What good did you do, today?
  A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

This is a question we should ask ourselves frequently. The day is not just about getting up, saying a few prayers, heading for work, school, shopping, or staying home. There is more to it. Life would be dull if the day would be just that, and nothing else. For many people when you ask them "what's new?" the answer could be "Oh nothing." Not surprising these days.

Many a day, especially since I am retired, I spend much of the day in front of the television: EWTN for Holy Mass, Rosary, etc., in the morning, and a movie in the afternoon perhaps. Those days are generally unproductive, lazy, unmotivated, and sort of drab. But if you get up in the morning, with the intent of doing some good, you have got half a chance that at the end of the day you will feel you have accomplished something.

Despite retirement, and your great desire for an uncluttered and undisciplined lifestyle (which is yet to happen for me), it is necessary to at least jot down a few items you want to tackle on any given day. Maybe the day began with Morning Prayer? If you are a Franciscan or a member of clergy, you will have used the Liturgy of the Hours. And, Secular Franciscans, have that option as well. The Liturgy of the Hours gives some structure to a day, a bit of a schedule, if you will. That is how monks’ sort of keep schedule - by the "hours" of this Liturgy, except that we OFS-types often just pray Morning and Evening Prayer from that Liturgy, and monks, priests, religious sisters, and other consecrated persons will pray the whole thing, even the smaller "hours."

A good day will, if possible, begin with Holy Mass, and certainly Holy Communion. And if that is not possible, perhaps you spent 45 minutes before the Blessed Sacrament in an Adoration Chapel attached to one of the local parishes. That is good time spent. But during the pandemic where we stay home a lot, even that type of Adoration is not feasible. When I am at home, watching adoration on EWTN, I tend to doze off sometimes, but I was at peace because I was in the right place. Jesus allows us to doze off from time to time because it is the intention that counts. If we come to adore Him through simple adoration and we fall asleep, that is alright. I did not seek to fall asleep; it just happens.

And in the stillness of such a visit, did we listen for the voice of God? That quiet but firm voice speaking to us as a friend, a confidant, an advisor, a brother, and one who loves us completely. One we should trust completely, too. Someone who makes the effort to go to Holy Mass or visit the Blessed Sacrament (provided the opportunity is available) is not a complacent person but someone who goes the extra mile.

We do Christ's work anytime when, for the love of Him, we do something to ease our neighbor's burden, and I believe that also includes praying for them for various intentions. Human beings are social persons, and as such we make conversation with the people around us. Once I had to go make a monthly payment and I was talking to an acquaintance and another guy he was dealing with, and we got to talk about the Catholic church - they know I am a devoted Catholic so that is a topic of conversation that comes up. One of them admitted he was raised Catholic at home, had Catholic schooling through high school perhaps, and they speak of Christian brothers, and "the nuns." Teachers who were nuns, despite their good intentions, are often criticized for harsh treatment, treatment that was common years ago, little punishments to get "Johnny" to read properly and keep his mouth shut in class when it was not his turn to speak. Remember that?

About 22 years ago, I attended a lecture on St. Bonaventure's "Tree of Life" (very interesting), and with me were a couple of guys who were interested in joining a religious order. Anyway, one of them looked at this nun who was leading the presentation, as this was held in a Motherhouse of a Franciscan order of nuns, in Indiana, and remarked that this nun looked familiar. Turns out it was his grade school teacher. So we got to talking about our grade school experiences with the nuns and some of the stories were rather interesting. Suffice it to say, that the nun in question remembered the boy who sat in her grade school class about 20-odd years before, and even which seat he sat in. So you never know who you are going to run into.

In any case, as social creatures, we talk a lot and occasionally say significant things! Very occasionally. I think less than 5% I hear during any given day is significant in any way, but when the Lord speaks to me, I am all ears. And when I get an opportunity to make a remark to guide another person to be closer to God, I often take that opportunity. Or at least I try to reinforce a position that brings people closer to God. And so, in that morning's conversation one of the people was talking about no longer going to church but he said he still prayed before going to bed. I told him that was a good thing to keep up. Criticizing someone for being lax in his Faith-practice is completely pointless most of the time. I have been taught to “meet them where they are at” and take it from there.

We do have the opportunity, daily, for many small deeds of mercy, be it from a smile and a "thank you" to a salesperson in a store, to allowing someone trying to turn into the avenue, which is clogged with cars, in front of you, knowing that if you don't provide that opportunity, he or she may sit there waiting for quite a long time. That is practicing charity. I feel great when someone does that for me.

So apart from prayer and the abstention from sin, what good did we do today? Yes, we should try to abstain from sin. This is not easy but it can be done if we love God!

Some interest outside the home is desirable. I used to go to lunch outside of the house almost daily when I was still working. That was my way of seeing other people. Then also, some people keep active by volunteering their time to charities and other organizations around. If these organizations are ones that help other people, your time given would be a great gift to them. Many people join church organizations, just to get something moving in our lives. We need to get loose from our "self" and invigorate mind and soul by doing something for others.

What did you do today that was good? Even better, did you do something that was great?

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
June 1, 2009 rev. 2020

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