WHAT’S IN YOUR CHALICE?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 8th Wednesday in Ordinary Time is, “What’s In Your Chalice?”

It’s sort of like the question in the Capital One TV commercials, “What’s in your wallet?”

What’s in your chalice?

Robert Fulghum, the minister and writer, used to ask on retreats he gave to men: “Take out your wallets and put them on the table. What’s inside your wallet tells you a lot about yourself? What’s in your wallet? What does each item tell you about yourself?”
What’s in your chalice?

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel Jesus talks about the chalice – and it triggered various thoughts and wonderings and memories and questions.

Jesus disciples are vying to be # 1. They are missing what he’s trying to teach them about life. He tells them he’s going to Jerusalem where he’s going to confront and face the big test, the big issue, what God the Father wants life to be all about. It’s going to hurt. It’s a baptism. Can you drink that chalice? They say, “Yes we can!” He says, “You will drink it!” Jesus then indicates that life is all about giving – serving – willing to lay down one’s life for others. Not so easy. Not so easy.

Can you drink that chalice?

On the altar right now is a chalice. It’s one of the two chalices used at this Mass.

When you come to communion you have the opportunity to receive the bread and the cup. Either way and both ways, one can receive Christ and be in communion with him and all here at this Mass. Your move. Your choice.

The chalice, the cup, the Holy Grail, is charged with memory, mystery, moment. Your move.

It brings us into the Last Supper, into the garden, to the Cross – and then to the Resurrection and New Life.

It’s not easy to take the chalice. Jesus hesitated in the garden to take the cup and gave a million preachers the opportunity to reflect on one of life’s great mysteries: What’s in the chalice?

PRIEST RETREAT

I’ve given many priests’ retreats. A couple of times as an evening reflection in chapels I placed an empty chalice on the altar. I said to the priests: at the end of the service you’re invited to gradually and slowly and one at a time – with pauses in between to come up to the altar – stand where you stand for Mass – and then look at the chalice and into the chalice. Everyone sees the gold outside. People know our outside, but what’s inside – in the empty spaces no one can see?

Then I asked them to calmly put all of their life so far into that chalice on the altar – all – everything – the whole story – and then add what’s to come – and then pick up that heavy chalice and offer up all to God.

One night after doing this – a few hours after doing this – I heard a knock on my door – and a priest who was on the retreat asked to talk to me – and he poured out his whole life – he poured out all that was in his chalice in front of me – and it was a great moment of grace – and he thanked me for that he saw about life – his life – that evening.

CONCLUSION

What’s in your chalice?

Today after this Mass – if I remember – senior moments are appearing in my chalice more and more – I hope to leave one chalice on the altar and invite all of you – or any of you – to come up and stand at the altar and see what’s in your chalice and then lift it up and offer all to God.