Good vs. Evil-Goodness at Yankee Stadium

My sons and my husband think I watch too much CNN and read too much news. I do like current events, it's one of my hobbies. I love to read and I also like keeping up with what's going on in my community, NYC and the world. My reading served me well this morning as I parked my car in the parking lot of Church. I like to arrive early and as I was walking into Church, a woman ran up to me, out of breath and she began telling a story, which sounded familiar to me. I had read about this woman a few weeks ago, in a community newspaper. "Did I live around here? She needed help. Did I know where a certain place was?" Well, I had read about her and here she was, in the parking lot of my Church, on a Sunday morning, trying to scam me. What was amazing was that her story was exactly what I had read she told others. She stuck to the script perfectly, so I was ready for her, prepared to give her a good stare down. In the past, other people trying to be helpful have given this same woman money, so that she can take a cab to a hospital, for an emergency that she claims has arisen suddenly in her life. In reality it doesn't exist. According to the article I read, the cops are looking for her. I guess the story works, which is why she keeps using it. So sad. I looked at her sadly but sternly and said, "I'm going into Church." I can't imagine what motivates people to lie and try to steal on Church property or any property for that matter.

In Church as I was listening to the gospel being proclaimed, I thought about this woman, who perhaps had heard that gospel at some point in her life. I thought of the words, "The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart." The good news of Jesus Christ, the gospel filled with truth and wisdom did not take root in her lost soul, it seems like the evil one stole it away. Far from the path of righteousness and truth she entered a parking lot on a Sunday morning to try to deceive, lie and steal, instead of choosing the path of virtue and truth.

In contrast, I thought about the noble Christian Lopez (23 years of age) who caught Derek Jeter's homerun ball which scored Jeter's historic 3,000th hit in Yankee Stadium. Lopez could have sold the ball for thousands of dollars and paid off his student loans but instead he gave the ball to Jeter. He did receive some sports memorabilia and seats to future Yankee games, but in no way is that equal to what that ball was worth. But he said, "It was the right thing to do." What a great role model for kids, choosing to do the right thing, the noble thing and not letting the money get in the way of that decision. A great New York story, that will be told over and over again. (Just a thought, it would be nice if the Yankees consider paying off Lopez's student loans, as a reward for doing the right thing.......)

NJA

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest