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The Most Welcome Words: “I Am Back”.
I was looking through my mother’s album, which contains photographs taken when she was growing up. I noticed a picture of her standing beside her sister and a boy whom I did not recognize. I asked my mother who the little guy was. She answered, “That is my brother.” I responded, “You have a brother? I didn’t know I had an uncle.” Apparently, sometime after high school, the brother had a pretty intense argument with his dad, severing the relationship with the family. After twenty years of silence, you would think he would say, “Well, I am a lot older now; I am better at life than when I was a teen. He is, after all, my dad. I should send him a card, give him a call, or take him to lunch.” So I told my mother, “I want to meet my uncle, maybe he will want to give me a Christmas present.” She said, “Oh no, Peter, you do not understand. I will never hear from my brother again.” At that moment, I realized that sometimes the hurt is so deep that the relationship cannot be fixed. The postman does not hurt you. The pharmacist never hurts your feelings or makes you feel sad. Rather, it is the people that are closest to you who can do so.
Why is that? We are very fragile, and we get hurt very easily. I belong to a running club–in which there are about two hundred of us. We all have Achilles heals, bony knees, and muscles in our legs that have nothing better to do than tear them when we work too hard. The first thing we do when we have an injury is talk to the coach. He gives us a list of things to do in order to heal quickly. Often I go to track and I see someone and inquire, “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in four months.” They respond, “I was injury, but I am back.” Those are the greatest words when you have been hurt: I am back. They are the words of someone who has healed.
I have a rare condition that some of us older guys get in their sixties. It is inflammation of all the joints and muscles. It does not sound like a big deal, and it is not fatal. But try to get out of bed in the morning or put on your coat–it is a big deal. My running was finished. But I went to a doctor and did everything she told me. Now, I am back. I am training and running marathons once again. The father heard those words “I am back” in the story of the prodigal son. They are the words my mother never got to hear from her brother.
The faith lesson in the Gospel is this–the most important thing you and I will ever do as a Christian is to heal. We get beat up. It is our job. We carry the cross daily. Christ said we would be persecuted and suffer. So, how do we heal? We listen to the Lord’s instructions. But, be warned that they will not always be easy to fulfill. You will hear things like, “Turn the other cheek, forgive your enemies, love your persecutors, give them your shirt if they take your coat.” These are the words that will heal us and bring those wonderful words to our lips: “I am back.”
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