Set The World On Its Ear

Yesterday marked the 50^th Anniversary of the death of Msgr. Anthony Brouwers, founder of Lay Mission-Helpers.  In his short life, Msgr. Brouwers accomplished so much.  In addition to founding LMH, he also founded Mission Doctors Association and started Mission Circles in nearly all of the parishes of the Archdiocese.  I, along with my co-workers and a few LMH Veterans, visited his grave at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles and had a small prayer service.

Standing at the graveside, looking at his headstone, I realized that I am the same age today as Msgr. Brouwers was when he died.  It caused me to reflect on what have I done to make a difference these past 51 years.  It was humbling.

These thoughts also resonated with something that has been on my mind since New Year’s Eve.  I attended a Kristin Chenoweth concert and she sang the song “I Was Here” by Diane Warren.  It was accompanied by images on a big screen of her (and others) charity work and other contributions and how we should make a difference.  A line repeated throughout the song is: 

I wanna do something that matters
Say something different
Something that sets the whole world on its ear

It is something to strive for, but can seem a bit intimidating.  However, the line following the one above is:

I wanna do something better
With the time I was given
I wanna try to touch a few hearts in this life

That is something we can all do – and what our LMH are doing.  They will improve the education and healthcare of others, implement social service programs, provide clean water in villages, and much more.  But what will have the longest lasting impact are the hearts they touch.  I hear this all of the time when I visit our mission sites.  We are not just humanitarians doing good work – we are sharing the love of Christ with our brothers and sisters around the world.

If we would all do that – share the love and compassion of Jesus with those we meet – in our homes, parishes, neighborhoods, workplaces, on the street – we will truly “set the whole world on its ear.”