ENVY
Quote for Today - December 4, 2010
"Envy is a coal come hissing hot from hell."
Philip James Bailey [1816-1902], Festus, V, 1846
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
ROSES IN DECEMBER
Quote for Today - December 1, 2010
"As soon
Seek roses in December, ice in June;
Hope constancy in wind, or corn in chaff;
Believe a woman or an epitaph,
Or any othe thing that's false, before
You trust in critics."
Lord Byron [1788-1824], English Bards and Scotch Reviewers [1809], line 75 - sorry ladies! I didn't say it.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
FEET
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this feast of St. Andrew the Apostle is, “Feet!”
I don’t remember ever preaching about “Feet!”
How are your feet?
They are our servants.
TODAY'S FIRST READING
Today’s first reading from Romans, for the feast of the most important of all the apostles, Andrew, quotes a text from Isaiah 52: 7, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the one who brings good news.” [Cf. Romans 10:15]
I hope somewhere along the line your feet brought you into a church where they sang that song or hymn based on these words. I’ve heard it at various times and I can’t sing, but I’ve loved the version where there is the echoed repeating of phrases, “How beautiful, how beautiful, on the mountains, on the mountains, are the feet, are the feet, of those, of those, who bring, who bring, good news, good news.” It goes a tiny bit like that.
I never thought about feet being beautiful. In fact I never notice my feet till they give me trouble.
How are your feet?
But feet are not the message. Good News is the message. Joy to the world is the message. One’s face, one’s smile, one’s being, is the message.
We get this message. We’ve been there – many, many, many, many, many times. It’s Life #101.
I get this message when I come down the aisle at Sunday Mass. I’ve seen faces that said, “Oh my God, not him again!”
And my face sinks towards my feet.
And those of you who are married – or those of you who have lost your loved one – I hope you still hear the sound of your loved one coming up the steps. I hope you still remember the moment you went down the aisle in a church with him or her – and out the church door to a new world – a new life together – a new life walking together - knowing life is easier with 4 feet. It’s Life #102.
I hope the day never came when you said, “Oh my God, not him again! …. not her again.”
But then again, the vows sometimes are not wows.
The title of my homily is, “Feet.”
Our text uses the Greek word, “PODES” – the plural of “POUS” for “feet”. In this Greek word we recognize in the genitive case of “POUS”, which is “PODOS”, the word “podiatrist” – a foot doctor. We also hear in this Greek word, “POUS”, the Latin word, “PED” which gives us words like "pedal" or "pedestrian". We also hear the Sanskrit word "PAD" – the most ancient of languages. It's the word for "foot". Every day we long for our pad where we can get off our feet, take off our shoes, and be ourselves.
The title of my homily is “Feet!”
ANDREW
There are two Gospel texts that tell us about the day and how Jesus called Andrew. They are both very different.
The powers that be – those who choose what Gospel to read for today chose the one I would not choose. Life #103. In today’s gospel, Jesus is walking along by the Sea of Galilee and he sees two brothers, Simon and his brother Andrew. He calls them – along with two other brothers – James and John – who also were fishermen – and all four would be his followers on foot – preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ.
John tells the version of the story that I like better – of course – because Andrew is listed there as the first apostle whom Jesus meets. And he then brings his brother Simon to meet Jesus – and the rest is history and the rest is mystery. And my hope as priest is to bring people to Jesus. Here he is folks. Get a life with Jesus. Life #104
John in his gospel also has Jesus washing the feet of these 4 men in his gospel at the last supper – along with the other apostles – including Judas.
Did Jesus love it when his feet were washed by the woman in the gospel who washed his feet with her tears and dried his feet with her hair? Now that was a remarkable story – an incredible breakthrough – something that would be unheard of in the Mediterranean Basin countries in the time of Jesus and in parts of the Muslim world today.
FEET STORIES
What are your feet stories? Share them today with those you love – with those who love the sound of your step – with those who love your feet, your face, and your being.
I have fond memories of getting hot water for my dad when his feet were sore after a long day of work at Nabisco on his feet – and he soaked his feet in that hot water with Epsom Salts.
I have heard people say how grateful they are of a daughter or a son trimming their toe nails or a granddaughter coloring granny’s toe nails in rich red or pink or even green nail polish.
What are your feet stories?
CONCLUSION
Today you walked into church on your feet; today walk out of this church on your feet and bring good news – joy – laughter – deep peace – the peace of Jesus Christ to those you meet today. And if you do, then of you it can also be said, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!"
Monday, November 29, 2010
WHAT NOW? WHAT NEXT?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this First Monday in Advent is, “What Now? What Next?”
It’s the thought that hit me when I read today’s first reading [Isaiah 4:2-6] as well as today’s psalm [Psalm 122].
THE CITY AND THE TEMPLE
In today’s first reading and in today’s Psalm we see the importance of both Jerusalem and the Temple in Jerusalem.
The time is in the 750 to 700 B.C. – and Assyria is the power that is marching around beating up and destroying those in its path.
Now as the reading tells us, before those left in Jerusalem are called “holy” they first have to be cleansed – by fire – talk about Purgatory – because of the many sins of its leaders and its people.
The Psalm – Psalm 122 – is a Psalm that was sung by folks on their way to Jerusalem and the temple on pilgrimage. We said the Psalm response, “I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Throughout history there has been a lot of destruction of cities, towns, holy places. I assume that everyone experiencing destruction then asks, “What now? What next?”
Security is Job One.
So we build with stone citadels and castles.
But we all know all can come tumbling down.
We all know at different moments in life we realize we saw our bodies as our protection – our fortress – and then we see from time to time our bodies slowly crumbling.
What now? What next?
What happens when our church burns down? What happens when our city is destroyed? What happens when one’s life, one’s center is destroyed?
Divorce, death, fires, floods, is the stuff of TV and Newspaper and life for people. What happens when a marriage falls apart or a spouse or a child or a parent dies suddenly?
What now?
What next?
AS CHRISTIANS – JESUS IS OUR CENTER
As Christians Jesus is our center – our temple – our city – our hope – someone who can’t be destroyed.
This is the message of Advent and Christmas – Christ came and called us to enter into his strength – in spite of our weaknesses.
That’s the Message of the Cross and Resurrection, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Somewhere along the line Jesus saw Jerusalem and the Temple and he said that both will be destroyed – but I won’t be destroyed. Around the year 70 the city of Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed once again.
The Christian Community there had to flee to different places. Scholars place Jamnia – north of Israel as the place where Mathew’s Community settled.
WHAT NOW? WHAT NEXT?
The title of my homily is, “What Now? What next?”
What do we do after a fire or a flood? What do we do after a death or a divorce? What do we do after we find out we have Cancer or what have you?
Answer: we start again. We rebuild or resettle – or we pick up the pieces and go for resurrection over death.
That’s one reason we have the cross staring us in the face – especially here at St. John Neumann. This is life. This is what happened – but our prayer is not: Christ has died. Nope, we pray, Christ has risen. Christ will come again.
That’s a key Advent message. Amen.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “What Are You Watching?”
Today we start the season of Advent.
Along with waiting and wondering, waking up and welcoming, watching is an Advent theme.
What are you watching?
Am I watching myself walking more and more with Jesus Christ as the center of my life – putting on the Lord Jesus Christ more and more as today’s second reading from Paul to the Romans puts it – or am I still watching myself walking along alone with just myself?
MAUREEN McCANN
About 20 years ago I heard an example about listening in a talk by a Sister Maureen McCann – a Sister of Mercy from Dallas, Pennsylvania. Imagine remembering something from a talk from 20 years ago? I don’t remember what I preached on a week ago. She stressed the importance of listening to what we’re talking to ourselves about. She used the image of a radio receiver. It has lots of stations and lots of sounds. Just spin the dial. She talked about the importance of listening to the conversations that are going on inside our head all day long. She said to listen to oneself and listen to what bugs us, what we’re off on, what worries us, what our “ what if’s?” are, etc. etc. etc. Then she said to fine tune with the dial a clear something we’re concerned about. Then she added, “Turn up the volume.” Then she asked the key question: “What does that say to you about you?” For some reason that made a lot of sense to me back then as well down through the years.
The title of my homily is, “What Are You Watching?”
Instead of the image of listening to a radio – I’m using the image of what we’re watching, for example on television or in a movie, in this homily.
Catch yourself with the question I’m asking: “What are you watching?”
Hasn’t someone walked into a room where you’re watching TV and said, “What are you watching?”
Catch yourself with the second question Sister Maureen McCann asked, “What does that say to you about you?” What does what you’re watching say to you about you?
We've all heard the saying, "We become what we eat." Well, we become what we watch. It becomes us.
CUTE E-MAILSomeone sent me a cute e-mail about two weeks ago. A little girl is kneeling down at her bed – hands folded. It looks like she is saying her night prayers. She prays, “And dear God please send some clothes for all these women on grandpa’s computer. Amen.”
What are you watching?
What are kids watching about us when they are watching us?
THANKSGIVING WEEK
I just spent Thanksgiving week with my brother’s family. They rented this big house again this year in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. We had about 30 people – 15 adults and 15 kids. It varied a bit because everyone didn’t get there at the same time.
It was great sitting there watching what two generations below me were doing and saying – playing – laughing about – concerned about.
Each day a bunch of us adults took a good long walk along the streets of Dewey Beach and then doubled back on sand – right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
What did we talk about? What were we concerned about?
Family – of course – because we were reconnecting. None of my nieces came from the same state. So I heard about stuff from Arizona, California, New Orleans, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida. We even talked about our lost niece who lives in New Mexico. Location didn’t matter really. What mattered were jobs, education, stories, SAT scores, and funny and interesting things that were happening in the family.
What mattered was what we were watching in our lives?
One of my nieces told a story about 3 brothers. The middle brother is dating a girl the older brother dated last year. The older brother who is now in college told his younger brother to tell the middle brother that the ex-girlfriend is high maintenance.
Watching all this I began wondering what high maintenance means. I’ll have to watch for that – for examples of that – so I can learn just what “high maintenance” means. Would any of the priests in our rectory be described as “high maintenance”? Interesting question. Am I?
The title of my homily is, “What Am I Watching?”
AS I WATCH PEOPLEAs I watch people, I see people worrying about the economy.
As I watch people, I see people wondering about getting parking places, traffic, the weather and food.
As I watch people, I see people watching their cell phones and gadgets and youth and clothes and style and sports and exercise and weight.
As I watch people, I see parents wondering about their children – their marriages, their grandkids not going to church – not being baptized and what have you.
As I watch people, I see some people off and running into Christmas shopping already – trying to save money, getting bargains and a great gift for those they love. As I watched the evening news Black Friday night, I heard retailers and commentators talk about how it looks better than last year – and I said to myself, “Smart move. Get the economy going – before the actual statistics come in.”
As priest I pinch myself because I get to watch the big mysteries of life being played out in people’s lives: people getting married – new babies – anniversaries – as well the tough stuff of life.
As priest, I watch and listen and meet people who are dealing with divorce and drugs and drink.
As priest I pick up the phone. A woman has called the rectory. She asks for a priest. I make an appointment with her. She comes to the rectory. She talks. Death is knocking on her door. She knows it. It’s cancer again. It’s knocked 3 times already. Cancer sometimes is an angel of death – a messenger that announces, “Only so much time is left.” She sits there and talks about all this. She talks about her life. Most of it is wonderful. She talks about what she would like at her funeral. She asks about her desire not to be resuscitated. She asks if that okay to say that. She adds, “Hey I’m 88 and I’ve had a good life.”
As priest I’m watching all this. As a human I’m wondering, “What will it be like when this hits me?” I think of all the people I’ve watched when they have been in the same situation.
I see myself getting older. I watch myself having senior moments. I noticed wrinkles– on the inside skin of my arms just below my elbow. I see that my skin is not what it used to be. I think of a guy I visited at a nursing home here in Annapolis – 102 years of age – good mind – but as I sat there – his skin just didn’t fit – it was hard and different and it seemed like leather covering and sliding and hiding his bones.
The title of my homily is, “What Are You Watching?”
ADVENTAdvent is a season the church unfolds every year – and every year it seems to get lost in the Christmas rush.
I see the booklets Saint Mary’s provides for folks and I watch people pick them up in the back of church and I hear people saying with good thanksgiving, “Thanks. I love these little books.”
Evidently some people make the most of this Advent Season – where we look at the first coming of Christ, the here and now presence of Christ – and the final coming of Christ.
I think of the Bishops’ Meetings that just took place this November in Baltimore. I was happy to read that the Bishops were watching a study made of Catholics in the United States.
It was sad to read that the studies said “that only half of young Catholics marry in the church, and that weekly Mass attendance has dropped to about 35 percent of Catholics from a peak of 78 percent in the 1960s.”
I was glad to read that instead of blaming others, some bishops said we need to look at ourselves. Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Florida said that the November meeting was a lot of “naval gazing.” He said that we were talking about budgets and assessments instead of thinking “about the number of people who are leaving the church and the possible reasons for this.” (1)Another bishop said of the November meetings that if he had “been watching the body’s televised sessions from the outside… we bishops ‘would’ve looked like fools.'”
Thank God someone’s watching.
As I watch myself, how do I see myself as a follower of Jesus Christ?
As people watch us, how do they see us as followers of Jesus Christ?
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is, “What Are You Watching?”
Advent is a time of watching.
The readings for this First Sunday in Advent challenge us to make dramatic changes in our lives – changing angry violent weapon words into healing words of peace – changing wasted time into servant time – waking up instead of sleeping – living in the light and not hiding in the light – realizing we only have so much time – and that we never know when “El Fin” “The End” is going to appear on the movie of our life.
What does that movie look like?
What are you thinking about yourself as you watch yourself?
What are those who are watching us – especially the generations after us watching as they watch us?
(1) I found this on the blog called, "Whispers in the Loggia." The piece is entited, "I'm Not 'Archbishop of America'", From the President's Desk, Tuesday November 23, 2010
SILENCE!
Quote for Today - November 28, 2010
"If you know the love that can lead you near to heartbreak, if you know not only the heights of ecstasy but the depths of pain, then you will know you stand before a mystery and you will be silenced."
Gerald Vann [1906-1963 ], The Heart of Man, 1945
Painting by Georges Rouault [1871-1958], De Profundis, Psalm 130, [1927]
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