THE THREE MONKEYS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “The Three Monkeys.”

Today’s readings triggered for me the difficult issue of seeing others doing and saying things that we think are wrong – destructive – harmful to themselves and others, especially children – and what to do about it. Tough stuff.

JADE MONKEYS

As I was thinking about the readings for this Mass, the memory of “The Three Monkeys” came on my radar screen.

When we were kids there were The Three Monkeys on a shelf in our house. They were three small statues - light faded green – jade. Their message: “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.”

My mom and dad are long dead, so I can't ask them where the monkeys came from. Don't we all have questions that hit us from time to time that we'd like to ask those who have died? In this case: "Where did these three monkeys come from? Were they a gift – a souvenir from a trip? Did they evoke any conversations?”

I just remember playing with them as a little boy – three tiny toys – three monkeys – whom I had conversations with. I have to talk to my sister Mary about them. I think two of them were lost in time. Does anyone in the family have that last monkey somewhere?

THE THREE MONKEYS

I looked up on Google, “The Three Monkeys” and found lots of stuff about them. It’s the name of restaurants and magazines. They are collectors' items. They also have three cows, pigs, pugs, Labradors, frogs, doing the same thing as the three monkeys. One with hands over ears; one with hands over eyes; one with hands over mouth.

The best I could make out was that The Three Monkeys are part of Chinese, Japanese, and oriental wisdom. I don’t know Japanese, but I noticed they are a word play on the Japanese word Zaru – whose vocalized suffix is Saru – meaning monkey. So the three monkeys are named in Japanese: Mizaru, Kikazaru, Iwazaru. Eyes, ears, mouth. Sometimes there is a fourth monkey, Shizaru, “Do no evil.” His hands are on his belly or his arms are folded.

CRITICIZING SUCH WISDOM

I also found several articles and cartoons criticizing such a stance towards life. Politicians or leaders who do nothing – when something should be done – are pictured or described as monkeys who don't see, hear or speak up.

We could do the same with bishops, who did nothing at first with the abuse issue, etc.

We could look at ourselves as well. Antoine de Saint-Exupere, in The Little Prince writes, “It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.”

Jesus said we see spots in the other’s eye and miss the big log in our own eye. [Cf. Matthew 7:4-5.]

TODAY’S READINGS

This leads to today’s readings.

In today’s first reading from Ezekiel, the call of the watchman is to call out when he sees the city in danger. The call of the watchman is to be a whistle blower – to see evil, hear evil, and scream out about evil.

When this doesn’t happen, we have Enron and toxic waste dumps in the wrong places, etc. etc. etc.

What about the issues of adultery, stealing, coveting, killing, commandments mentioned in today’s second reading?

What about the issue of not loving our neighbor – to practice The Golden Rule when Paul says in today’s reading from Romans, “Love does no evil to the neighbor; love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Jesus' words from today’s gospel from Matthew – seems very different from the wisdom of The Three Monkeys.

He says if your brother or sister sins against you – talk about it with them.

If that doesn’t work, take another person or two with you, and talk again to your brother or sister.

If that doesn’t work, bring it to the church – and if the person who is sinning still won’t listen and change, then cut him or her off. Cut him or her out of the life of the group.

This is tough stuff – very tough stuff. No wonder people prefer to follow the policy of The Three Monkeys.

Jesus adds the dimension of prayer here. Pray for the person. Pray with others for the person – when things seem helpless and hopeless.

EIGHT OBSERVIATIONS

Here are eight observations. You don’t have to remember these. Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! I believe we have to evolve above the wisdom of The Three Monkeys. Each of us has to come up with our own ways of dealing with this very tough – as well as, very difficult issue. Thank you for this opportunity to try to line up what I would think to be key thinks to keep in mind.

First Observation: Most of the time we don’t act like the monkeys or do what Jesus says. Most of the time when we see evil, or hear evil, we speak the evil to someone else – other than the person who is going in the wrong direction. We do nothing but gossip or whine or complain to the wrong person or persons. We do this in family, at work, in church, all over the place.

Second Observation: We don’t know what its like to be in the shoes or the skin of the person whom we think is in the wrong relationship – or messing up their life – and often our lives as well. If a son or a daughter has left their spouse and kids and is now living with someone else – and is not married – we feel terrible for the kids and our son-in-law or daughter-in-law and after the inner pain boils too hot, we explode. Sometimes this makes things worse; in some rare cases it could be a wake up call to the person whom we think is messed up. Sometimes the best thing is to pick the right person to talk to that person – someone who will try to understand what happened. Sometimes, unfortunately, the best move is nothing. Sometimes The Three Monkeys are right.

Third Observation: Sometimes it’s a waiting period – a long waiting period. St. Monica waited and waited, and prayed and prayed for years for her son Augustine to wake up – and change.

Fourth Observation: Sometimes we have to speak up – and try to do something – and the wisdom of The Three Monkeys has to avoided. Money is being stolen. Someone is being abused or hurt.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the words attributed to the Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemoller. They are on a wall in the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. He was in Germany before and all through the time of Hitler and ended up spending 8 and a half years in a prison.

The version in Washington D.C. at the Holocaust museum goes like this:

"First they came for the Jews

and I did not speak out –

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the communists

and I did not speak out –

because I was not a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists

and I did not speak out–

because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me –

and there was no one left to speak out for me."

There are other versions. There is no exact evidence as far as I could find that Martin Niemoller actually wrote or said this. Yet the message proclaims a truth.

In the Congressional Record, for October 14, 1968, on page 31,636, we read this version of Martin Niemoller’s words:

“When Hitler attacked the Jews

I was not a Jew,

therefore I was not concerned.

And when Hitler attacked the Catholics,

I was not a Catholic, and therefore,

I was not concerned.

And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists,

I was not a member of the unions

and I was not concerned.

Then Hitler attacked me

and the Protestant church –

and there was nobody left to be concerned.”

Fifth Observation: Time and place are the key. If one chooses to talk to another one to one, make sure you pick a good time and the right place.

Sixth Observation: Remember when you are correcting another you’re going out on a limb and then the other rule kicks in: the higher the monkey climbs the tree, the more his butt is seen. Expect to be pelted with coconuts in retaliation for challenging another. Expect counter attacks. “How dare you!” “Look who’s talking.”

Seventh Observation: The motive for all this needs to be love – as we heard in today’s second reading. If we are going to speak to another, we need to do it because of love.

Eight and last Observation: Maybe the better rule to have is that of Pope John XXIII. When asked about how many people work in the Vatican he said, “About half.” So my last observation is this: Come up with a statue of Pope John XXIII. Keep it on a shelf. Every morning pick up his statue, rub his belly and ask the Lord that you have a good day. Next: I think his rule is better than the “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil” rule. His rule was: “See everything; overlook a great deal; correct a little.”