“Nuggets” of Wisdom from Father Brady
OLW Family,
I’m not sure if you had the opportunity to attend the 9am Mass on Thanksgiving last week. If you missed it, you missed a wonderful reflection by Father Brady. It contained nuggets of wisdom that only Father Brady can provide—nuggets that I hope to recreate for you in this article now.
If you recall, Thanksgiving’s Gospel was from Luke and it involved Jesus’ healing of the ten lepers, where only one—a Samaritan—came back to thank Jesus. Father Brady took some liberties in his reflection, but such approach is always welcomed anytime Father speaks. Father’s reflection focused on two themes—one, forgiveness, and two, our common nature as beloved sons and daughters of God. The first theme, forgiveness, is also something universal, as each of us has some room to improve on our forgiving others.
But it was the second theme that really hit home for me and I’m sure for all those in the assembly. Father Brady emphasized that we need to remember and be thankful for our shared nature as sons and daughters of God. Father indicated that someway, somehow we are all sons and daughters of God. How do we know this? Father provided an illustration that will be with me for the rest of my life.
In Jesus’ teaching about prayer (Matthew 6:9-15), Jesus tells us to pray “Our Father…” He doesn’t say “my Father” or “your Father,” but “Our Father.” In this sense, our heavenly Father truly is a Father to all of us. He does not belong to anyone solely or any more to one of us than the other. And, if He is our Father, well, that makes each and every one of us His sons and daughters. This is how we come to understand our shared nature as sons and daughters of God!
The implications are numerous. Everyone we have met or ever will meet is a unique son and daughter of God—our brother and sister. They are not a stranger. They are not unloved. They are not unvalued. No! Everyone we meet or will meet is part of our “family”—and we are called to treat them accordingly.
To me, this is a message that I need constant reminding of. And, guess what? We have such a reminder each time we pray the Our Father. God the Father is truly our Father. And, we truly are beloved sons and daughters of God. What a wonderful, powerful, and lasting message. Thank you, Father Brady for reminder and tie-in! Let’s try our best not to forget it.
Blessings,
Deacon Paul
Watch Father Brady’s Thanksgiving Homily below.
Tags: #fatherdanbrady, #fatherdanielbrady, #homily, #olw, #olwparish, #ourladyofthewayside, #reflection, #thanksgiving
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