Not long ago, the Gospel for Sunday (Mark 9:30-37) recalled an experience of Jesus with His disciples in which He caught them arguing about who was the greatest among them.  Jesus, of course, would have none of it, as he placed a child in their midst and invited them t become like little children.  Jesus wanted the disciples of His time and of all times, to humbly work together to accomplish God's work and other work that must be done.  He sent out His disciples two-by-two to do His work and to always work together.  There was, and is, no room for envy, jealousy and superiority in those who follow Jesus.

How sad it is when we witness people who should be working together as colleagues, but instead view others they work with as enemies.  The Congress of the United States is a good example of where this is clerly going on.  The upcoming election, once again, gives Americans the opportunity to select peole who represent themselves with a Christ-like demeanor.

With so much "heavy" stuff to talk about with regard to the sexual abuse crises in the church, I thought I would spend this column sharing with you my wonderful experiences that happen regularly on Sunday afternoon and evening.  It is during that time that I visit some of our shut-ins and people in the hospital (if we have parishioners there).  This ministry to the sick, aged and handicapped brings many blessings (especially the Eucharist and sometimes Anointing of the Sick) to them and to me as well.

After visiting our parishioners in the Village, I go into Hot Springs to see people there (and, at some point, to visit my mother who often has a delicious supper ready for me).  I regularly go to see people at Brookfield Assisted Living and at a group home a dear lady, Terry Ann, who is not all that old but is challenged both physically and intellectually.  At Brookfield I see four ladies most often together in the dining hall around their suppertime.  We chit chat and say things that make us all laugh, whether it be about them, the food there (which they often say is not so good) or the weather.  We always end our time with prayer, reception of Communion and a blessing.  I then go to the "group home" I mentioned where Terry Ann always greets me happily and has said to me on more than a few occasions that I'm her "best friend" or her "favorite priest."  This past week after greeting me, she broke out singing the "Happy Birthday" song to me from start to finish.  Our conversations don't get too far before she asks how my mother is doing (every week) and no visit is complete without talking about her favorite team, the Arkansas Razorbacks.  I thank God for these dear people in my life and ministry and for the opportunity to encounter them personally every week.  We truly light up each other's lives with the love and peace of the Lord dwelling in and among us.  Such experiences give me the grace I need to minister to all of God's people in good times and in challenging times as well.

Understandably, though we have many Masses of Resurrection here at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, we don't always have many people participating in these liturgies for our deceased members.  When someone dies who has been active in our faith community, I rightly assume we will have many people present at the Mass for the person, and most of them will be familiar to me. There are other instances however, in which a parishioner of Sacred Heart has been faithful in coming to Mass, but not active in ministries and activities here.  In some cases, these people have been active in the commuity, and that often means people I don't know join us out of love and respect for the person who has died.  Such was the case this last Tuesday with the Mass of Resurrection for Bob Grinnell.  He and his wife Barbara were married for 34 years and had no children.  His life, however, showed that he had a love of God's children and a desire to help them. Bob was VERY active in Kiwanis for over 50 years, both here in the Village and elsewhere.  He had a passion for Kiwanis because of its efforts to help children in a number of ways, including college scholarships for high school seniors of which I was a grateful recipient many years ago.  He also belonged to an organization called "Trees for Tomorrow" which sponsors a nature camp for children and young people.  He started and contributed to an endowment so children could come to this camp and learn about God's creation, and used his time and skills to build a bath facility that connected two dorms at the camp.

With all the recent news about the terrible abuse of children at the hands of clergy and others, it is refreshing to tell you about a kind, gentle, and generous man who sought in the ways I mentioned, and I'm sure others, to enhance the life of children and young people - most, if not all, of whom he never met.  I can't help but hope that these children (many of whom are now adults) have, at some point, given thanks to God for people like Bob Grinnell and organizations like Kiwanis and "Trees for Tomorrow" that care about and for them; and, that work to enhance their lives in some very meaningful ways.

Eternal rest grant unto Bob, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him!