Shoulders Back

Learning how to watch for God’s grace entering our lives

08/10/2025

Luke 12:35-40 Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have the servants recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

A few weeks ago I was walking into Mercy Hospital to visit a patient in the new wing of the hospital. The new building has a beautiful entry with large plate glass at an angle to the sidewalk. As I walked up to the building along the sidewalk, I noticed the reflection of a man ahead of me with hunched shoulders. I thought to myself, “Wow, that poor guy has really bad posture.” As I turned to enter the building and saw my reflection in the door, I was shocked because that man was me!

I recall my mom telling me many years ago while in seminary, “Son, straighten your back when you walk.” Of course, I ignored her like all stubborn sons do. And then, last week on the radio the commentator said: “Walking with shoulders back makes you look taller and skinnier.” So mom was right. That is, often God has to sneak into our lives through the backdoor not only to straighten up our shoulders but also to straighten up our lives.

In the gospel today Jesus uses a very surprising metaphor to describe how he will enter our lives, namely, as a thief in the night. Ostensibly, Jesus is talking about the end of time, the Parousia, when our Lord will return in glory riding on the clouds flanked by an army of angels. But long before he comes in glory, Jesus also says he will return like a thief in the night. In other words, Jesus will not only invade our lives at the end of time, but he does that all the time, even while entering Mercy Hospital, where I found mercy waiting both outside and inside.

C. S. Lewis explained why Jesus has to use this sneak-attack approach to enter our lives, saying: “Enemy-occupied territory – that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful King has landed – you might say landed in disguise as one of us – and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” The only slight correction I would make is that the enemy-occupied territory is really our hearts. Why? Because our hearts are the hardest land for Christ tot conquer.

Let me share a few other ways our Lord constantly invades our hearts like a thief in the night. We will have around 35 people entering the OCIA this fall. OCIA are classes for those wanting to become Catholic. Each person’s faith story is unique, but the common thread is how Jesus has invaded their hearts, often disguised and in ways they did not expect. Jesus has not only stolen into their hearts, he has stolen their hearts. And now they hunger and thirst for the only true Food that satisfies, namely, the Eucharist, Jesus’ Sacred Heart. He steals our hearts, and then offers us his Heart in exchange. We definitely get the better end of that deal.

Another surprising and surreptitious way Jesus invades our hearts like a thief is through our family. But our ears are closed to the wisdom Jesus teaches us through their mouths, like my mom told me to straighten my shoulders. Mark Twain put it humorously, saying: “When I was 17 years old, I couldn’t believe how stupid my father was. But the time I turned 22, I was amazed how much he had learned in 4 years!” Of course, it was the young Twain who learned so much and matured. In other words, Jesus subtly stole into his heart and gave him his own Sacred Heart in exchange.

A third way Jesus sneaks into our lives that we usually fail to notice is through the sacraments and the Scriptures. A couple of weeks ago I played tennis with Adam Nash, a junior at Northside. He beat me because he did not know you’re always supposed to let the priest win. But between games he asked me: “Why do so many Catholic youth go to non-denominational churches instead of come to Mass?” I said sarcastically: “Maybe it’s the cupholders in the pews for chai lattes?” But then I asked him why he thought that was the case.

He replied thoughtfully: “Well, the teens are very active and engaged in community service projects and even mission trips. They loved to do things with their hands and work together.” Adam was exactly right: we Catholics could take a page from the Protestant playbook on youth ministry. Nonetheless, we should not forget how Jesus still sneaks into our lives through the sacraments and Scriptures.

My friends, Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Matthew, Mark, and Luke may not sound super-fun or have much sex-appeal, but those are the means our Lord has used for 2,000 years to invade our hearts and transform sinners into saints. And those two tried and tested tools will be what he invariably uses until he returns in glory.

Today ask yourself: what ways is Jesus trying to sneak into my heart, in order to steal my heart and substitute his Sacred Heart for mine? Are there lessons my parents or siblings tried to teach me that was really Jesus talking through them? Could Jesus want to touch and transform my heart with a little splash of water, a smudge of oil, a bit of bread and a sip of wine? And next time you walk into Mercy Hospital, look at your reflection in the tall glass. Apparently, if you pull your shoulders back, you’ll look taller and skinnier.

Praised be Jesus Christ!