REJECT
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 28 Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, is, “Reject”.
Does everyone have in their desk drawer or on their desk one of those ink pads and one of those so called, “rubber stamps” that has on it the word, “REJECT”.
The title of my homily for this 28 Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, is, “Reject”.
Does everyone have in their desk drawer or on their desk one of those ink pads and one of those so called, “rubber stamps” that has on it the word, “REJECT”.
My brother used to work for the Post Office and he had to purchase various rubber stamps for post offices. I remember him saying there were two kinds: good ones and junky ones. Some last and some don’t. Buy the good ones; reject the bad ones.
Well, my question this evening is, “Does everyone have an imaginary, ‘REJECT’ rubber stamp – up here in the top drawer of their brain and we take it out from time to time to stamp that message on some people – especially people we don’t like or consider strange?”
“REJECT”.
We all have people we reject – people we don’t like, don’t know, can’t stand, don’t understand, don’t know. They are different. They bother us.
“REJECT”.
And we also all have had the experience of being rejected.
We don’t make the team. A friend drops us. A boyfriend or a girlfriend rejects us. Our parents get divorced and we have to move and go to another school and we enter that school and feel no group or clique or anyone will accept us into their group.
“REJECT”.
And sometimes when we feel rejected by others, we figure something’s wrong with us – or if we do something dumb or wrong, we stamp ourselves with our “Reject” rubber stamp – right on our forehead.
Well, my question this evening is, “Does everyone have an imaginary, ‘REJECT’ rubber stamp – up here in the top drawer of their brain and we take it out from time to time to stamp that message on some people – especially people we don’t like or consider strange?”
“REJECT”.
We all have people we reject – people we don’t like, don’t know, can’t stand, don’t understand, don’t know. They are different. They bother us.
“REJECT”.
And we also all have had the experience of being rejected.
We don’t make the team. A friend drops us. A boyfriend or a girlfriend rejects us. Our parents get divorced and we have to move and go to another school and we enter that school and feel no group or clique or anyone will accept us into their group.
“REJECT”.
And sometimes when we feel rejected by others, we figure something’s wrong with us – or if we do something dumb or wrong, we stamp ourselves with our “Reject” rubber stamp – right on our forehead.
Nasty tatoo!
So we do this to others. Sometimes others do it to us. Sometimes we do this to ourselves.
“REJECT”.
TODAY’S READINGS
In two of today’s readings we have people who have to deal with rejection because of leprosy. In Jesus’ time and in Old Testament times, “LEPROSY” was the reject label for any bad skin disease. “Oooooh!”
In the first reading from 2 Kings it’s an army commander to the king of Aram who gets a spot of leprosy. His name is Naaman. He picked up something – a nasty skin disease and he’s now about to become a reject.
In 2 Kings we find out that in a raid on Israel a young girl was captured and made a servant to Naaman’s wife. When she sees Naaman suffering she tells Naaman’s wife that there is a prophet down in Samaria who could heal your husband. The wife goes to Naaman and tells him the story. He goes to the king and tells him the story and the king says I’ll send a letter to the King of Israel that he cure you of your leprosy.
The king of Israel upon reading the letter and an offer of all kinds of silver and gold coins and ten festive garments if Naaman is cured, says, “What am I a god. I can’t cure him of his leprosy. What is this a set up for a fight?”
Elisha the prophet whom the young girl had in mind hears about this and sends a message to the king of Israel to send Naaman to him. Naaman gets in his chariot and heads for Elisha the prophet’s house.
Elisha stays inside his house and sends a message out to Naaman that he go bathe in the waters of the Jordan 7 times and he’ll be cured.
Naaman rejects the plan. He says, “Here I am thinking he’ll come out and heal me – but no, he tells he to go bathe in the Jordan River 7 times. Why doesn’t he just wave his hand over the spot on my skin and call upon Yahweh, his God – and I’m cured. Surely the rivers up in Syria are much better than this tiny stream in Israel – the Jordan - called a river. And so he rejects the offer.
Naaman’s servants go to him and say, “If he told you to do something more difficult, you would do it, but you won’t do something that is very easy. Do it. Go for it!”
And he goes to the Jordan and bathes in the waters 7 times and he is healed – and his flesh becomes brand new – as we heard in today’s first reading.
Interesting story. I’m intrigued by the letter writing back and forth way of communicating. Very interesting.
I also began thinking about the end of the first reading when we hear that Naaman wants to take two mule-loads of earth from Israel back home to Syria. Fascinating. Commentators think that he’s saying, “I can’t stay here to worship and give thanks, so the next best thing is to bring a part of Israel back home with me, so I can worship and give thanks to God on a ‘temporary Israel.’”
I found that very real. People who have a great vacation in some spot want to bring home a T-Shirt or a shell or lots of pictures of the great place, so they can return to it over and over again – to be connected with the sacred spot. We hope people come to Mass and leave with two mule-loads of good stuff to bring home and bring to others in the new week.
In the gospel it’s 10 people with leprosy and they all beg Jesus to be healed – and Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priests at the temple and on the way they are healed. Only one comes back to say “Thank you!”
The obvious lesson is: Don’t forget to say, “Thank you!”
OTHER LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
What other lessons can we learn from all this?
1) Gratitude for research. We need to feel gratitude for the medical research which keeps on coming up with better and better methods of healing. As you look to your future, if you have a bent for research, think getting into the healing professions or the research jobs.
2) If you feel rejected cry out for help. Don’t go it alone. Notice in the first reading Naaman goes to the king and asks if he can go to the prophet in Israel. In today’s gospel the ten people with leprosy have banded together and they all cry out for help together, “Jesus Master! Have pity on us.”
Every day around the world in thousands and thousands of church basements and buildings and in various other different places, folks who have a drinking and/or drug problem, band together for meetings to be healed. I know 3 people right now who are going to 90 meetings in 90 days. They want to be cured – healed.
If you know kids or adults who are on drugs or who are drinking you know how they are avoided – rejected – how others would wish they would disappear. They skink. They do nothing. They are a waste. They are an embarrassment. Help!
That’s # 2: ask for help.
3) Be Jesus in the year 2010. Jesus walked around and did good. Rejects came to him for help. Well, be Jesus in your school, in your home, where you work. Open up your eyes – and see the kid who is eating alone – feels alone – who is made fun of – who is rejected. And if you reach out to them, healing can happen. Others might crucify you and make fun of you for being nice to a loser – a reject – but that’s the Jesus calling to all of us. Picture someone meeting you at graduation or at a class reunion - or by accident 25 years from now and they say to you, "You were the one person who didn't reject me when I was a new kid in school. Thank you!"
4) Don’t stamp people with the rubber stamp – “REJECT” on it. People do it all the time – picking on people who are different, people who are gay, people who dress differently, people who think differently, people with acne, halitosis (bad breath), bad perfume, bad smells, etc.
CONCLUSION
Take that “REJECT” rubber stamp and stomp on it. Get a hammer and smash it. Then go to Office Depot or Staples or to a store that sells quality rubber stamps and get one made that says, “Accept” or "Accepted."
Help people feel at home with you, your groups, your situations. Help people feel at home with themselves. Help people feel at home on this planet.
Stamp on them the word, “Accepted!” or "Accept" or "Acceptable".
So we do this to others. Sometimes others do it to us. Sometimes we do this to ourselves.
“REJECT”.
TODAY’S READINGS
In two of today’s readings we have people who have to deal with rejection because of leprosy. In Jesus’ time and in Old Testament times, “LEPROSY” was the reject label for any bad skin disease. “Oooooh!”
In the first reading from 2 Kings it’s an army commander to the king of Aram who gets a spot of leprosy. His name is Naaman. He picked up something – a nasty skin disease and he’s now about to become a reject.
In 2 Kings we find out that in a raid on Israel a young girl was captured and made a servant to Naaman’s wife. When she sees Naaman suffering she tells Naaman’s wife that there is a prophet down in Samaria who could heal your husband. The wife goes to Naaman and tells him the story. He goes to the king and tells him the story and the king says I’ll send a letter to the King of Israel that he cure you of your leprosy.
The king of Israel upon reading the letter and an offer of all kinds of silver and gold coins and ten festive garments if Naaman is cured, says, “What am I a god. I can’t cure him of his leprosy. What is this a set up for a fight?”
Elisha the prophet whom the young girl had in mind hears about this and sends a message to the king of Israel to send Naaman to him. Naaman gets in his chariot and heads for Elisha the prophet’s house.
Elisha stays inside his house and sends a message out to Naaman that he go bathe in the waters of the Jordan 7 times and he’ll be cured.
Naaman rejects the plan. He says, “Here I am thinking he’ll come out and heal me – but no, he tells he to go bathe in the Jordan River 7 times. Why doesn’t he just wave his hand over the spot on my skin and call upon Yahweh, his God – and I’m cured. Surely the rivers up in Syria are much better than this tiny stream in Israel – the Jordan - called a river. And so he rejects the offer.
Naaman’s servants go to him and say, “If he told you to do something more difficult, you would do it, but you won’t do something that is very easy. Do it. Go for it!”
And he goes to the Jordan and bathes in the waters 7 times and he is healed – and his flesh becomes brand new – as we heard in today’s first reading.
Interesting story. I’m intrigued by the letter writing back and forth way of communicating. Very interesting.
I also began thinking about the end of the first reading when we hear that Naaman wants to take two mule-loads of earth from Israel back home to Syria. Fascinating. Commentators think that he’s saying, “I can’t stay here to worship and give thanks, so the next best thing is to bring a part of Israel back home with me, so I can worship and give thanks to God on a ‘temporary Israel.’”
I found that very real. People who have a great vacation in some spot want to bring home a T-Shirt or a shell or lots of pictures of the great place, so they can return to it over and over again – to be connected with the sacred spot. We hope people come to Mass and leave with two mule-loads of good stuff to bring home and bring to others in the new week.
In the gospel it’s 10 people with leprosy and they all beg Jesus to be healed – and Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priests at the temple and on the way they are healed. Only one comes back to say “Thank you!”
The obvious lesson is: Don’t forget to say, “Thank you!”
OTHER LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
What other lessons can we learn from all this?
1) Gratitude for research. We need to feel gratitude for the medical research which keeps on coming up with better and better methods of healing. As you look to your future, if you have a bent for research, think getting into the healing professions or the research jobs.
2) If you feel rejected cry out for help. Don’t go it alone. Notice in the first reading Naaman goes to the king and asks if he can go to the prophet in Israel. In today’s gospel the ten people with leprosy have banded together and they all cry out for help together, “Jesus Master! Have pity on us.”
Every day around the world in thousands and thousands of church basements and buildings and in various other different places, folks who have a drinking and/or drug problem, band together for meetings to be healed. I know 3 people right now who are going to 90 meetings in 90 days. They want to be cured – healed.
If you know kids or adults who are on drugs or who are drinking you know how they are avoided – rejected – how others would wish they would disappear. They skink. They do nothing. They are a waste. They are an embarrassment. Help!
That’s # 2: ask for help.
3) Be Jesus in the year 2010. Jesus walked around and did good. Rejects came to him for help. Well, be Jesus in your school, in your home, where you work. Open up your eyes – and see the kid who is eating alone – feels alone – who is made fun of – who is rejected. And if you reach out to them, healing can happen. Others might crucify you and make fun of you for being nice to a loser – a reject – but that’s the Jesus calling to all of us. Picture someone meeting you at graduation or at a class reunion - or by accident 25 years from now and they say to you, "You were the one person who didn't reject me when I was a new kid in school. Thank you!"
4) Don’t stamp people with the rubber stamp – “REJECT” on it. People do it all the time – picking on people who are different, people who are gay, people who dress differently, people who think differently, people with acne, halitosis (bad breath), bad perfume, bad smells, etc.
CONCLUSION
Take that “REJECT” rubber stamp and stomp on it. Get a hammer and smash it. Then go to Office Depot or Staples or to a store that sells quality rubber stamps and get one made that says, “Accept” or "Accepted."
Help people feel at home with you, your groups, your situations. Help people feel at home with themselves. Help people feel at home on this planet.
Stamp on them the word, “Accepted!” or "Accept" or "Acceptable".
This homily was for the 5 PM Youth Mass - a tiny bit different from this morning's homily on being an "Outcast".
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