TO MEASURE

OR NOT TO MEASURE?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 2nd Thursday after Easter is, “To Measure or Not To Measure?”

There is a sentence in today’s gospel that intrigued me,

“For the One whom God has sent
speaks the words of God;
he [or she] does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” [John 3:34].

Specifically the word “ration” grabbed me.

When that happens I go to the Greek - to see what the Greek word that the English translator chose the word “ration” for. As we know Greek is the original New Testament language. The Greek word is, “METRON” – which means a measure – the way something is measured – as in a measuring cup or a ruler.

Isn’t that a neat image?

We are familiar with various words that have “METRON” as their root: meter, metronome, metrics, metric system, etc.

JESUS AND MEASUREMENTS

Jesus seems to have noticed measuring sticks and measuring methods. Was it from his days in the carpenter shop? Was it because of how he saw Mary bake or cook or was it his observation about shopping and how things were sold in the market place?

I love the text: “… the amount you measure out is the amount you will get back …” [Cf. Mark 4:24; Luke 8:18; Luke 19:26; Matthew 13:12.]

I love the text that where Jesus says the poor widow who put two copper coins in the collection put in more than all the rest. [Cf. Luke 21: 1-4; Mark 12: 41-44.] Hello! Where did Jesus come up with this kind of a measuring method?

I love the text where Jesus tells the story about this vineyard owner who pays all the workers the same wages, no matter how many hours they worked that day. How's that for crazy bookkeeping? [Cf. Matthew 20:116.]

7 QUESTIONS

1) When you’re dishing out ice cream or cutting cake, are you cheap or very generous – especially to kids?

2) When you’re opening up your wallet to give something to a poor person, do you tend to empty out your wallet of one dollar bills not worrying about counting it – or if a 5 or a 10 or a 20 is amongst the ones – that doesn’t bother you either?

3) Do you see love as, “I scratch your back; you scratch mine.”

4) When it comes to love, do I count the cost?

5) When it comes to love and life, do I ever say, “It’s not fair!”?

6) When you’re in the box – and the rest of the people in the funeral home are talking about you, will the #1 word, heard, be, “generous”?

7) If you had a had a choice of having a favorite prayer and it came down to these two, which one would you choose? 1) The prayer of Solomon: “Lord, give me an understanding heart!” or 2) “Lord, give me a generous heart and hands.”

CONCLUSION

John says in today’s gospel that Jesus, the One whom God has sent, does not ration his gift of the Spirit.

So Jesus is the generous one – so why am I approaching him with a thimble or a Styrofoam cup, when I can show up as the Grand Canyon or the bottom of Niagara Falls?

Now that's Divine Mercy. Now that's Copious Redemption!  [1]



NOTE

1) Check out my homily, "Divine Mercy" for the 2nd Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday or Doubting Thomas Sunday.