MORE THAN 15 MINUTES

INTRODUCTION

In 1968, there appeared in an exhibition catalogue in Stockholm, Sweden, an interesting statement by Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987), the famous painter: “In the future everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.”

Today, as we begin 2009, it still hasn't happened. Most of us haven't been given our chance to be famous for 15 minutes or even for 15 seconds. In the meanwhile Andy Warhol's statement is what has become famous and for more than 15 minutes. We often hear it quoted in magazine articles, sermons and in jokes. And people quote it in several versions, “In the future everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.” “Everybody is entitled to be famous for fifteen minutes.” “Your fifteen minutes of fame are up.”

With almost 7 billion people on the planet, to be famous for 15 minutes is still quite a feat. Most of us will never make the evening news or the front page of the daily paper. Most of us will have our name in the paper only once or twice in our lifetime: when we get married and when we die. And in both those cases somebody in the family had to pay for it.

Andy Warhol, in his sort of autobiography, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A To B & Back Again), gives us some interesting glimpses on what it's like to be famous. He writes that he lived next to a Gristedes grocery store in New York City for twelve years. “Every day I would go in and drift around the aisles, picking up what I wanted - that's a ritual I really enjoy. For twelve years I did this just about every day. Then one afternoon the New York Post ran a color picture of Monique Van Vooren and Rudolf Nureyev and me on the front page, and when I went into the store all the stock boys started yelling `Here he is!' and `I told you it was him!' I didn't want to go back there ever again. Then after my picture was in Time, I couldn't take my dog to the park for a week because people were pointing at me.”

People point at famous people. People try to grab famous people. People ask famous people to sign autographs while they are eating in restaurants. Still people want to be famous. Warhol also wrote in his autobiography? “But being famous isn't all that important. If I weren't famous, I wouldn't have been shot for being Andy Warhol. Maybe I would have been shot for being in the Army.”

HOMILETIC REFLECTIONS

Today's readings help us prepare for the new year. They won't make us famous, but they will help us feel famous in the eyes of God and hopefully with each other. They will challenge us to see each person in our life as a blessing - as a new gift of God each time we meet them. Today's readings are a call to see why Christ was born, what Christ was all about. Each new baby, each person on the planet, has a right to be seen with the status of a child of God, as a person whom God the Father loves. Like Mary we are called to ponder, to treasure, and to reflect on all these words and turn them over in our heart.

As the Aaronite blessing, which we find in today's first reading, puts it,
“May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May his face shine upon you,
and be gracious to you.
May he look upon you with kindness.”

This famous Aaronite blessing is a blessing that every person has a right to each day of their life - not just for 15 minutes - but for every minute of their life. When God sees us, when God sees our face, whether we're in a grocery store, whether we're walking the dog in a park, whether we're in church, or wherever we are, when God sees our face, God's face shines in return. We are famous in God's eyes. Is this just poetry or rhetoric or do we believe this? Do we really believe that God knows us, cares about us, and personally loves us face to face?

It seems that some people have never received nor felt that blessing. It seems that some people have never heard that message. Parents, family, teachers, priests, religious, doctors, friends, somehow didn't get that message across to them. They didn't get that blessing passed down to them on a feeling level. Somehow, some people feel that they are not worthy. Somehow, some people feel that they might as well not have been born for all the notice or recognition or blessings they have received in their life. They certainly don't feel famous. They probably don't feel infamous. They just feel like they are nothing: unnoticed and unblessed and unwanted.

Yet that blessing still remains. The Lord told Moses, “Speak to Aaron and his children and tell them this is how you are to bless one another:
“May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May his face shine upon you,
and be gracious to you.
May he look upon you with kindness
and give you his peace.”

Today's second reading tells us that “God sent forth his Son born of a woman ... to tell us that we have status.” We have status: we are the children of God. “God has sent forth into our hearts the spirit of his Son which cries out `Abba!' (`Father').” We are no longer slaves but children of God. And this fact makes us heirs. We have an inheritance. Our name is in the will of God. This is God's design. This is God's plan. How's that for being famous - for being famous for more than 15 minutes? We are part of God's design for all eternity! We are rich! We are heirs. We are in the inheritance. We are in the will. What more could we want?

In today's gospel, Mary and Joseph begin to experience fame - what it means to have a famous child. When they saw the shepherd's astonishment and adoration, they had a glimpse of their future. It was to be different. It was to eventually lead Mary to experience many swords of sorrow. It was to lead her to Calvary, but also to Resurrection and into the beyond.
Luke tells us that Mary treasured and reflected on all these things in her heart. Shepherds and then kings, later on the blind and the lame, the centurion and a woman who suffered from hemorrhages for twelve years, all would reach out to touch Jesus, to receive his blessing, to be healed - to have his face, his kindness and his peace shine upon them.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Today we begin a new year. What are your resolutions? What are your plans, your designs, your will to bring about a Happy New Year for all the people in your life?

This year, a great New Year's Resolution would be: to treat each person in your life as famous - to give every person status and recognition. Is there any person in your life, in your house, in your place of work, that you ignore? Is there any person that you tend to rarely notice? Is there any person who feels out of place, a nobody because of you?

Paul told us in today's second reading that Christ came to give proof that all persons have status. Nobody is a nobody. We are all God's children.

Now all this might sound good on paper. All this might sound good when we hear it spoken out in church. But what really is good, what really feels good, is when we are treated that way by others. “Go thou and do likewise.” What people really need is to feel connected with each other - that we are all part of the same family - that God is our `Abba', our `Father'.

However, it seems that before people can experience the reality that God is our `Abba', our `Father', we must first experience that we are all brothers and sisters to each other as well. We are all the Children of God. The same spirit of Jesus within each of us that can cry out `Abba', `Father' is also the spirit of Jesus within each of us that can cry out, “Brother!” “Sister!”. You are my brother! You are my sister. This is the will of God. “Who is my mother? Who is my brother. Who is my sister? It is the person who does the will of my Father.” (Cf. Mark 3:31 - 35.)

So if we want to have a Happy New Year, we ought to be like Mary: ponder these words. We ought to treasure these words and turn them over and over again in our heart.

The words: `Abba' `Father’, Brother', `Sister', “heirs” with one another, “heirs” with Christ, “status”. Realizing all this, we will feel famous - not just for 15 minutes - but for all our life. Realizing all this, we will treat each other as famous - not just for 15 minutes - but for all of our life. Doing all this will bring about a Happy New Year!