THE HAMMER AND
THE CHISEL OF PAIN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 12 Friday in Ordinary Time is, “The Hammer and The Chisel of Pain.”

We’ve all seen stone statues and sculptures in museums and cemeteries.

We might have been to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota or we’ve seen the Pieta or Moses statues by Michelangelo. So we’ve seen stone statues or sculptures.

But have we ever seen an artist or a sculptor with hammer and chisel in hand, hammer and chisel away at stone or marble? Hit! Chip! Bang! Metal hammer hitting metal chisel. Bing! Ping! Ring! Bang! Sweat! Work!

THE WORK OF ART CALLED ME

Hopefully we see ourselves – as well as each other – as works of art?

We have been created by God.

We have been made by our mom and dad – mostly our mom – but we have both their DNA and genes.

We have been formed in their image and likeness.

We are our parent’s smiles and laughs – accents and expressions – gestures and mannerisms – much more than we realize.

Yet we know who has made us – who we are and it wasn’t all us.

But we have also been made not just by who’s – but also by what’s.

What have been the experiences and moments that created us – formed us – sculpted us, molded us, chipped away at us?

The title of my homily is, “The Hammer and the Chisel of Pain.”

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Last night, when I read today’s first reading [2 Kings 25:1-12], it really hit me how easy I’ve had it. What would it be like to be living in a situation like today’s first reading – when the city we’re living in is under siege and then the walls are breached and our city is burnt and destroyed – and then almost everyone is made to leave all behind and move into exile?

What would it be like to have our leaders herded together and our president or governor or mayor stand there in terror and have our attackers kill their children in front of them and then their eyes are torn out so that was the last thing they saw?

People around the world grow up in horrible situations – poverty, war, greed, rape, violence, abuse.

How do those horrors sculpt, form, inform, affect and effect the person living in those circumstances?

The title of my homily is, “The Hammer and the Chisel of Pain.”

OTHER PAINS

Besides wars and mass violence there are those other pains and sufferings of life: rejection, spouses walking out, kids marriages and faith falling apart.

Death, cemeteries, scars, horror stories are in our inner landscape – in our inner library.

How have the hammer and chisel of those hurts and pains formed our lives?

Which has more impact: horror or the good stuff?

In this homily - because of that first reading - I'm reflecting on the tough stuff.

Those of you who have read The Shack – read the phrase, “The Great Sadness.” In the book it’s a child who has been kidnapped and killed.

Richard Rohr talks about “The Wound”.

Whatever it’s called, it’s pain, suffering. It’s part of the mystery of life - the mystery of wondering about the mind of God in creating life.

And pain can so hound us and weigh us down that we think the rosary of our life only has Sorrowful Mysteries –and no Joyful and Glorious Mysteries.

CONCLUSION
The hope I would assume is that we get into the Light Bearing Mysteries – that these hurts and horrors of life bring us some kind of light – and insight - understandings and compassion.

Why suffering? We don’t know - down, down deep knowing.

But we do know the cross stands there in front of us – sometimes as big as the gigantic cross in this church here – sometimes as small as the cross on our rosary. Whichever, we know the cross is ever there – and not just on Good and Bad Fridays.

We do know that suffering knocks at every door – and we as believers know that God sent his only Son into this world to knock on every door – to enter every stable – to enter into this mystery of life - this mystery of joys and sorrows, seasons of war and seasons of peace, into this mass of ups and downs and ins and outs, cuts and scars, because people hurt so much at times.

With faith we know that God entered into communion with us in all this – in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.