherapist, I have discovered two things. 

First, that nobody is totally bad, and nobody is totally good.  But what about that kid?  He is bad!  John says, "He who does wicked things hates the light."  That boy must really hate the light.

Secondly, if I had grown up in the environment of many of these kids and been forced to live in the horrible surroundings they saw daily, I probably would have done the same things.  I do not know how many times I have talked with people who have done similar things and discovered that they were horribly wounded people.  Inside they were deeply hurt.  Outside they vented their hurt through anger and, watch out, through violence.   

As a balance to this negativity and tragedy, let me remind you that we likewise see beauty in people.  Remember the 50 St. Bonaventure students who dedicated their spring break to hurricane relief work in Galveston.  Remember the heroic work of the Collin Co. Adult Clinic.  I even saw it on the DART train Thursday when I went downtown to have lunch with Rosemary.  Three times I saw a guy get up and offer his seat to a woman nearby.  I was moved.

So, reconsidering our Pleasant Grove family and all the Bible stories about God being angry and punishing people, what do you think?

Sources: The Center for Liturgy, St. Louis U.  Online Ministries, Creighton, U.  All on line.

AUDIO:  http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2009-03-22.mp3

Picture 1:   Mass with Hue on the sound, Wendy, Ray, & Celeste

Picture 2:   Birthdays–Angelo (Blair's boy friend), Bob McGrath (80!), Christine, & T.J.

Picture 3:   Ryan, Jackie & Bob McGrath, Tom, Morgan, & Tyler McGrath

Picture 4:  Tom & Daniel Fleming & Louie Federico

Says Our Dear Emma, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome."

Readings:

Isaiah 56, 6-9,  Seek the Lord while he may be found. (Isaiah 2)

Psalm 145,   The Lord is near to all who call upon him

Phlippians 1, 20-24 &27,  Conduct yourself in a way worthy of the gospel.

Matthew 20, 1-16,  The vineyard owner and how he compensated his laborers, The last shall be first; the first last. 

And likewise from our dear Sophia, "Come in, Folks, it is fun here."

Isaiah 55  observations—

Who:  My favorite prophet.  In fact , Isaiah 2 is my favorite of the 3 composers of the Book of Isaiah, and our selection today is the very last chapter of Isaiah 2.

When: remember these 3 writers wrote more or less before, during, and after the Great Babylonian Captivity, ca. 555 before Christ.  So, we can guess that today’s selection from Isaiah 2 comes from the time during the Captivity.

What:  Isaiah 2 has some of the best and most beautifully consoling passages. Check out The Messiah. Unfortunately, our little selection today talks about scoundrels and the wicked, in other words, about us.   Maybe these people are mentioned in connection with the people who grumble in the Gospel today.  See what you think.  

And not to be outdone by her daughter and Sophia, our dear Beth says, "Better hurry up and get a seat before these two girls take over."

That is not Fair!

This morning, Folks, I would like to talk about these workers hired by the vineyard owner.  We hear how the workers who worked all day got the same wages as those who worked one hour and we want to yell, “Hey!  That is not fair!” 

Want to know what this parable is basically saying?  Two things.  First, it is all Gift.  Everything is Gift.  Secondly, negative comparison is poison.  “How come he got this and I did not?”  “How come I got sick and he did not?”  Our lives are all Gift.  Comparing myself with others poisons my spirit.

The Best Music, plus with good news.

A story about one of my best long time friends to illustrate. 

I think I asked this last week.  Anybody remember Myron & Chris Hubble from St. Mark’s? 

I first met Myron around 1995.  In those days I had a men’s group.  We met probably every other Wednesday or Thursday evening for an hour or two.  The question: what has been your blessing or gift since our last meeting?  Or whatever a person wanted to talk about. 

Sez Buddy, "Okay, let's get to the fun part (cupcakes)."

We had maybe 20 guys plus or minus.  Everybody sat on the carpeted floor of my little office in the Jesuit residence at Jesuit.   Myron was one of the first members.

I remember Myron as a really nice looking guy, soft spoken, very emphatic and  tuned into everyone who spoke.  He had a beautiful wife in Chris and two beautiful kids, Jon and Emily.  I did Emily’s wedding some years back, to a marvelous boy, who is Jewish. 

The family had a nice home in Plano and Myron had worked at TI.  He was probably in his 40’s.  He was retired. 

Our Candle Lighter of The Week in action.

Want to know why he was retired?  He had hepatitis C.

Want to know where he got it?  Maybe connected with Viet Nam.  Myron had been a medic during Viet Nam.  He worked with the wounded coming back when they arrived in Tacoma.  Want to know what it was like in Viet Nam?  Check out Ken Burns’ epic now half way through the two week event.  Tonight features the Tet Offensive of 1969 more or less.  Burns’ project is mind numbing & shocking. 

Let me tell you, Myron’s hepatitis ruined his beautiful life.  Not only could he not work.  But every morning he would painfully roll out of bed and throw up.  This went on for years.

Welcome in, Jim Shropshire.  You got a lot of courage to come visit your old teacher from Jesuit.  And this guy used to be a great athlete, a football player.

Recently Myron fell down on the front stairs of his house and broke numerous bones.  He went to the hospital where the bones cannot be dealt with because of the hepatitis.  He asked for me.  Chris called me and I went right away.  Myron tells me his liver is gone and his kidneys are going fast.  He will follow. 

Why not me instead of Myron?  I could have ended up in Viet Nam, if not for being in the Jesuits.  I’ll say it again.  It is all gift.  Gratitude is the response.

What are you grateful for?

Hey, Mike, this cupcake is guaranteed to help you heal your knee, your foot, your elbow, and all the other places you are falling apart.  Enjoy!

Sez Luke, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in.  This is my first time here."

Readings:  

 Numbers 11, 25-29,  Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets.

Psalm 19,  The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

 James 5, 1-6, Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.

 Mark 9, 38-43, 45, 47-48,   If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out

Welcome in, Ben, Cody, and Olivia.

The Book of Numbers

The fourth book of the Pentateuch.  It leaves us with the impression of a carefully structured and organized religious society moving through history under the sustaining and guiding hand of God.  It is a complex collection of historical, legal and liturgical traditions spanning a period of about a thousand years! 

An outline would identify three broad divisions of the book: The sojourn at Sinai, chapter 1-10 covers the last 19 days the Israelites spent at Sinai. 

(Story of Sinai by bus from Cairo to El Arishe & Tel Aviv.)

Pardon me for needing your help, Hue, but even at 78 I need help getting dressed & suited up.

The second section deals with the journey from Sinai to Moab, chapter 10-22 and covers a span of about 38 years. 

The third section, chapters 22-36, covers events in Moab  over a period of 5 months. 

Today’s reading is from the beginning of the second section, when the people are just starting out on their journey.  Moses is getting concerned with the responsibility of all of the people, so God shares the spirit, which is on Moses among 70 elders, even two who were not part of the group gathered around the Tent.

The Best Music with Shonda & Ben.

The Letter of Saint James

This is the final Sunday  (Hooray!) for the second reading to come from the Letter of St. James (Santiago de Compostella), which we have listened to for the past five weeks.  In the reading today the mood is very stark!  “Your wealth has rotted away”.  The audience for this letter is the communities outside of Jerusalem.

Again, remember the letter is a collection of moral observations and instructions, and in today’s reading James’ does not have much that is positive to say about the rich.  The bigger context is to encourage the Christians who are suffering at the hands of the powerful.  James reminds his audience that Jesus is coming again very soon!  Immediately following today’s reading he says “Be patient brothers until the Lord’s coming.”

Tori Lights our Candles of the Week.

If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out  (the homily that I passed on because I accidentally read the wrong Gospel for today.)

Two comments about this line in the reading.

First.  I spent the years 1968-72 studying theology in Toronto.  We had a lot of gray days in Toronto seeing as it is on the northern shore of Lake Ontario.

One of those days, the news came out in the Toronto newspaper, the Globe & Mail, that a young guy had intentionally blinded himself.  Guess why.  Yep, he read this line in Mark and figured his eyes were a source of temptation.  Doing what?  Maybe just girl watching.

I remember all the guys (there were around a hundred of us) were repelled by the news.  There was a gut level response that what this poor guy did was sick.  It was self mutilation combined with religious extremism. 

The Offertory Team, Cheryl, Grace, & Diane

That for me is the negative.  Any way it can be positive?   As a motivator?  Yes.  I’m reminded of how important self motivation is to all of us.  I am reminded by the St. Marks Boy School running by our house in the morning before school.  I am reminded by Tom & Paul & Carrie running their marathons.   I am inspired by Richard losing weight & keeping it off when told he could get diabetic..   I am reminded at the JCC (Jewish Community Center) 6 AM spin class where Haya, a little lady older even than I am who rides with a slightly bummed right shoulder M, W, F. 

I look upon God’s position on this as infinite demand, yes, coupled with infinite acceptance.

What do you need?  Motivation?  Look around you.

Wake up, Luke, it is time to sing and dance.