Yesterday was a wonderful day! Sundays are often really good times at the seminary for free time and getting set for the upcoming week and ordering the chaos of the past week. The day starts off with our 9 am morning prayer and then 10 am Mass with the rector. Msgr. gave a great homily that worked in the importance of numbers both the number 7 in the readings and the numbers 9/11. He did an excellent job of touching the importance of the Sept. 11 in our culture and also breaking open the scripture in a way that wasn't all over the place but held the two themes balanced and united.
Mass is always followed by brunch which often has fancier or special dishes instead of the normal day to day fare of eggs, bacon etc. After brunch, the day is ours till night prayer at 9 pm! And it was such a beautiful day out after the week of rain I was able to get my run in!
It was great to be out in the sun! On the way back, I had a particularly uplifting encounter. I was running along Woodward between Chicago and Grand (which is kind of a rough area) when I saw this young man who was fairly seriously developmentally-challenged walking with his crutches (in Detroit this is not too uncommon of a sight because there are a great many mentally handicapped on the street, sadly). He had this HUGE smile on his face when he saw me in a great distance and started waving and kind of mimicking my run and then his smile doubled when I waved back and as I got close he held his hand up for a high five. He had such joy in that encounter that I couldn't help feeling uplifted from meeting him. His joy and meekness was such a stark contrast from his surroundings where you have to have a certain level of apprehension and there is a bit of fear in every interaction with a stranger. He reminded me of the anawim and our duty to them.
The anawim (or the poor lowly ones) have a special place in scripture and in our lives. Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven! They are dear to the Lord and are a gift to us all. In many ways, weakness and vulnerability is a gift because it challenges those who are stronger or more gifted, in some respects, to use their gifts for the benefit of the anawim. Their vulnerability demands our support, love and protection. That is why we were given the gifts that we have. In many ways, we are the anawim as well. We are called to embrace all of those areas in which we are weak and lowly. Pope Benedict reminds us that being poor is not just a social classification or condition but a spiritual choice. We are all called to be totally at the mercy of the one who made us. We are all called to be anawim.
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