Carrying the Weight of the World

Some of my days are absolutely care-free! My little corner of the world is a happy place on those days: my family is in a good place, my health is good, my bills are paid, I feel love coming from every direction and I sing: “And, I think to myself, ‘What a Wonderful World!” Oh, but then, some of my days are weighty: weighty from carrying the burdens of my friends and family; weighty from hearing such negativity and pain in my world; weighty from my own cares and concerns.

In front of the Rockefeller Center in New York, is this two ton, 45 feet tall bronze statue of the ancient Greek God, Atlas. Greek mythology explains that Atlas is carrying the world upon his shoulders, not as a testament to his strength and courage, but as a punishment for defying Zeus. Atlas has exaggerated muscles -- like many men I see these days in their muscle shirts to show off their muscle-bound bodies. Though their exteriors look like they have it all together, no doubt inside is a man that is struggling with the heavy loads of life he is carrying.

I heard the story of a New York executive who was telling his friend about all the pressures he was under with his job, his family and his health. The two men walked to this large statue of Atlas, straining and struggling to carry the world on his shoulders. Then the friend took the executive across the street into St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He walked him to the back of the high altar, and there they found a statue of Jesus as a young boy effortlessly and easily holding the world in His hand, unlike Atlas with his strain or struggle. Jesus is radiating complete peace. And then it dawned on the executive; he had a choice – to continue to carry the world on his shoulders and struggle like Atlas, or let go and give control of the world, including his world to God and know the same peace like Jesus.

Another depiction of Jesus in St. Patrick’s is this Station of the Cross where Jesus is carrying His cross – taking upon Himself the burdens and sins of others and proving that not only does He carry the world, but He died for the world proving Himself to be our life giver, our burden bearer and our world carrier.

No one will get out of this world without carrying some really heavy loads. Atlas will never get out from under that world; the Man Who carried the Cross not only got out from under it, it led to His resurrection and a crown in life and life eternal. He offers that to us today. We can continue to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders or we can allow Him to carry our crosses, our weights and break free so we can, instead of carrying our world, revolutionize and remake our world.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Reach Out and Touch Someone

We all know the power of a caring touch. Our mother's touch that could calm the worst fears, the teacher that dried our tears, the nurse who treated us, the hand holding ours at a funeral, the hand of our sweetheart caressing ours, the kind man helping us out of our car, or just a simple friendly handshake from a friend. That "touch" made us feel "Everything's gonna' be alright!"

Shouldn't we be reaching out and touching others also? Many of us do. We use our hands to pray for the sick, or to reach out with a congratulatory high-5 or fist-bump, or to shake someone's hand saying "Peace be with you", or to hug someone so tightly that they know they are loved.

In the 90s, I remember when my nephew, Mark David Lawrence, a Skilled Nursing Facility Administrator, opened an 8-bed AIDS unit in his facility. That was still at a time when healthcare workers and the general public were uneducated about the disease, and the rumors ran rampant as to how AIDS was spread. Mark and his medical team spent hours teaching and training. They opened the unit and were full within a few weeks. One day, during his daily rounds, he learned a valuable lesson about the power of a simple touch of his hand. He shook the hand of a new patient and held it for a moment. Tears welled up in the patient's eyes and he uttered the words, "You are touching me, and you're not wearing gloves." Out of all the classes and seminars he attended, the most valuable lesson Mark learned in caring for people, was simply the touch of his hand on someone who was hurting.

We had a large statue of Jesus in our back yard and when we purchased it, the hands were missing on it. Obviously, we got it at a very good price. Someone saw the statute and said, "You know why Jesus has no hands? Because WE ARE His hands on this earth!" That made sense to me, especially when I read St. Teresa of Avila's words.

“Christ has no body now but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good.
Yours are the hands through which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
~ St. Teresa of Ávila

May we reach out to someone today and show them God's love by our touch.