Today I was without internet access for 6 hours; nothing I could do about it but it drove me crazy. I checked and double-checked and patiently(well maybe not so patiently) waited for it to fire back up. Just a couple of weeks ago we lost power at the house. Odd, nobody else seemed to be without power. Turns out our transformer blew. A couple of hours later, we were back in business. After an unseasonably cold couple of months I thought I better fire up the old lawn tractor. Dead. I'll have to charge that bad boy up to get going.
We are very dependent on things to make our lives comfortable and dependable. We hate being without the necessities; like power, phone lines, internet, etc.
As Americans, we like to think ourselves independent. In recent years, the fastest growing demographic among voters is independent. Of course, these independents need to realize what an amazing waste of time and effort it is to register independent. But I'll leave that alone for awhile. As people, I hope we can put our national bravado aside and realize that we truly need one another and do not necessarily have to be independent. I depend on my wife and I trust she depends on me. My children depend on us, and as we get older, and they do too, we may be depending on them. I like the fact that others depend on me, like my co-workers, clients, parishioners, the men at Rayburn, and maybe just those needing a friend or a trusted advisor. And I like the fact that I depend on others too, my co-workers, my clients, prospects, parishioners, the KC family, the men at Rayburn who do as much for me as I do for them.
As Catholics, I trust we all are comfortable being dependent on God our Father for our everything. And I trust we are o.k. with being dependent on Jesus for our salvation; his gift of the incarnation, his death and resurrection, his coming to us in the Eucharist and the Word. As Catholics, I'm cool with being dependent on the magisterium, the Pope and my Archbishop for moral leadership.
How amazing that in this week of Christmas the Church gives us so many holy examples of dependence. We love the Holy Family. How wonderful that God designed His plan that even Jesus, as a baby and young boy, was dependent for his earthly needs. Mary and Joseph were there to fill them. And Mary and Joseph, despite being His parents, dependent on Jesus, as we are, for their eternal life. The story of the magi and Herod and his evil designs showed how dependent the Holy Family was on God's providence and each other. The example of St. Stephen allows us to see how the apostles were dependent on deacons to serve the needs of widows and the poor. And his holy martyrdom helps us to see that we need not be overly dependent on this life but keep our focus on life everlasting. And then we have St. John, the youngest apostle, who was dependent on Jesus for everything. And Jesus then trusts him to take care of Mary at the foot of the cross. Was Mary's earthly needs dependent on John's generosity and hospitality? Probably!
Whenever we are faced with losing the comfort and luxury of all those things we are dependent on can we race back to these beautiful Christmas examples of the Holy Family, St. Stephen and St. John to remind us to be dependent on God first, His holy church and each other. Independence is so overrated!
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