Last Saturday, my grandpa called me and told me about how he picked up an old bird cage at a tag sale for $5.  He was very excited about this and began asking me about what kind of birds he should buy.  We talked about it.  He could get a parakeet or a canary that sings well or a cockatiel that whistles fun tunes!  There’s only one way to find out—we went to Petsmart.  My good old grandpa found these Society Finches!  Turns out they are the lowest price of them all!  My grandpa is a very generous and loving man, but he can’t resist a bargain!  So, in a matter of minutes, we were buying bird feed and all the other necessities needed for bird care.  In little time, we were driving home with a couple birds.

I share this story with you because what impressed me the most was the birds themselves.  After having taken them from their home and plopping them somewhere new, I thought they would be depressed or overwhelmed for a while.  Turns out that as soon as I let them into their new home, they were chirping and jumping around like nothing happened.

While we are human beings, “worth more than many sparrows,” stressors exist in our lives.  I remember back in psychology class we learned the top five stressors are death of a loved one, divorce or separation, moving, long-term illness and job loss.  Whatever we are experiencing in life, we need to let Jesus in to be with us through it all.  In the gospel this weekend, even in the midst of a violent squall, Jesus was asleep on the boat.  After calming the seas, Jesus asks “Do you not yet have faith?”  It is St. Paul who says that “whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”  Whatever situation we find ourselves in, know that Christ can calm it and make it new.  Like my grandpa’s birds, we need to quickly acclimate to our situation and, like the disciples, reach out to Jesus and let Him do what He does.  And like Bob Marley’s song “Three Little Birds,” we can begin to “not worry about a thing” because “every little thing is gonna be alright.”

May Jesus’ peace be with you,
Fr. Jeremy