Saturday, June 26, 2010

HOPE  SO 





Quote for the Day - June 26,  2010


"In the factory we make cosmetics; in the store we sell hope."


Charles Revson [1906-1975], in A. Tobias, Fire and Ice (1976) Chapter 8

Friday, June 25, 2010


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.


EVOLUTION  - REVOLUTION

Quote for the Day - June 25, 2010


"Man is not merely an evolution but rather a revolution."


G. K. Chesterton [1874-1936], The Everlasting Man, I, I, 20th Century. In Goggle, just type, G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man and you can read the whole book on line.

Thursday, June 24, 2010


FALLING IN LOVE



Quote for the Day - June 24, 2010





"When a man falls in love suddenly,


his whole center changes.


Up to that point he has,


probably, referred everything to himself -


considered things from his own point.


When he falls in love


the whole thing is shifted;


he becomes part of the whole circumference;


someone else becomes the center.


For example,


things he hears and sees


are referred in future instantly


to this other person;


he ceases to be acquisitive.


His entire life,


if it is really love,


is pulled sideways;


he does not desire to get,


but to give.


That is why it is the noblest thing


in the world."





Robert Hugh Benson [1871-1914], A Mirror of Shallot [1907]

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

NOTE  TAKING



Quote for the Day  June 23, 2010


"The one who takes note is the one who listens with good purpose."


Dante Alighieri [1265-1321 ] in Inferno, Canto 15 [14th Century]

Tuesday, June 22, 2010
























LIBERAL  CATHOLIC 


Quote of the Day, June 22, 2010
"Daniel O'Connell was not a bigot in religion - he was a liberal Catholic. Do not misunderstand me - my idea of a liberal Catholic is one who is sincere and faithful in the profession of his faith, but who recognizes in every other human being the same right he claims for himself; but in modern times a liberal Catholic has come to be understood as a man who makes no distinction between one creed and another. O'Connell was neither of these; he believed in his religion, and from the period of his unfortunate duel to the close of his life he combined the dedication of a practical Catholic in his private moral life with the highest duties of a politician and a statesman, and that is what scarcely any other public man that I have read of has ever accomplished before."



Archbishop John Hughes: Lecture on Daniel O'Connell in 1856

Archbishop John Joseph Hughes [1797-1864] was the 4th bishop and the first archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York. He was born in Ireland. He had the nickname of "Dagger John" because when signed his name, he would add a drawing of a cross as a dagger. He was also known for his sharp, quick, cutting personality.

Daniel O'Connell [1775-1847] was a lawyer who campaigned for Irish Catholic freedom in Ireland. He chose speech and debate as his method of protest against injustice. He said, even though 85 % of Ireland were Catholics, they had little rights. His nickname was, "The Liberator" because of his cause for Catholic Emancipation in Ireland.

The duel -mentioned in the above quote - is referring to a moment in 1815 that was to bother Daniel O'Connell for the rest of his life. After a famous speech - called "The Corpo" because in it, O'Connell said the Dublin Corporation was bigoted against Catholics and only served the established Protestants. Because of his comments, a man named John D'Esterre - a famous duelist - challenged O'Connell to a duel. The Protestants were very happy because they figured this would be the end of Daniel O'Connell for good. The duel was held at Dublin Castle - where the British Government administered Ireland. O'Connell hit D'Esterre in the hip - the bullet settled in his stomach - and as a result he died. Daniel O'Connell was haunted by this memory of killing another human being for the rest of his life. It left D'Esterre's wife and family in poverty. O'Connell offered D'Esterre's wife money - but she refused. However, she accepted an allowance for her daughter - which O'Connell gave for the next 30 years till he died.

In the quote above the phrase "Liberal Catholic" is nuanced 2 ways. How many other ways do people understand, "Liberal Catholic"? For those who want to read further on this topic, check out the Vatican II document Declaration of Religious Freedom, Dignitatis Humanae, December 7, 1965. For those who don't accept Vatican II, check out The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #'s 2104-2109. For those who don't accept that, check out Matthew 25: 31-46 and Galatians 6: 2. For those who still don't accept any of these comments, I will not duel you any further.

Pictures on top: Daniel O'Connell - a painting. Beneath him: Archbishop John J. Hughes.

Monday, June 21, 2010

MYSTERY






Quote of the Day - June 21, 2010


"I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it."


Harry Emerson Fosdick [1878-1969], "The Mystery of Life," in Riverside Sermons, Harper 1958

Sunday, June 20, 2010


WHO DO YOU SAY
THAT I AM?


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Who Do You Say That I Am?”

Every year we listen to this gospel story – with this question: “Who do you say that I am?” – because this scene and this question is in the gospel of Matthew, Mark and today in Luke.

Jesus begins by asking his disciples the question, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” Then they give various answers they have heard from others: “You’re John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets who has arisen from the dead.”

Then Jesus changes and clarifies his question from, “Who do the crowds say that I am” to “Who do you say that I am?”

THIS HOMILY: THREE PERSONS

In this homily I’d like to ask that question to and about three persons: myself, others and God.

Yesterday I was up in Pennsylvania and then New Jersey for a family party for two of my niece’s kids: one graduating from grammar school and the other from high school. I hadn’t seen any of them since last year, so it was a nice family get together.

Before we drove to the went the party in New Jersey, I said a home mass with my sister and brother-in-law. It was just the three of us sitting there at a dining room table. When I read this gospel I said, “Tomorrow morning I have to give a homily on these readings. What would you talk about?”

My sister Mary said immediately, “Father’s Day.”

Last night, while driving the four hours back here, I thought about the day as I was working on a homily for today. Thinking about my sister’s comment, I said to myself, “Good …. Say something about Father's Day - but how we think about others, our dads in particular, is tied in with how we think about ourselves and our God – if we’re believers.

FIRST: MYSELF

As I was thinking about this, it seems that the first step would to begin with myself.

At times we wonder about ourselves – what’s going on inside our hearts and minds and feelings. So I would assume the answer to this question about who am I or who others are – begins with self. However, I’m not that sure. I hesitate because we are so interconnected . How we are and how people are, goes back and forth, and in and out – and all around about and then some more.

Like fathers – when we think about our fathers, we also think about our relationship with our dad.

So we could start either way – so let me begin with, “Who am I?”

When I was leaving St. Gerard’s Parish in Lima, Ohio back in 2002 to come here to Annapolis, they had a party for me in the parish hall after the 11 AM Mass. I was stationed at St. Gerard’s for 8 ½ years – but more than half the year I would be on the road preaching all over Ohio – as well as lots of other places around the country.

Some of the people knew who I was and that I was being transferred. So about 100 + people came over to the hall – for cookies and coffee and punch – to say, "Good-bye" and "Thanks!" Different folks got up the microphone to make some comments about me. It was like being at one’s own funeral – when people say only the good things about us.

It was a gift – because I was alive – and it was interesting hearing people’s take on me.

They were supposed to give me the tapes of that celebration – but I never got them. It would be interesting to see and listen to them today in hindsight.

I say that because hindsight is very much all of us. We learn so much afterwards.

So to the question: Who do you say that I am? I would think the first step would be to reflect upon what we’ve learned about ourselves so far – from what we have come up with – and what others have said about us from time to time.

As priests, I have learned that many of us put ourselves down – that is, those of my generation – and perhaps half of those in the generation after me. Then there was a change in society where we started teaching kids to say positive things about oneself. We've all seen baseball tournaments or what have you, when every kid gets some kind of trophy. The old way was certainly cheaper.

I would assume something like that happened in our culture. I don’t know for sure. And I'm not sure which is better to deal with: losing or winning.

I know when I hear little kids first confessions – as well as school confessions, I often add a small question, “Now that you’ve confessed what you’ve done wrong, what are some of the good things you’ve done.” My hope is that they see their pluses and not just their minuses – their positives – and not just their negatives.

Us older folks were brought up never to brag or comment about our good stuff , except when we’re trying to get a job. We were brought up to fear the comment, “Who does she or he think she is: God’s gift to the world?”

My hope for everyone is we all see our gifts, our strengths, and that we are a gift to the world. That’s why we are here!

So that's the first question: How would you describe yourself? Who do you say you are? What have you learned about yourself so far?

SECOND: OTHERS

Secondly, we spend a lot of our lives wondering about others – who they are – especially family members – especially spouse – especially children – and especially after we hit 60, we wonder about our parents.

And on a day like today, we wonder about our dads: who do you say that he is?

I’ve always connected my dad to Father’s Day, because he died in the hospital - Friday, June 26, 1970 – 6 days after seeing him for Father’s Day at home in Brooklyn.

Yesterday at a quiet home mass on a dining room table, I asked my sister, “What did you see was daddy’s # 1 gift?”

My sister said immediately, “Respect! He respected everyone.”

Then my sister added, “And I know a lot more about daddy now – long after he’s gone.”

She then referred to something my god-mother Nan said at Daddy’s funeral, “Your dad was the perfect gentleman.” I added that Nan had said that same thing to me years ago at a family picnic – adding that she said all the girls said my mother was the luckiest woman in the world – because some of these guys were heavy drinkers and not the best choice.

I would say that my dad was very quiet. Yet I have found out wonderful things about him – that I didn’t know – long after his death – thanks to conversations with my two sisters and my brother when he was living.

My dad was always there. He took us to the park every Sunday to give my mom a break and to be with us. He didn’t say much – but he said a lot with his presence and his great smile.

Before he died, I sat down with him and wrote out over 40 pages of notes. I got the details about his coming to America – where he lived – jobs – his 10 years of love letters to my mom – before she finally said “Yes”. What ever happened to those letters? I hold that family scriptures – letters, stories written and stories that should be written – on the personal level are more important than the church scriptures.

Thinking about my dad, I’ve learned to understand the sentence, “Be who you is, because if you be who you ain’t, then you ain’t who you is.”

My dad was who my dad was – who my dad was – who my dad was.

Your dad was or is who your dad is - who your dad is - who your dad is.

Yesterday in a backyard party I'm standing there with my niece Maryna. It was just one of those quick 10 minute catch up conversation. She said to me, “When your mom died, your sister – my mom – was clearing away all kinds of stuff – and she gave me a bunch of books. I was just going through them the other day – and there was your dad’s Bible – and as I was paging through it – there was one card – your ordination card – right there the middle of his Bible.”

That was a nice gift from my niece Maryna – just yesterday. That was one more gift from my dad – because today – June 20th is my ordination anniversary – Father’s Day – 45 years ago. Nice.

While driving home last night I began thinking: how many ways does a father celebrate a daughter or a son? What does a father think about on Father’s Day? How do they see each of their kids?

Answers to that question are just some of the answers to the question we all have about others, “Who do we say they are?”

THIRD: GOD

For those of us with faith, from time to time, hopefully we hear God ask us, “Who do you say that I AM?”

For those of us who are Christians, from time to time, hopefully we hear Jesus ask us, "Who do you say I AM?"

Some quick answers that I would voice: You are God. You are my Meaning. You are my hope. You are my Savior. You are the one I long to receive in communion. You are one I need – love – and hope to bring to others.

I would also add on second thought the following: At times I’ve reflected upon Jesus with the words in a Beatles' Song – I think it’s the Beatles. Jesus you are my “Ticket to Ride”.

We’ve all been on a train – or seen the scene in a movie – when the train conductor comes through the train to collect tickets.

Well, when we die, is that all there is? Or is there a trip – the next – that journey into a new existence? I believe there is. At the age of 70 this is a key creed for me. The trip has been described as a bridge – or a sailing across a lake – and in some gospel songs, there is “a train” and you want to be on it.

I’ve said to Jesus in prayer many times, “You’re my ticket to ride. I’m counting on you – and when I get to heaven I hope to meet YOU and Your people – but I also want to meet my people as well – all those who have gone before me - all those I have a lot of questions to ask - and a lot of thanks to give - especially my dad.

CONCLUSION


Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers here.


To everyone here, your homework for this week is to reflect upon that question: “Who Do You Say That I AM?”

If you’re on a bus or a train or driving – or on vacation – or at home – look at each person and say, “Who is this person?”

If they are family members or good friends, talk to each other.

If your dad is alive, ask him, “What was it like?” That's a good way to get to the, "Who are you question?"

If you’re alive, ask yourself, “Who do you say you are?”

And when you’re praying ask and answer that question with Jesus, “Who Do Say That I AM?


Picture on top of a father and son in a city park near an ice cream stand in Helsinki, Finland, 2009 - who said "Yes" to my taking a picture of them. I don't speak "Finnish" but I gestured with my camera and he shook his head, "Yes."

And an Ooops. I just noticed after I gave this homily or sermon that the 1965 Beatles' Song, "Ticket to Ride", could have overtones other than riding on a train. I'll go with Paul McCartney who said that the inspiration for the song was "a British Railways' ticket to the town of Ryde on the Island of Wight."
WHAT MY DAD
TAUGHT ME!





Quote for Father's Day - June 20, 2010


"I talk and talk and talk, and I haven't taught people in 50 years what my father taught by example in one week."


Mario Cuomo, Time magazine, June 2, 1986