What’s in a name? This is a good question that I have been thinking about this week. My week started off wonderfully. Celebrating Mass on Sunday, looking forward to a quiet Monday Holiday…it was all so good. Then Tuesday came. it should have been a great day. It was my normal day off…so a four day weekend…what a blessing. but then the emails and facebook messages began to show up….What favor do you need Father? Are you asking for iTunes cards Father? Is this your email Father? I had been phished and the perpetrators were using my good name!
The scam was, if you answered the email, I wanted you to send me a $100 iTune card. I don’t know quite how this would work and I pray people knew it was a scam before the fell for it, but sadly I know some people may have sent the card. Playing on the trust many parishioners have in their priest, yes…sadly many other priests in the Diocese have been hit by a similar phishing scam…it is sad that this would occur.
On a positive note, it shows in some way the trust many people have in their parish priests. I was gratified people cared enough to reach out, to respond and let me know that there was this evil floating around. It is a blessing to know, even in the midst of scandals and doubts, the name still means something.
When things like this occur we begin to loose and break trust in the good name and the goodness of others. The sin is in this mistrust of others we begin to separate, isolate and abandon the gift and blessing of community. Distrust moves us away from family, friends and the blessing of those who seek to be with us. Ultimately this trust is also a faith growing from knowledge and love of another and the distrust of community can destroy this faith.
So, what do we do? I think we go back to example…There is a story of the great Bishop, Venerable Fulton J. Sheen willingness to give away the coat he was wearing to poor people he encountered along his journeys. When asked about this practice and the real question of; didn’t he worry about being tricked or “scammed”, he simply replied “He didn’t want to take the chance that the poor person was Jesus in disguise”
My hope in this story is we continue to be generous and trusting and willing to offer life to others even when we have found ourselves taken advantage of and even tricked into trusting a thief. We must be careful…yes…but we must never be begrudging in our trust, faith and generosity.
Generosity is a blessing that shows forth in many ways…so while my week started badly with this “phishing” scam…it ended with a blessing. Yesterday a package arrived at the office. I had been expecting a package but this package was much heavier and larger than I expected. I opened it and inside was a gift…Beer of the Month Club…the first twelve arrived. I know I didn’t order it…so who did? I have been looking through my emails and cards and social media and still haven’t found who sent true blessing from God. Seeing God in this gift was my ability to remember goodness in the world as we continue to deal with the craziness of the first part of the week that the blessing of family, friends and community continue to shine forth.
To end…please pray for the perpetrators of the phishing crime that they may discover a better and legal way of earning a living. Second, be assured that I would never ask for money or iTunes cards in such a manner. Third, know and share God’s generosity with care and love.
God Bless
Fr. Mark