A few years ago, I recall seeing a neighbor rebuilding his garage.
He’d knocked down the old one and started a new one.
And I noticed how hard he worked to get the frame just right.
Or else it wouldn’t stay standing.
The first commandment our Lord mentions: put God first.
That’s the frame. It keeps the rest of our life upright.
It helps us stand firm when the winds of pressure or desire blow hard.
We’ve all been in situations where someone said,
we have to compromise.
Our politicians make that excuse
for cutting corners with the Constitution or with the moral law.
In our personal life, we make compromises.
As a priest, I am frequently tempted to put the work I do first,
and I’ll pray later.
If a priest can be tempted to do that, how about you?
The second commandment gives us purpose. What are we for?
You and I are here to make a difference in others’ lives.
As each year goes by, I learn a little better
just how self-centered I can be.
Think of a baby. He points to his mouth and says, “feed me!”
She points to her diaper and says, “change me!”
I’m always amused to see how kids think mom is a coatrack.
Somewhere along the line you and I recognize that
God didn’t give us our talents, our time, and treasure, just for us.
We discover the satisfaction of helping others is like nothing else.
Look: we can get cynical and negative.
The politics right now don’t help.
But here’s a choice you have, whatever else is going on.
You can choose to marinate in all that fretting and fighting.
Or, you can choose to add some joy to another person’s life.
It is as simple as opening a door,
or letting someone else out of the parking lot first.
If you’re online getting burned up about…all that stuff,
Then put down the phone! Do something else.
Don’t worry: those people online will argue just fine without you!
A funny thing happens when you start
making little, extra efforts at kindness and calm.
It spreads to other people.
And in time, it turns into a habit of helping.
It becomes who we are.
And when you look back on the day,
the griping and the sourness doesn’t matter as much.
Let me say a couple of things about the election.
Be sure to cast your vote, if you haven’t already.
And I encourage you to keep these commandments,
both of them, in mind when you do.
When we have the results, a lot of people are going to be unhappy;
and truth to tell, some of the others are going to think,
“Good, they should be unhappy!”
Maybe each of us can resolve –
Now, before you and I know the results – to be gracious?
And no matter who wins, the frame and the purpose remain unchanged.
God is God; not the government, and not whoever is elected.
And the day after the election,
there will still be people needing a helping hand.
