The following was previously posted on Facebook on 11/5/23:
A teaching from the Jedi Master:
In a time of war, overwhelmed with sorrow and exhaustion, one might feel compelled to sit at the feet of elders for guidance. If one of those elders is a renowned peacemaker who has worked in the Middle East, met with the people of Gaza, championed the Palestinian cause, and worked for peace all his life around the world, even better. So, if he’s free for an evening and has a known fondness for Italian food and pistachio gelato, you can apply for an audience over pasta.
Years ago, my cousin Yolanda and I once accompanied the Jedi Master on a rather crazy trip to Rome (another story to tell another time), so SheWolf Pastificio, which specializes in Roman cuisine, was a logical venue for our travelers’ reunion. In Rome, the bishop had given us a dizzying tour of the city, setting a relentless pace that had my cousin and I, fifty years his junior, panting for breath as he walked yards ahead of us. These days, the bishop is much slower and fragile, and quietly held our elbows as we helped him out of the car and up the stairs. He was bewildered by the chic sleekness of the décor, the fashionable crowd, and seemingly sudden appearance of a high-end Roman restaurant on Cass Corridor that did not square with his ninety-plus years of a battered, post-industrial Motor City. “Incredible,” he kept saying. “When was this built? Where did it come from? Amazing.”
When our focaccia and pâté appetizers arrived, Yolanda and I didn’t pick up our forks. Instead, we looked expectantly at him. “Ummm…shall we have grace?” I asked.
The Master paused for a moment. I expected some form of the prayer that had been drilled into us at Catholic school, the one that we mindlessly droned before meals, “blessusdearlordforthesethygiftswhichweareabouttoreceive...” But he thought for a moment and smiled.
“You know,” he began. “In the Bible there is a saying in one of the scriptures, ‘estote eucharisteo’. Do you know what that means? It means ‘be gratitude’. Some people translate it incorrectly as ‘give thanks’. That’s not it. It’s like my bishop’s motto, ‘Estote Factores Verbi’, which means ‘Be Doers of the Word’. The phrase ‘estote eucharisteo’ really means ‘BE gratitude.’ EMBODY gratitude. Let that be your very being, every part of you.”
He picked up his wine glass for a toast. “This, being with friends, experiencing love, it’s a blessing, it’s gratitude. Embody that.”
And he dug into his cannelloni.
I never ended up asking the Master about the Middle East that dinner. The little homily of grace was his teaching. Despite a world of anguish, hopelessness and relentless sorrow, there can still be room for love, life and thankfulness. Do what you can to make the world a better place, yes, no matter how small it seems. But have faith in that good work. Be gratitude itself and go in peace.
Let the Church say Amen.
