THE TRIP HOME
AFTER THE CLASS REUNION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “The Trip Home after the Class Reunion.”

How many times have we heard folks say, “If you ever get an invitation to a class reunion, make sure you go to it”?

TRAIN RIDE

I was sitting by myself on a Metro-North train heading south from Poughkeepsie, New York to Grand Central Station. In the 4 seats behind me were 4 ladies facing each other. I’m reading a book. Slowly their conversation and laughter, their comments and wonderings, became much more interesting than my book.

I closed my book and took a spiral note pad out of my bag and began jotting down all that I could hear. I wished I had the skill of a court stenographer. The 4 ladies were heading for their 25th Anniversary class reunion at Hunter College in New York City.

If I could, I would have loved to be on the same train with them on the way back to hear Chapter Two of their stories.

I never even turned to see what any of the four ladies looked like. I just finished my notes and stood up after they got off. I felt a tinge of guilt for eavesdropping – but I’ve heard it all as priest.

I have often wondered how novelists learn to write dialogue. Is it a talent? Is it a skill achieved? Do some have it better than others? Do they sit in restaurants and bars with spiral pad and pen and listen to how people talk and what they say? I wonder if writers do a lot of secret listening – in their efforts to be heard. In fact, to me writing, like preaching, is not noticing the speaker, just hearing the story.

While sitting there on that hour plus train ride to New York City, I jotted down many of their comments. One lady said she took off 15 pounds for this class reunion. The others laughed – but it was a nervous kind of laughter. How many different types of laughter are there? I heard lots of, “I hope she’s there.” “I wonder if she ever married that jerk.” “I can’t wait to see who looks the best.”

Have you ever been to a class reunion?

The title of my homily is, “The Trip Home After The Class Reunion.”

OUR CLASS REUNION
Three years ago our ordination class of 1965 met for a class reunion. 10 out of the 16 of us who were ordained showed up.

The trip home afterwards was the moment for me. Amazing wonderings hit me. Some of us had stayed as priests; some had left and got married. We talked about what happened after we finished studies and headed out into this great big world we live in.

A year earlier, 2004, 3 of us had talked about the importance of having a class reunion. I went with 2 classmates, Tom and Clem, on a two week vacation driving through Montana. Tom had spent most of his life as priest in Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo in the Caribbean and Clem had spent most of his life as priest in Brazil.

We saw Montana – under the guise of following part of the Lewis and Clark trail in that state. It was the bicentennial of their expedition [1804-1806] – but the real reason was to talk about what happened to us. It was a two week class reunion. We answered the “What happened?” question. I had joined the Redemptorists to become a priest and work in Brazil. I never got that assignment.

That trip and the class reunion got me to look at my life: Where did I go? Whom did I meet? What was it like?

It cleared up some, “What if’s” and added some new “What if’s?” It gave me many “Thank you’s” and “Thank God’s,” etc. etc. etc.

IT’S GOOD
It’s good to attend class reunions.

It’s interesting to listen to others on cell phones if they are being public about it – in fact, that’s better than complaining that they are being rude or uncivil – unless it’s stuff we shouldn’t be listening to.

It's interesting to take notes of what others are saying and then reflecting on what was jotted down afterwards. I do this and sometimes turn people's comments into poems or what have you.

It’s good to go down memory lane.

It’s good to take long walks.

It’s good to get a window seat in a plane when flying alone. We see a lot more from a distance.

It’s good to make retreats.

It’s good to read biographies and autobiographies.

It’s good to come to church – and listen to the readings.

TODAY’S READINGS
Today’s’ first reading from the Book of Proverbs gives us a wonderful poetic description of a great wife. Her value is beyond pearls. It’s a reading heard at weddings and funerals. It’s good to go to weddings and funerals. They are real eye and memory openers. It’s good to tell one’s wife, "You're a pearl!" – and she might add, “Thanks. Any chance for the real thing?” It’s good to tell each other, how much we appreciate each other – while we’re living. Harold Molz, one of the great old pillars of this parish, said, “Why wait to say great things about someone after they die? Tell them while they are living.”

Today’s second reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians presents a theme we’re all familiar with: the surprise phone call – the bad news in the middle of the night – the accident – the disaster. It’s a theme we hear at the end of each church year – as well as in the season of Advent that is coming up. It’s good to read old letters. It’s good to realize life has term limits and surprises.

Today’s gospel from the 25th Chapter of Mathew is also worth reading. It has three parables. Last week, because of a feast day, we missed out on the story of Ten Virgins – 5 of whom were wise, 5 of whom were foolish. This week we hear about the 3 servants – one of whom was given 5 talents, one of whom was given 2 talents and one of whom was given 1 talent – each based on their abilities. Next week we’ll hear the 3rd parable in Matthew 25. It’s the last judgment – when we’re judged at the end of life as a sheep or a goat – depending on what we did with our life in caring for others. Strong stuff. Judgment stuff. Challenging stuff.

It’s good to look at our life – to see what we’re doing with our talents. It’s good to look at our life and ask, if we’re caring for each other. It’s good to have a class reunion with ourselves on a regular basis – and give an account of our stewardship – how we used our talents.

IN THE DARK – WAILING AND GRINDING OUR TEETH
How many people have gone to a class reunion – and wow were they surprised?

How many people on the way home from a class reunion – and for weeks afterwards, found themselves down – in the dark – inwardly wailing – outwardly grinding their teeth – because they realize they buried too many of their talents?

How many people have gone to a class reunion – and on the way home they realized the power of comparisons. So and so – didn’t have that many talents, but wow, look what she did with her life? So and so had so many talents, and wow did he mess up his life. In fact, he didn’t show up, but so and so told us how the star, the one most likely to succeed in our class, died 7 years ago of alcoholic poisoning.

CONCLUSION: THE WORD TALENT

The word “talent” appears in today’s gospel 9 times and it’s the bottom line thought I’m thinking about in this homily. The English word “talent” comes from this gospel. This Gospel story is the word’s history and background. Check your dictionary. In fact, the Greek word used in this New Testament text is, “talanton” – from which we get our word “talent”.

It's good to go to class reunions. They can be judgment moments. They can get us to look at what we have done with our lives. It’s good to take train rides and sit and eavesdrop on ourselves – to listen to the story of our life. If there have been blessings; praise God. If there have been disasters, ask God to get us moving. It’s never too late. Why spend time whining in the dark and grinding our teeth?

As I was working on this homily, I found a great anecdote about talent, so let me finish this homily with it. In April, 1962, John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline hosted a White House dinner and reception honoring Nobel Prize winners. He said, “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”