GO FIGURE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this Second Sunday in Lent is, “Go Figure.”
That’s one of those sayings one hears from time to time.
“Go Figure!”
Something strange happens. A person surprises us by doing something we didn’t expect – and we say, “Go figure!” Sometimes we say it with a shrug of the shoulders or a twist of the hand – in an either/or motion or what have you.
“Go Figure!”
It can be a good surprise or a bad surprise. Either way, to say, “Go Figure” usually has an element of intrigue or the unknown or mystery in the situation. So it can be a day when everything goes right and we didn’t expect there would be no traffic and we got all the lights and so we arrive ten minutes ahead of time and the doctor sees us immediately and we’re back on the road a half hour ahead of what we planned and we say, “Go Figure.”
SPENDING TIME – SPENDING LIFE
We spend much of our time and much of life trying to figure out life.
To be more specific: we spend much of our time trying to figure out what we want out of life. We try to figure out work; what would be the right job? We try to figure out how parents figured out life. We try to figure out what others are thinking. Go figure. We might be listening to music or the car radio or a sermon – but we are really listening to ourselves figuring out someone else – or something someone said last week or just yesterday or we’re trying to figure out what kind of car to buy – or house to buy – or house to sell – or what to do when the kids finally move out – or what have you. Will Maryland get a new basketball coach so the Terps can be in March Madness.
Go figure.
The title of my homily for this Second Sunday in Lent is, “Go Figure.”
That’s one of those sayings one hears from time to time.
“Go Figure!”
Something strange happens. A person surprises us by doing something we didn’t expect – and we say, “Go figure!” Sometimes we say it with a shrug of the shoulders or a twist of the hand – in an either/or motion or what have you.
“Go Figure!”
It can be a good surprise or a bad surprise. Either way, to say, “Go Figure” usually has an element of intrigue or the unknown or mystery in the situation. So it can be a day when everything goes right and we didn’t expect there would be no traffic and we got all the lights and so we arrive ten minutes ahead of time and the doctor sees us immediately and we’re back on the road a half hour ahead of what we planned and we say, “Go Figure.”
SPENDING TIME – SPENDING LIFE
We spend much of our time and much of life trying to figure out life.
To be more specific: we spend much of our time trying to figure out what we want out of life. We try to figure out work; what would be the right job? We try to figure out how parents figured out life. We try to figure out what others are thinking. Go figure. We might be listening to music or the car radio or a sermon – but we are really listening to ourselves figuring out someone else – or something someone said last week or just yesterday or we’re trying to figure out what kind of car to buy – or house to buy – or house to sell – or what to do when the kids finally move out – or what have you. Will Maryland get a new basketball coach so the Terps can be in March Madness.
Go figure.
God? Is this all real? What’s with earthquakes and tsunamis and war and Islam and terrorism and why didn’t Libya fall just like Tunisia and Egypt? And how does this all work? Does nature hate a vacuum? Is the world uneasy with peace? As soon as the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall and the threat of communism fell – then something new starts up with Islam.
Go figure!
Why do we spend all this money on wars and helping up other nation’s defenses – and the money could be used for education or farming or what have you? How does the world work? Is it all about oil or the economy or greed or control or we’re # 1 and want to be #1 – as in sports? Now that we have TV and Internet News 24/7/365 – do we need to have fighting or killing somewhere – to have news?
Go Figure
TODAY’S GOSPEL – TODAY’S GOOD NEWS
Today’s gospel presents the great story of the Transfiguration.
Go figure!
Why do we spend all this money on wars and helping up other nation’s defenses – and the money could be used for education or farming or what have you? How does the world work? Is it all about oil or the economy or greed or control or we’re # 1 and want to be #1 – as in sports? Now that we have TV and Internet News 24/7/365 – do we need to have fighting or killing somewhere – to have news?
Go Figure
TODAY’S GOSPEL – TODAY’S GOOD NEWS
Today’s gospel presents the great story of the Transfiguration.
This second part of the word “transfiguration” triggered the thought, title and theme for this homily. “…..figuration.” Go figure.
Jesus goes up a high mountain with 3 close friends and he is transfigured before them. He goes up there to figure things out.
The disciples can’t figure out what is happening. Jesus’ face shines like the sun and his clothes become white as light. They see Moses and Elijah appearing to Jesus – and he is talking with them.
What’s going on here? Uh oh. This is all new! What’s happening?
Go figure. Imagine being there? We’d be trying to figure it out as well.
Peter, James and John want to stay there. They need more time.
Peter says, “Lord it is good that we are here. We can set up 3 tents: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
Then they see a cloud come over them and they hear a voice from the cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Often listening is the first part of figuring.
This story is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke – so evidently it was an important moment in the life of Jesus and these disciples.
ISRAEL 2000In January of 2000, I had the trip of a lifetime for a priest – Israel – and it wasn’t just a tour of Israel – it was a retreat with about 25 priests.
It was a chance to go figure full blast – for 10 days.
Jesus goes up a high mountain with 3 close friends and he is transfigured before them. He goes up there to figure things out.
The disciples can’t figure out what is happening. Jesus’ face shines like the sun and his clothes become white as light. They see Moses and Elijah appearing to Jesus – and he is talking with them.
What’s going on here? Uh oh. This is all new! What’s happening?
Go figure. Imagine being there? We’d be trying to figure it out as well.
Peter, James and John want to stay there. They need more time.
Peter says, “Lord it is good that we are here. We can set up 3 tents: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
Then they see a cloud come over them and they hear a voice from the cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Often listening is the first part of figuring.
This story is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke – so evidently it was an important moment in the life of Jesus and these disciples.
ISRAEL 2000In January of 2000, I had the trip of a lifetime for a priest – Israel – and it wasn’t just a tour of Israel – it was a retreat with about 25 priests.
It was a chance to go figure full blast – for 10 days.
I told Father Stephen Doyle – a Franciscan priest who was our guide and retreat master – that I had a lot of things I wanted to see.
He asked, “For example?”
I said I wanted to see, a mustard tree, the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, sheep and goats, a sycamore tree, Gehenna, the Dead Sea, the Mosque in Jerusalem that is just above the Wailing Wall. I wanted to see the Lake of Galilee, the Jordan River. I wanted to see grapes – and wheat – a wine press and an outdoor oven.
So when we went by any of those things he’d yell out from the front of our bus, “Costello there’s a sycamore tree coming up on our left.”
The only place and the only thing we didn’t get to see was Samaria and hopefully the possible well where Jesus meet the woman – which is the story in next Sunday’s’ gospel.
The trip up to the top of the mountain – Mount Tabor - the so called place of the transfiguration was one of the big surprises of the trip.
We drove by from our hotel on the Lake of Tiberius – also called Galilee – to the base of the mountain. It’s pretty high. We got out of our bus and entered into white Mercedes Benz taxis. They took us – zig zag – up to the top. That was different. We had Mass up there – followed by an hour of quiet prayer after Mass – and the gospel reading at Mass obviously was today’s gospel.
Since it was a retreat we had an hour of silence – time for quiet prayer – up there on the top of that mountain. I found a great spot on the roof of some building up there. I was all by myself – looking out on the vast green fields down below of that part of northern Israel. Great farms. Artificial watering.
It was a time to go figure. I thought about Jesus – whether this was the actual mountain. I figured out that it really didn’t make any difference. I said to myself – “This whole land here was walked by Jesus and I’m following in his footsteps – by foot but mostly by bus.”
I understood Martin Luther King Jr’s famous, “I’ve been to the mountain” speech. When you’re on a mountain, the old saying is so true, “On a clear day you can see forever.”
I thought about life – being a priest – about the people I met – and all the blessings I’ve received so far.
I realized how blessed I was to have backpacked a lot when I was younger – in the Rockies as well as the Presidential range of mountains in New Hampshire – but back then I didn’t see what I was seeing that day. Old eyes can see a lot more than younger eyes.
Then the hour was up and we went down to a Franciscan rectory up there – and had this great Italian dinner. We had a meatball and spaghetti dinner and great bread on the transfiguration mountain. Go figure. It was good to have been there.
Then we took the white Mercedes cabs back to the bus.
CONCLUISION: REFIGURING
To come up with a Lenten type homily and to try to make a helpful point, the word refiguring hit me. I could also use the word, “reconfigure”.
But refigure works.
I would think Lent is a good time to get away from it all.
Lent is a good time to go figure.
Lent is a good time to become quiet – to take walks – to spring – to rise – to resurrect – to listen to God the Father say to us – “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Lent is a good time to plan ahead and look backwards. When were the transfiguration moments in my life – when I saw everything clear and bright and right. More.
Lent is a good time to look at any parts of my life that have become disfigured – and become refigured – reconfigured.
And when this happens in Lent – here in church – or on a nice spring walk – or just sitting in a good quiet place at home – and we realize we’re with Jesus – we say, “Lord it is good to be here.”
He asked, “For example?”
I said I wanted to see, a mustard tree, the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, sheep and goats, a sycamore tree, Gehenna, the Dead Sea, the Mosque in Jerusalem that is just above the Wailing Wall. I wanted to see the Lake of Galilee, the Jordan River. I wanted to see grapes – and wheat – a wine press and an outdoor oven.
So when we went by any of those things he’d yell out from the front of our bus, “Costello there’s a sycamore tree coming up on our left.”
The only place and the only thing we didn’t get to see was Samaria and hopefully the possible well where Jesus meet the woman – which is the story in next Sunday’s’ gospel.
The trip up to the top of the mountain – Mount Tabor - the so called place of the transfiguration was one of the big surprises of the trip.
We drove by from our hotel on the Lake of Tiberius – also called Galilee – to the base of the mountain. It’s pretty high. We got out of our bus and entered into white Mercedes Benz taxis. They took us – zig zag – up to the top. That was different. We had Mass up there – followed by an hour of quiet prayer after Mass – and the gospel reading at Mass obviously was today’s gospel.
Since it was a retreat we had an hour of silence – time for quiet prayer – up there on the top of that mountain. I found a great spot on the roof of some building up there. I was all by myself – looking out on the vast green fields down below of that part of northern Israel. Great farms. Artificial watering.
It was a time to go figure. I thought about Jesus – whether this was the actual mountain. I figured out that it really didn’t make any difference. I said to myself – “This whole land here was walked by Jesus and I’m following in his footsteps – by foot but mostly by bus.”
I understood Martin Luther King Jr’s famous, “I’ve been to the mountain” speech. When you’re on a mountain, the old saying is so true, “On a clear day you can see forever.”
I thought about life – being a priest – about the people I met – and all the blessings I’ve received so far.
I realized how blessed I was to have backpacked a lot when I was younger – in the Rockies as well as the Presidential range of mountains in New Hampshire – but back then I didn’t see what I was seeing that day. Old eyes can see a lot more than younger eyes.
Then the hour was up and we went down to a Franciscan rectory up there – and had this great Italian dinner. We had a meatball and spaghetti dinner and great bread on the transfiguration mountain. Go figure. It was good to have been there.
Then we took the white Mercedes cabs back to the bus.
CONCLUISION: REFIGURING
To come up with a Lenten type homily and to try to make a helpful point, the word refiguring hit me. I could also use the word, “reconfigure”.
But refigure works.
I would think Lent is a good time to get away from it all.
Lent is a good time to go figure.
Lent is a good time to become quiet – to take walks – to spring – to rise – to resurrect – to listen to God the Father say to us – “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Lent is a good time to plan ahead and look backwards. When were the transfiguration moments in my life – when I saw everything clear and bright and right. More.
Lent is a good time to look at any parts of my life that have become disfigured – and become refigured – reconfigured.
And when this happens in Lent – here in church – or on a nice spring walk – or just sitting in a good quiet place at home – and we realize we’re with Jesus – we say, “Lord it is good to be here.”
Post card on top is entitled, "Springtime In The Galilee Mt. Tabor".
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