June 2, 2019 - The Ascension of the Lord

"Perfect Moments"

Audio Clip

Is there anything we hold closer to our hearts than the welfare of our children? Is there anything which grabs our attention more completely than news which involves them? I bet nearly all of us, at one point or another, has experienced a moment when we've received news about our kids which has stopped us in our tracks, and maybe even, brought us to our knees. These are the moments, when all we can do is to place our children in the hands of God and hold our breath.

It was likely a similar feeling for the mother, Stacey, in this story, when her friend urgently notified her via Facebook of news she had to see which involved her son at his school.

So, Stacey hurriedly searched the internet expecting the worst, but all she found was a photo of a boy standing alone at a flagpole. At first, she couldn't understand what this had to do with her. Then she recognized the boy everyone was talking about. That was her son, Hayden, he was just fine, and he was praying as part of "See You At The Pole" Day. The event encourages students everywhere to gather at their school's flagpole to pray for their school, friends, families, churches and communities. Usually the event draws a crowd. But, on this day, only one young man turned up. Stacey's brave boy stood all alone, praying by himself.

In today's first reading, Jesus says to His disciples, "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." --- which, as we heard in the flag pole story, even includes Lake Minneola, Florida. The power which Jesus references is the giver of life. A life which is intended to be sacred --- but we all know how easy it is to fall to temptation. Perfect lives are almost impossible to live, but we are all capable of perfect moments.

If Hayden was a perfect young man, His mom would not have been surprised at his display of devotion to God that day. What surprised her, was that his display of devotion was uniquely perfect for that moment. St. Teresa of Avila says, "Do you know what is truly spiritual? It is for men to make themselves the slaves of God . . . to (strive) to be the least of all and the slave of others, watching how you can please and help them . . . ." When Hayden bowed his head and presented himself to Jesus in front of that flag pole --- he created a perfect moment of submission to Jesus and that flag pole was transformed to the cross of Christ.

Once Stacey realized that it was Hayden in the photo, she immediately texted her son, and told him how proud she was of him. But, what he revealed to her was even more incredible. Hayden originally thought he'd just pray until someone else came along. But when no one did, he asked God to use Him. His mom said, "He told me with sheer amazement in his voice that as he stood alone and prayed the cry of his heart had been, 'God, as people drive by, let them wonder, let their hearts be moved (pricked).' "

In today's second reading, St. Paul teaches, "let us approach (God) with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water." In prayer, this is what Hayden did that day, in a perfect moment of selfless love and courage, He asked Jesus to send the power of His Holy Spirit to everyone who saw him. In a sense, it was another ascension, with Hayden being raised to the Lord and asking the Holy Spirit to come down from heaven to anoint His new disciples.

If we ever wonder whether any of us can make a spiritual impact on others, consider this. In the weeks following Hayden's prayer, comments on social media poured in, praising him and his parents for the good values which he displayed that day. Even people who professed no faith, commended Hayden for standing up for his. His mother Stacy shares, "There are people that don't understand why we pray. They see it as wasted effort. But Hayden proved just how powerful prayer is! --- Wherever it is in your life you stand alone . . . God sees, He knows, and He can do big things."

Let us pray --- Lord Jesus, thank you for using Hayden as an instrument of your love and a visible sign of your holy spirit which is always among us. May we remember his witness and may we receive the courage to live perfect moments of love for you and for our brothers and sisters. And, each day, may we increase the frequency of these moments of perfection to become more like you.

We ask this through Jesus our Lord. Amen.