Keep Things Simple

Deacon Anthony Cioè • Apr 11, 2022

K.I.S.S.

Reflection for the 17th Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A Deacon Anthony Cioe


When I was growing up my dad worked at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. He was a blue-collar worker, a machinist by trade, and as best as I can recall he worked mostly on LPH helicopter ships and aircraft carriers. One of the lessons that my dad always emphasized was to keep things simple. His actual words were, “Keep it simple son.” I learned later that his philosophy was forged from the design principle “KISS” which was articulated by the U.S. Navy in the 1960’s. The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key goal in design, and any

unnecessary complexity should be avoided.

That lesson of keeping it simple has had a lasting impact on me. In my work career, I often found people overthinking their actions and making things harder than they needed to be. As I trained or coached coworkers I stressed the need to keep it simple; state the facts; don't overcomplicate the message.

My wife thinks the same way as I do and together we’ve incorporated that philosophy in our marriage, and into the way we raised our children. These days we have the pleasure of spending lots of time with our grandson Erik who is 5-years old. We can play for hours and hours with simple things; building an office out of cardboard boxes, playing imaginary games, doing simple crafts. This simple form of play brings him, and us, great pleasure.

It occurs to me that Jesus is consistently urging us to do the same; to keep our lives, our needs, and our faith simple. The Gospel readings for this week and last week are filled with parables about what the kingdom of heaven is like. And it doesn't talk in lofty or difficult to understand terms. Jesus speaks to us in simple terms. He tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like a small mustard seed, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, it’s like yeast, like a small pearl, or like something one finds that is so valuable that they give up everything else once they found it. We do not need to overcomplicate our faith, or His love for us, or His expectation from us. When Jesus tells us that the greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor, He’s essentially telling us to Keep It Simple. To avoid being distracted by those things in the world that draw our attention away from Him.

It pleased Our Lord greatly when Solomon, who could have asked for anything, simply asks for an understanding heart. Let us in the same way please Our Lord by keeping simple our faith in Him and our love for others.

God bless you

Deacon Anthony Cioe

When Is A Weed a Weed?

By Deacon Anthony Cioè • 11 Apr, 2022
"...that nasty, “vile weed” was useful after all."

FROM OUR HANDS

By Deacon Frank Campisi • 11 Apr, 2022
(He) broke the loaves, and gave the m to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. Mt 14:19

Are You A Distracted Believer

By Deacon Anthony Cioè • 29 Mar, 2022
If you drive a car you have probably become an expert in identifying the telltale signs of distracted drivers: unexpected changes in speed, drifting outside of the lanes, not anticipating what's happening ahead. When drivers are on the phone or texting, they lose focus and begin risking their safety and the safety of others. Our Gospel today is not about distracted drivers, but it is about distracted believers! We are told that Peter and the disciples were in their boat one evening. The wind and waves began tossing their boat around and they became frightened. Suddenly, they saw a figure. At first, they did not recognize that it was Jesus walking toward them on the water; they thought it was a ghost, which frightened them even more. Peter was afraid but he felt strong. He told Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus did so, and Peter left the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But once he was out of the boat, he saw how strong the wind was, and he became frightened. He took his eyes off Jesus and his faith began to waiver. Beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord save me.” It was the wavering of his faith that caused Peter to begin to sink. But it was then that Jesus reached out his hand, caught Peter, and brought him back to safety. Jesus is here to help us negotiate the troubles of our lives. If we can keep our eyes on Him, we can handle whatever life throws our way... we can walk on water. But if we allow ourselves to focus on the storms in our life and become distracted by the events that scare us, it's then that we panic, and we grasp, and clutch, and begin to sink. If during those difficult times we can stretch out our hand to Him, we will find that His hand is already outstretched, ready and eager to pull us back to safety. Jesus is there for us, even in the midst of a storm. So, what are the things that distract us, what are the things that cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus? Is it money.... power.... addictions.... anger.... unfaithfulness.... unwillingness to forgive others.... unwillingness to forgive ourselves? You fill in the blank. When we are focused on Jesus, we can stretch out our hand knowing that his hand is already there to keep us from sinking into the raging waters. As strong as those forces are, remember that if we avoid distractions and listen closely, we will hear God speak to us, inspire us, and help us to make good decisions which will lead us to peace. God bless you. Deacon Anthony Cioe
Share by: