TAPE MEASURE

INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 2nd Monday in Lent is, “Tape Measure.”

MOVIE: HOOSIERS
Now that March Madness is on TV – I’m sure one of the most famous sports movies of all time will also be on: Hoosiers.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie, “Hoosiers” takes place when the Hickory high school basketball team arrives at the big arena in Indianapolis – for the state championship game. This small, small high school team are to play in this enormous arena against a big team from South Bend. The coach, Norman Dale, played by Gene Hackman, is out on the basketball court with his team. They are in street clothes. They just got off the bus. The place is empty. The coach takes a tape measure out of his pocket and asks a few of his players in the presence of the whole team to measure how high the basket is from the floor. One player climbs on the shoulders of another player and they measure it. They give the measurement. The coach then says, “It’s the same as back home in Hickory.” Then he adds – pointing to the size of the court, “It’s the same size court as well.”

HOW WE MEASURE EACH OTHER
Sometimes we wish everyone had the same measuring tape for each other – but we don’t.

Jesus is well aware of that from his comments in today’s gospel.

He takes an example from the marketplace where everything is measured out very carefully.

Jesus must have seen a businessman in the marketplace who broke all the rules when pouring out wheat or what have you into a person’s garment. He then packed it down. Then he poured in some more. Then he shook it and added more till everything was overflowing.

Now that’s the way to measure out kind judgments on others – according to Jesus.

Jesus says very bluntly:
“Be merciful,
just as your Father is merciful.
“Stop judging
and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning
and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together,
shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure
with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”
CONCLUSION: WHAT DOES YOUR MEASURING TAPE LOOK LIKE?
What would it be like to look at your measuring tape today – this day of Lent – and compare it to Jesus’ measuring stick?

We know what a ruler looks like. We know what a yardstick looks like. We know what tape measures look like.

Is our rule of thumb, ruler, or measuring rod miniscule or maxed big?

Or imagine if our measuring tape was only an inch by a quarter inch and it was like the size of the cross on our rosary or a cross around our neck. That’s a tiny cross. Then imagine if we looked up and saw this gigantic cross, this gigantic measuring stick, hanging up here in this church?

Jesus is standing here today in this court, in this church today. He’s challenging us to compare the difference between the cross and our measuring stick. Can we say what Jesus said on the cross: “Father forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing?”

Now that’s a wide measurement.

But we might say, “That cross is too heavy – that’s too difficult a way to measure others. Heck, people know what they are doing!”


Try it! You might like it! In fact, once we learn to judge others with much wider judgments, watch how we discover this heavy cross of forgiveness becomes – watch how much inner peace we have – watch how others see in our face – a more understanding heart.

Jesus has the secret of making burdens lighter!