This is a true story. Years ago at a high school, everyone knew their place to sit during lunch. In the big cafeteria were the various tables of the math enthusiasts, those in band, the stoners. You get it.
Well one day, a special needs girl arrives at lunch late and she is not having the best day, so she gets her tray and doesn’t see any available open spots to sit. But there, way in the back, is an opening, so she sits down. But she didn’t quite understand the intricate laws of rank or power, for she was sitting at the table of the football players.
One of the football players makes a cutting remark and then shoves her plastic try to the floor. The girl sits quietly . . .all too familiar with the words and the sneering tone.
Once a man with special needs asked me, “What are people so mean?” I told him, as I am telling you, “I don’t know.” Back to the story at the lunchroom. Another football player at the table picks up the tray, brings it to the clean-up area, gets another tray filled with food and sets it before the startled girl. He sits back down, stares at the other guy. No one makes a sound.
I don’t know why people are so mean, but I do know that for every one bad act, often there are many good acts. I do know that Jesus in the gospel, speaks of comfort when we are not at our best . . . when we weep, when people hate us, when we are hungry or poor.
I do know that in this version of the Beatitudes from Luke, Jesus also says to those times when we are feeling that we’ve got “everything together”. . beware, look around, woe to you.
As you read from the insert of last week’s bulletin and from the Diocesan Magazine (with its new format of a magazine, which was formerly called the Visitor). This weekend, Bishop Kettler is challenging all of us to be part of the group that does good things. He is asking us to help the Diocese do good work.
Work like providing meals for hundreds of Senior citizens at Crystal Courts in Princeton. Work like meals at the Pine Cone Manor in Zimmerman. Work like providing reduced counseling services at St Andrew’s in Elk River. Work like Meals on Wheels in Princeton . . . and vocations, Mass on TV, education, faith formation and on and on.
There’s an envelope in your pews and a pencil. Please take them out now and pass them around. Bishop Kettler is asking all of us to make a pledge so that the Diocese can do its good work.
[Allow people time to fill out the envelope.]
The reason that I know about the story in the lunch room, is that years later, the guy who throw down the tray talked to a reporter from the New York Times. He told him about seeing what a hero is for the first time. For that guy who picked up the tray died years later, in one of the Towers on 9-11. He always did the right thing. Will you?