YOU ARE ONE OF A KIND, A reflection for October 11 2009

You Are One Of A Kind

A Reflection for October 11, 2009

by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/Franciscans of Divine Mercy

Reformed Catholic Church New England

www.missionstsergius.org



When I was preaching a sermon on a recent Sunday one of the members of the Faith Community said to me, “You Are One of a kind” to which I replied “Is that a good thing or a bad thing”, they replied; “Very Good”.

Later I began to ponder on this exchange during the middle of my sermon which was on God’s infinite love for ALL His children. The more I pondered it the more I came to realize that indeed it is a wonderful thing that God has created each of us different.

We have unique genes which separates us from each other and from all the other members of our family. Our children are different from us in some unique way and not exactly a clone of us.

That is the wonder of God’s creation. No two things are exactly alike and for that reason we need to acknowledge and rejoice in that difference. This past week I attended a Spiritual Directors Workshop which centered on the universality of God. It asked us to find God in all things in the universe.

When we recognize the uniqueness of nature and the universe and the order of it all we can not but see the power of God.

In the first reading for this Sunday from Wisdom 7:7-11 we read the following; "I prayed, and understanding was given me; I entreated, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me. I esteemed her more than scepters and thrones; compared with her, I held riches as nothing. I reckoned no priceless stone to be her peer, for compared with her, all gold is a pinch of sand, and beside her silver ranks as mud. I loved her more than health or beauty, preferred her to the light, since her radiance never sleeps. In her company all good things came to me, at her hands riches not to be numbered."

The first Reading from Hebrews 4:12-13 says; "The word of God is something alive and active. "

God is alive and in every thing that exists, all things are brought into existence by and through God and all are different.

Just imagine how dull and uninteresting this world would be if every person looked and acted exactly like the other, if every flower was the exactly the same, smelled and looked and the same color. Every day was exactly like the day before. Think about the film GROUNDHOG DAY were Phil (Bill Murray) keeps repeating the same thing day after day.

God, in His wisdom knows how bored we humans can get when our lives become dull.

He also knew that without diversity we would not have developed and grown as we have but would have remained the same as the day Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden of Eden for succumbing to the temptations of Satan.

If every person were a genius in the same field we would not have the scientific advancements we have achieved. Our world would have remained as it was 13.7 Billion years ago when God brought it into being.

God gave every person uniqueness and special gifts, as we are reminded in Romans 12:4-11 “For, as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same office; thus we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and each one members one with the other. But having different gifts, according to the grace which has been given to you” and again in First Corinthians 12 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things.... and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.”

God, who is perfection, created people different for reasons only He knows. God had a purpose for all things that he created and continues to create as this universe expands.

We need to respect not only every human person but all of God’s creation for we are all united together with each other and all that is a part of the universe. God is found in all things, even those we consider bad, if we look for God in all things.

We have no right to question God, who is perfection, but we need to be grateful that God did create us with diversity and difference. We need to glorify god for the differences He has created and not exclude anyone because they do not conform to our idea of what people should be.

We need to use God’s gifts to lift up those who are disheartened and always remember the words found in Matthew 7:10-12; “If you, then, though you are Imperfect, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”(Matthew 7:10-12) AMEN