That Famous Quote by Schindler & the Words of Jesus that Haunt Me

Oskar Schindler’s quote in the 1993 film Schindler’s List haunts me.

I didn’t do enough.

It haunts me, like the story of the rich man who wanted to know what he must do to be saved, and Jesus put it simply. Sell what you have and give it to the poor.

It haunts me, like the words of Jesus when He said, depart from me for I did not know you.

It haunts me, because I am an American. Comfortably middle class, though not always so. I have plenty. A custom house on four acres. Two vehicles that are over five years old, but paid for. A Dooney & Bourke purse my husband gave me one Christmas. A laptop – my third, or is it my fourth? I have a really warm Eddie Bauer winter coat. It would keep me warm anywhere, except the Arctic Circle. I have clothes in three sizes – just because I have the luxury of eating too much, and I do it far too often. I have a pair of J.Jill boots that I love – with these neat buckles that run up the back of the leg. I have books – so many books – and I can order more any time I want. A Kindle and an Amazon membership make it crazy-easy to keep a constant flow of books coming into my life.

Then, there is a tragedy like the one in the Philippines. Our Archbishop and priest ask us to be generous. I’m not even sure what that would look like. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t mean I should drop a five in the offering plate.

Not when I have been given so much. Not when I am fully capable of giving more. Yes, it haunts me.

At the end of this life, I wonder if I will be mumbling Schindler’s line. I didn’t do enough.

I wonder even more what the Lord will say.

Here’s the thing. What He says is not set in stone – yet. Today is the day for me to go and reach into my treasure chest – which is really His anyway – and pull up a gift worthy of a King.

It is about the people in the Philippines.

But it is also about Jesus Christ.

It haunts me, because I do not want to hear Him say, depart from me.

I long to hear Him say the words that are full of life and love. What you did, you did for me. Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest.

Yes. That is what I long to hear.

And today is the day of decision.

That Famous Quote by Schindler & the Words of Jesus that Haunt Me

The Next Chapter. . .

As wonderful as it was to have my husband enter the Church (after thinking it would never happen), I found myself wondering, "What next?" I realized that most of the writing came out of the disequilibrium that ensues when only one converts. Until his conversion, I had transferred that frustration into writing about the Faith and explaining how I went from "there" to "here." Now that my husband was Catholic, I didn't have anything to write. There was a kind of "done-ness" that followed his conversion. The peace and unity in the home sort of eradicated the energy that had generated so many articles.

I decided to spend some time reading what the writing-saints had to say about the writing life. I’ve discovered an interesting thing about them. For the most part, saints like St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of Liseux didn’t really want to write. Their superiors told them to do it, and so they did it. For them, writing was never about putting themselves in print. It was only about obedience and fidelity to what God wanted them to do.

So I asked myself, what am I supposed to be doing as an act of obedience and fidelity to God?

I’m realizing there is a definite advantage to the team approach now that my husband is also Catholic. Together, we have come to the humbling conclusion that we have much to learn from the faithful Catholics we know and the sermons Our Lord preached. Most Catholics do not sit at the computer and write articles. They are out there. Feeding the poor. Speaking for the voiceless. Clothing the needy. They are about the business of spreading the Gospel message by what they do, not by what they write. Their lives are the Gospel message.

Through Catholic Charities. St. Vincent de Paul Centers. Catholic Relief Services. Quilting circles. Priests for Life. Centers for young mothers, for the homeless, and for the under-served in our communities. The have-gots sharing with the have-nots. The Catholic faithful ministering to those labeled by society as a fetus or an illegal alien or a welfare case. All those places where religion is made real by action. Where contemplation is rooted in charity and charitable work is the fruit. What comes next? I'm still not sure, but I think it may be saying yes to whatever comes - and whatever remains.

The Next Chapter. . .

Unity in the Witness to the World

The image I have in my head of the funeral Mass for Pope John Paul II epitomizes the degree to which the Catholic Church has touched the World for Christ. Representatives from many faiths and cultures were there to honor the beautiful witness of this man. They recognized in him the lovely expression of what the Church is meant to be.

John Paul II had answered the call that was first given to Peter. If you love me, feed my sheep. Care for the hungry, naked, sick, imprisoned, oppressed, and broken-hearted. And that is what the Church has done throughout history. In every country and in every culture, the Church has become a witness to the faith by becoming the hands and feet of Our Lord.

Wherever there is suffering, the Church is there. Wherever there is injustice, the Church is there. Wherever there is poverty, the Church is there.

While it is true that other Christian communities have faithfully answered this call, none have done it so thoroughly as the Catholic Church. None so diligently. None so comprehensively. And certainly, none other can boast of a tradition of service that spans more than two millennia.

In 2003, U.S. Catholic Charities provided food to nearly four and a half million people across the nation. They provided other basic living needs for 1.1 million people and disaster relief to over thirty thousand people. Catholic Relief Services takes the Lord’s hands and feet to 99 countries worldwide, to feed the poor, to provide emergency response in areas devastated by natural and man-made disasters, and to care for the sick.

It doesn’t end there. In fact, the scope of Catholic outreach is so comprehensive, we would have to study every religious order and lay apostolate in order to understand the depth and breadth of Catholic love. I wouldn’t know where to begin to cover it all. There are thousands of Catholics involved in hundreds of religious orders and lay apostolates. I suppose, only Our Lord knows the degree to which the Catholic Church ministers to the people of the world.

If you love me, feed my sheep. And the Catholic Church answers, yes Lord, send us. When Jesus says, go ye therefore into all nations, she goes. When Jesus says, feed my sheep, she feeds them. When Jesus says, you must be the servant of all, she becomes a servant to all. When Jesus says, no greater love has any man than to lay his life down, she lays down her life, again and again.

She is a witness to the world – and has been for more than two thousand years.

Unity in the Witness to the World