INTERSECTIONS 

AND INSIDE STORIES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 26th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Intersections and Inside Stories.”

VACATION

I’m just back from a great vacation. 28 of us were on a Mediterannean cruise.

Most mornings we’d get off the boat and get into a bus - and head for some famous destination. Because I had a camera - most of the time I was offered the window seat. I took a lot of pictures - but most pictures were taken with my eyes.

At corners and red lights I could see lots of morning people heading to work. Who is this person with the mustache or this gal with the mini-skirt at the intersection? What is there inside story? I’d see beggars and business men - moms and dads - many men and many women on buses, cars as well as on motorcycles. Who are these people? What is their inside story? What’s going on in their lives?

TODAY’S READINGS

One day two of us went to Corinth - where they think today’s first reading of Paul to the Romans was written. There we saw ruins and rubble - big archeological digs. We saw lots of statues. Who was this person whose face still remains on a piece of marble - 2000 years later? I’d stand there are intersections - trying not to tie up people behind me - but I’d find myself wondering who were these people I’m intersecting with? What was their inside story?

In today’s first reading Paul says the invisible God and God’s attributes and story are right there in our midst every day. Do we go inside God and ask what were you thinking when you made us - as well as gnats and mosquitoes, the milky way - and millions and billions of people.

Today’s gospel has Jesus being invited to a dinner to the home of a Pharisee and they are judging Jesus for not washing his hands before eating - and Jesus goes after them for cleaning the outside of the dish but not being aware of their inside story - which could be R rated.

Jesus went inside people. He dug into their inside story - so they would know themselves better - and then become better people.

What’s my inside story? What’s inside the chalice or cup called me? Answers to these questions are primary reflection. It’s the stuff for prayer.

Getting out of my high chair in the bus and just judging people from a distance is not right. We have to meet each other at the intersections of their lives. That’s called communion and community.

Meeting God at our intersections - talking to and then about God’s inner story and our inner story. Now that’s prayer. That’s being in communion with God.

CONCLUSION: BELOW THE SURFACE

Unfortunately, we stay outside on the surface.

I was listening to Kojo Nnamdi yesterday on NPR radio on my way back here from saying the 12:10 Mass at St. John Neumann. He was talking with a man named Harold Ross about how people judge people by height and name and color and age and weight.

Someone mentioned two guys named Cable and Judge from the University of Florida. They who did a study that indicated that an inch of height is worth more than $800 a year in salary for men.

Someone mentioned that a law firm was hiring and the person hiring said she had bias about this gal just out of law school because she was stunningly beautiful - therefore she can’t be that smart. They hired her and she was that smart.

When we meet each other in the intersections of life - we need to go inside and hear the inside story on each other. Now that can be a great trip with great vistas and views.