Second grade class comes back from summer school vacation, the teacher says to the second graders, “How was summer school or vacation?”

Kid said, “Oh it was great.”

Teacher said, “Where’d you guys go for summer vacation?”

Little Johnny says, “I spent two weeks with Grandma in Saskatchewan.”

Teacher says, “Johnny, that’s a marvelous vocabulary word. Spell Saskatchewan.”

Johnny says, “Come to think of it, she lives in Green Bay.”

Sometimes we say one thing and we mean something else. St. Paul is very clear to the Corinthians. There are many gifts for the same spirit. There are many different ministries, but the same Lord. Do we see ourselves as unique gifts loved by God? Do we only want life on my terms and my way, forgetting about the Lord and others?

Rabbi Harold Kushner some years ago wrote a book entitled, When All You Ever Wanted Wasn’t Enough. In his book he says, “Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. These rewards create almost as many problems as they solve. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives do matter. That the world will at least be a little bit different for having passed through it.”

The disciples in today’s readings are really all of us. At times we are afraid, fearful, and sad. But, the Lord comes to the disciples as he comes to us and says, “Peace be with you.” The Lord knows well our weaknesses and our failures. That’s why the Lord comes to us because he loves us and says, “Peace be with you.”

St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”