On April 15, 2013, twenty six thousand runners participated in the Boston Marathon. Two terrorist bombs exploded near the finish line and three persons were killed and 260 persons were injured.
Heather Abbott of Newport, RI was struck by shrapnel from the second of the two bombs and the shrapnel severely injured her left foot. During her recovery the doctors amputated her left leg below the knee. Just four months following the bombing, she was living independently, and she returned to her job as a Human Resources Manager. In addition, she gives motivational speeches and she is the founder of the Heather Abbott Foundation, which provides prosthetic devices to limb loss victims. She is sharing her story with audiences across the country and inspiring others with her contagious optimism and her upbeat attitude about what life has dealt her.
In her speeches she says, “Someone told me that misery is optional and I have decided that misery is not for me. I decided not to be miserable.” Her positive attitude has made it possible for Heather to recover and recover very well from the injuries that she received on that very dark day in the history of the Boston Marathon.
In today’s Gospel Jesus is calling us to be the light of the world. So how do we do that? I will name three ways in which people bring light into the world.
The first way is the practice of conveying a positive attitude to the people that we meet. That is what Heather Abbott continues to do. Having a positive attitude brings light into the world.
The second way is Compassion and I have a story to illustrate the virtue of compassion. Another true story. Back in the 1930s, Fiorello LaGuardia was the mayor of New York City. He enjoyed walking through the streets and visiting with the people. One day in January of 1935 he walked into a court house and went to the bench and told the judge that he would serve as the judge that day.
They brought forward a woman who had been charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She said that she was taking care of her two grandchildren and that they were starving. But the grocery store owner said that he would not drop the charges. He said, “Your honor, she has got to be punished to teach other people a lesson. We can’t let people get away with stealing.”
Mr. LaGuardia reluctantly said to the woman, “I have to fine you. The law makes no exceptions.” Then he reached into his billfold and took out the money to pay her fine. His next move caught everyone by surprise. He said, “Furthermore, I am going to fine every person in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a city where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, I hereby command you to collect the fines and give the money to the defendant.” Everyone, including the grocer and the bailiff, had to pay fifty cents. When the collection was complete the grandmother received $47.50 to feed her grandchildren. And everyone in that courtroom gave the mayor a standing ovation because they knew that he was right when he fined them for not providing bread for the children of their city.
And so it was that Mr. LaGuardia was compassionate when he paid the fine of the grandmother who could not pay. But he also challenged everyone else to be compassionate when he fined them for allowing hunger to exist in New York City.
Jesus did something quite similar during the days of his public ministry. He fed hungry crowds by multiplying the loaves and fishes. He provided bread for 5,000 people on one occasion and 4,000 people on another occasion. And then He challenged his followers to provide food for the hungry. He said, “On Judgment Day, I will give Eternal Life to those who feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. And on Judgment Day I will give Eternal Punishment to those who did not feed the hungry and shelter the homeless.”
Jesus said that these actions are more than just doing good deeds. Feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless are spiritual actions. Jesus said, “When you feed the hungry you are feeding me. When you shelter the homeless you are sheltering me. When you provide food for someone you are feeding God because I am God. When you provide shelter for someone you are sheltering God because I am God.
Feeding and sheltering people in need are spiritual actions because Jesus lives inside of each person. Saint Augustine put it this way, “When you do an act of charity you are worshipping God. Helping others is an act of worship.”
Thus, compassion is another way to let our light shine. We do lots of that around here. I know lots of people who volunteer for the local food shelves and Pop-Up Pantries and Ruby’s Pantry. If you want to volunteer, just ask me and I will get you connected.
Being humble is another way to let your light shine. Time for another story. In 1901 Doctor Karl Landsteiner of Austria discovered the different blood types: A, B, AB and O. That was a very important discovery because it made it possible to save people’s lives during the First World War by giving them blood transfusions.
He never told his family and friends about this great discovery. They did not find out until 30 years later when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Medicine. My point is this: If we take on the spirit of humility, we will be a light shining in a world that has a surplus of boasting.
I will close with a very quick summary: Jesus says, Let your light shine.” And I believe that we can do that if we have a positive attitude, the virtue of compassion and the virtue of humility.
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