SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “So What Else Is New?”
Taking a cue from today’s readings - as well as this morning's opening prayer (2), I would like to address the issue of prejudice – the issue of excluding others in actions or in our minds – the issue of locking or blocking out others or putting up walls of division between ourselves and others.
This issue, as we all well know, shows up in families – sometimes very clearly – sometimes very subtly. Who’s the favorite? Who feels rejected? Who’s in and who’s the odd person out? It shows up at work, in sports, in cities, in organizations, in schools, in government, in politics. And it shows up in religions – which is a surprise – because one would hope a religion would get us in touch with God – the God of all peoples.
So what else is new?
IMAGINARY QUESTION
Here is an imaginary question, a question we really can’t answer.
Imagine it’s the year 4008? The world, the United States, the Catholic Church, will certainly be much different from 2008. Where will this issue of prejudice – or division – or attempting to demonize others - appear?
Obviously, we can’t answer that question?
However, if we could look down on the earth from up in heaven – or however it works – if it works that way – and look at the folks on earth in the year 4008, there will be prejudice, locking people out – trying to make oneself look better than others. There are always the elites. There will be power issues – knocking others down – so as to be taller and look better.
We can expect that.
But where will it show up?
So what else is new?
2000 YEARS AGO – TODAY’S GOSPEL
This issue shows up in the gospels in various forms. We see various labels. There are Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, Levites, Tax Collectors, sinners, people with leprosy. There are in castes and outcasts. Women and children are second class citizens.
In today’s gospel, surprise, Matthew has Jesus dealing with the issue. A foreigner, a Canaanite woman from up there in the northern region of Tyre and Sidon, wants Jesus to help her daughter. At first Jesus says nothing. His disciples are saying, “Get rid of her. She’s driving us crazy.” Jesus says his call is to reach out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. She won’t take that for an answer. Then Jesus makes a very surprising comment, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” The woman retorts, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”
That did it. Jesus praises her for her great faith. And her daughter is healed.
Is the message, "Jesus can change his mind, can I? Jesus can change his plans, can I?" Another woman got him to do it at Cana in Galilee and this church is named after her. Can we in this church change our minds and our plans – when another person interacts with us – especially when they need help or want to receive communion or community or common connections from us?
I discoverd the way I was taught scripture was very helpful. We were taught to ask, “Why is this story here in the scriptures? Why is this story here in Matthew?” We were taught to then use the Acts of the Apostles and/or St. Paul or other New Testament documents to try to figure out what might be going on in the early Christian communities – that would have Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, put in their gospel, what’s in their gospel.
If there’s peanut butter on the refrigerator door handle, someone took some peanut butter out of the jar.
And we know from the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters of St. Paul that there were huge struggles in the early Church about whether to allow the Gentiles into the Church.
Should we invite them to the table? Into the community? What about women? What about baptizing children? [1] Is Matthew’s community struggling with this issue of who’s allowed to come into the community, who’s allowed a seat at the table?
So what else is new?
TODAY’S FIRST READING FROM ISAIAH – 2,500 YEARS AGO
We see the same issue of exclusion vs. inclusion in today’s first reading from Isaiah 56 – which is dated to around 515 BC. The Israelites had returned from the Exile. Things were very different in Jerusalem. A lot of foreigners were present because of the exile. They filled in the vacuum. Can these people come to temple – come to worship?
The issue of who sits where – who stands where – what’s what in the temple can be found all through the Jewish Bible. We know there were sections – men’s sections, women's sections, the court of the Gentiles, as well as the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could go, etc.
Read the scriptures with this issue in mind. Like peanut butter in the hands of kids – this issue appears in many places.
So what else is new?
NPR: GIRLS’ SCHOOLS IN PAKISTAN
I was listening to National Public Radio on Friday and there was a report about the Taliban burning down girls’ schools in an area of Pakistan. [2]
Some – using religion – using God – don’t like these schools. They don’t like young women receiving this kind of education. They think it only serves to make these young women immoral – because they might then have access to the media - and the internet – and these are roads that can lead to their moral destruction.
Then the kicker: those who don’t like certain things say this is not God’s will.
The issue of God’s will – obedience to God – is a major issue when it comes to religions. Read the world’s scriptures with that in mind – and you’ll realize how various people can use scriptures and the will of God to bomb and burn others. Read our scriptures with that in mind – and that issue is everywhere as well. If the other issue was exclusion vs. inclusion was like peanut butter on refrigerator doors and in the yellow butter, this is like jam – and it can really jam people up. There it is in today’s second reading – Paul talking about the call of God – and how we disobey his calls – and how he heard a call from God to reach out to the Gentiles – to another race – and how his race rejected him for this.
So what else is new?
THEN, NOW AND NEXT
The history of the world – and the history of religions – give example after example of this issue of dividing people up – labeling people – forcing – destroying – burning – not just buildings – but also people.
Each of us has to look at how it shows up in our world – in our outlook – in our way of treating each other – especially the stranger or the person who seems strange to us.
This is the stuff of buttons – and button pushing – rock throwing and rock piling to build walls to separate each other.
This is the stuff of letters to the editor and letters to the bishop. This is the stuff of walking out of meetings and showing up at meetings with signs and screaming at each other.
This is the stuff of marching and sit ins – silent protest and shouting matches.
Each of us has to ask: Where am I blind? Where am I prejudiced?
I remember as a little boy making fun of a kid on our block who was very effeminate. We called him “faggy” and sang songs about him in his presence. Father forgive us for we did not know what we were doing. Horrible.
Years later, I remembered this. I was reading something by Taylor Caldwell, the writer. She talked about how she saw 4 year old kids being horrible as they were stoning a bird to death. That triggered at first a memory from my childhood. I remembered as a kid being shocked at older teen age boys burning a dog. Then it struck me how we as little kids had hurt this other kid on our block – scorching and scaring him for life. Horrible.
This stuff is local and global.
This is the stuff of world history and the everyday newspaper.
We hope the Olympics will open up China to open up their minds for more basic human rights for their people – religious rights, political rights, to have more than one child, human lung rights for less air pollution. We hope it opens up those Islamic countries who don’t let women compete in athletics, etc. We are grateful that it triggered Special Olympics.
It’s nice for those of us who are citizens of the United States to see our athletes win gold – but hopefully we rejoice when a woman swimmer from Zimbabwe, Kristy Coventry, won two silver medals and a man swimmer from Tunisia, Oussama Mellouli, won gold.
Hopefully, we realize that life is to be enjoyed – whether we win gold, silver, bronze or just made the team – or whether we’re in the stands or on our couches, enjoying the human parade – we’re playing the piano or throwing a Frisbee – because watching the Olympics is not our thing.
CONCLUSION
So here we are standing on the planet. And there she is standing on the planet.
Sometimes we’re the Jesus figure – and like this lady in the gospel, this other person is crying out for our help, love, attention, acceptance, respect, help for their daughter or son, or what have you, and we like Jesus say, “I have this other thing to do.” And hopefully they scream the louder and we see this other person is a human being like us – and we’ll do something to help.
Sometimes we’re the screamer - we’re like this lady in the gospel. We want a job – or to be a priest – or president – or to have a house – or better schooling for our kids – or just to be heard – and the other doesn’t seem to listen.
So what else is new?
Hopefully we see, hear, notice, and become Good News to this other person.
Now that would be new!
As to what the church will be like in 4008 – we will have to wait and see - if that's how it works.
Smile.
NOTES
[1] Cf. Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17.
[2] NPR, August 15, 2008, All Things Considered, "Taliban, Pakistan Army Battle Over Swat Valley" - by Philip Reeves http:www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93644067
