WHAT HAPPENED

TO THE PILLOW?

INTRODUCTION: PILLOWS

The title of my homily for this 13th  Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “What Happened to the Pillow.”

We’ve all had the experience of saying sometime in our life, “What happened to the pillow?”

It fell off the bed and our head wants that pillow. Someone else is sitting in our favorite seat and is sitting with our favorite pillow - as if it were their lap dog. Or someone reached for our favorite pillow on our favorite couch or chair as if it was for anyone - just anyone - to take. Or someone borrowed it and went upstairs or downstairs with OUR pillow.

What happened to our pillow?

CAN I GET YOU A PILLOW?

We also have had the experience somewhere along the line when someone said to us, “Can I get you a pillow?”

That’s one of those little things in life - that makes life sweeter for the other person.

It has never happened to me, but I find it a nice moment to be on a plane and the steward or stewardess or airline attendant says to someone, “Can I get you a pillow?” Nice.

It’s a nice moment to be watching a football game or a movie and one is on a couch or an easy chair and someone says to someone else, “Can I get you a pillow?” Nice.

It’s a nice moment when visiting someone - and they give you a room for the night - and they say to you the next morning, “Did you have a good sleep?” Then, “Were the pillows okay?”

I always say, “Great!” I can’t tell the difference between one pillow and another, any more than I can tell the difference between spaghetti and spaghetti - and chicken soup and chicken soup. There are people who can taste and tell differences, etc. There are people who know that St. John Neumann Church has cushions and St. Mary’s doesn’t. I was talking to a woman last night who thinks St. Mary’s benches are a torture device - made that way to provide penance for people for their sins. There are some people who always sit in the same seat in church and know the difference. Amazing.

This question about, “Were the pillows okay?” is very interesting and intriguing to me - and I notice it because I have gone on about 20 + retreats with our high school kids and have given over 100 h.s. retreats in my life - and there are always kids getting off the bus with their own pillows. Is it their security blanket or what have you?

We have a family story. My brother and my sister were talking once at our mom’s house. Mom was somewhere else. Somehow the conversation of the pillow in the guest room came up. My brother said, “That pillow is really hard. In fact, it’s horrible.” My sister Peggy said, “When I sleep here I also find it hard and horrible - but guess what? Once I told mom about it and she said, ‘Billy likes hard pillows!’”

Isn’t life fascinating? Don’t the little things in life, make life interesting?

I was going to entitle this homily, “Can I Get You a Pillow?”

However, “What Happened to the Pillow?” has more of a hook or a grab to it. I’m hoping someone is saying, “What has this pillow talk to do with today’s readings?”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

We heard the story about Jesus crossing the lake in today’s gospel.

Jesus is sleeping in the boat. A storm comes up. The disciples panic and wake up Jesus - who calms down the weather - and says, “You guys don’t have much faith!?”

In Mark and Luke the same story appears - but Mark has one detail that Matthew and Luke leave out. Mark says Jesus was asleep in the boat with his head on a pillow. The Greek word in Mark 4: 38 - on a pillow or cushion is proskephalaion. Notice the Greek word kephale. It’s the word for head. The English word “cephalic” - which is not used that often - might be familiar. It’s a word used to refer to the skull or the head.

Now every time I read the story in Matthew and Luke, I ask, “What happened t the pillow?” How come they left out the pillow?

Answer: I would assume that that detail was not important to Matthew and Luke.

We know that there are people who miss the little things that make life sweeter for the other person. And there are some people who are very aware of the little things in life - what another likes and doesn’t like, what bothers people - what makes one’s day - what drives one crazy - what comforts another.

So a message for today: Think pillows. Think little things. Think thinking about little things like pillows.

Thinking people think of the next person.

CONCLUSION

When my sister Mary and her husband were celebrating their 50th Wedding anniversary, one of their daughters, Monica, gave everyone a favor - a tiny something as a memento. I had just finished this homily last night, and I noticed it on my bookshelf. Let me close with a reading of this small piece entitled, “Little Things Mean a Lot.” It’s a song written by Edith Lindeman and Carl Stutz (1953). You might have heard it somewhere along the line. Come to think about it, it’s much better than this sermon 1000 times over. Amen.

LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT

Blow me a kiss across the room

Say I look nice when I’m not

Touch my hair as you pass my chair

Little things mean a lot

Give me your arm as we cross the street

Call me at six on the dot

A line a day when you’re far away

Little things mean a lot

Don’t have to buy me diamonds or pearls

Champagne, sables or such

I never cared much for diamonds and pearls

'Cause honestly, honey, they just cost money

Give me your hand when I’ve lost my way

Give me your shoulder to cry on

Whether the day is bright or gray

Give me your heart to rely on

Send me the warmth of a secret smile

To show me you haven’t forgot

For always and ever, now and forever

Little things mean a lot