Saturday, September 3, 2011


STICKY! STICKY!


OPENING: STATING THE PROBLEM

Today’s readings for this 23 Sunday in Ordinary Time A challenge us with one of life’s stickiest problems: to warn or not to warn; to correct or not to correct; to blow the whistle or not to blow the whistle?

Who wants to rock the boat? Who wants to upset the apple cart? Who wants to be called nosey or a busybody? Who of us wants to be seen as a snitch? Didn’t Jesus say, “Let the one without sin cast the first stone”?

A mom is shopping with two close friends at a mall a good two hours away from where they live. It’s lunch time, so one of the ladies says, “I know a good restaurant just down the road from here.”

The restaurant is crowded – but the three get seated in a back corner. “Uh, oh!” Over the top of her menu, the mom sees her married daughter in a booth on the other side of the restaurant with a man other than her husband. And they are being “lovey dovey”. The daughter doesn’t spot her mother. And thank goodness, the other two ladies don’t spot the mother spotting her daughter and the man she’s with.

So the mother tries to keep cool and not let the other ladies know what she’s noticing. Her daughter is not facing her. The mother sees them stand up to leave. They are holding hands on the way out. Arms and shoulders are touching. She mutters to herself another inner, “Uh, oh!” They go outside – out of view for a moment – but surprise, she sees both of them through the restaurant window in the parking lot giving each other a kiss goodbye. Both get into their separate cars. Yes, it’s her daughters maroon Camry.

Obviously, the mom didn’t enjoy the lunch with her friends. The other two ladies didn’t seem to notice. She was wondering, “What do I do now? What about the 3 grandkids? Is the marriage finished? Keep cool! Keep calm. Do I tell my daughter or someone who might do something, if something could be done?” Obviously, she didn’t taste the chef salad she ordered – nor the pie a la mode she had for dessert out of nervousness. What to do?

A husband, a boss, a priest, a wife, a son, a daughter, a parent, is drinking too much. What to do?

A college basketball referee is gambling. He doesn’t know it, but another referee, whom he is going to do a game with, is around a corner on the other side of the locker room. Thinking he is alone he makes a phone call to place some bets before the game. The other referee overhears him. During the game he keeps wondering about some key calls the other ref makes. Is he or isn’t he? What to do?

An accountant in a big company begins to spot some “funny” numbers. Are we begin “Enroned”? Are we? But she has one kid in college and two kids in a private high school and her husband is out of work the last four months and so she really needs this job. What to do?

HOMILETIC REFLECTIONS

Today’s readings deal with this basic issue of speaking up – of warning others – of blowing the whistle – of correcting others.

In today’s first reading, Ezekiel is appointed watchman for the house of Israel. He is called upon to watch the people and when wicked, to warn them. This is the prophet’s calling; this is the prophet’s job.

Still stronger, Ezekiel says, if the watchman sees a danger and doesn’t sound a warning, he or she is responsible for all the disasters and damage that result.

As one glides through the Old Testament, this image of the watchman on the walls of the city is common. Like a rooster he cries out when “Morning has broken!” But his main job was to walk the walls or stand in a watchtower and spot possible enemies. The watchman was the eyes and ears of a city.

And obviously, prophets being poets, would use this image of watchman for their call to warn the people of sins that could destroy them.

Prophets and preachers are called to yell out “the Word of the Lord”. They are called to speak “the Mind of God”. They are to tell people “the Will of God”. This is an awesome responsibility. At times it can be awfully dangerous. It can land a prophet in jail or in a pit or on a cross.

Is warning others everyone’s call? Is it the call of the every Christian?

Today’s gospel touches on this touchy situation as well: the call to correct a brother or sister who sins against us.

But let’s be honest, who of us wants to correct others? Who wants to be told, “Mind your own business?” Who wants to be called “a mud slinger”? Who wants to run the risk of having mud thrown back in one’s face? People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones or mud.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Today’s readings give us the issue, the motive and a method for warning, confronting or blowing the whistle on another person.

Ezekiel tells us when to do it. Paul tells us why to do it. Jesus tells us how to do it.

Ezekiel tells us to warn people when they are in deadly danger. It’s very simple: we scream when it’s a matter of life and death.

It can also be very complicated. We hesitate when we are not sure whether it’s a matter of life and death.

If we see a kid out in the street and a car is heading right at her, we scream or run out to save the kid or try to stop the car. When we see kids playing with matches, we grab the matches. But what about letting kids learn the hard way? Sometimes it might be the best way. We’ve all seen cute scenes in old movies when a father lets a little kid take a sip of his beer and the kid goes, “Uooh, uooh, ugly taste!”

Kids need to be challenged, corrected, but they also need to grow, to be allowed to make mistakes, to figure things out. They also need to be encouraged, affirmed, and given a chance to show their stuff in the classroom, on the playing field, and at home. Smart parents, teachers and coaches know that some kids respond better to a pat on the back, while others respond better to “a yell in the face.”

But what about adults? Obviously, here is where this issue becomes very tricky. Timing is everything. If an adult is abusing a child and we are sure about it, obviously the time to act is now! If the problem is adults with adults, we have to ask the basic question: is this problem deadly or very dangerous to them or others? If the answer is yes, then we need to act. We need to speak up. We also need to be prudent. We need to weigh the consequences. Is my speaking up going to make the situation better or worse? Is this person going to make me pay for my comments the rest of my life?

We know all this. We’ve been in these situations at various times in our life. Sometimes we act and sometimes we step back. Sometimes we’re a chicken and we walk away and sometimes we’re a rooster and we give the other a wake up call.

Obviously, the real tricky stuff is the gray areas. That’s when we do a lot of inner talking and worrying about the sticky situations of life.

The Talmud says, “Teach thy tongue to say, ‘I do not know.’”

Often we don’t know the whole story. We haven’t walked in another’s “moccasins” or “sins” for one mile.

The New Testament talks much more about forgiving than correcting others. While reading the Gospels, isn’t it amazing how much Jesus puts up with the idiosyncrasies of others – especially his disciples?

So there are moments to be quiet and there are moments to speak up. And if the moments of speaking up are too much and too often, hopefully someone will speak up to us about our tendency to be always correcting others. It’s a warning signal if we find ourselves always wanting to correct others at work or in our regular circles. Maybe we voted ourselves into the position of the town crier – but there wasn’t an election – and we only got one vote for the job – our own.

People who are overweight mention they often get diets, suggestions, comments from their thinner friends. “Enough already!” People who are overweight vent to their closest friends, “I don’t need to hear people tell me everyday that I am overweight. Don’t they know fat people are beating on themselves every day? Don’t they know we don’t need others to beat on us as well. One is enough!”

All this is tricky, so we need to look at our motives – the why question. Motives are keys. Checking our motives can help us untie some of the knots in sticky situations. Why should the mother who saw her daughter in the restaurant in an apparent “wrong” relationship need to do something? Why should the referee who overheard his fellow referee making bets over the phone need to blow the whistle in some way? Why should family members or friends or co-workers of an alcoholic scream or try to intervene?

The motive always has to be one’s love for the other person. In today’s second reading Paul tells us love is the debt that binds us together. That’s what we owe each other. When we do that we fulfill the law. Paul stresses that the Golden Rule, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” is underneath the commandments not to commit adultery, not to steal, not to covet, “and whatever other commandment there may be.”

The why question is crucial. If our motive for “correcting” another is to “get” another, then we need to stop right there and not go any further. Case closed. We don’t have to go to the “how” question, because the “why” question shows that our motive is flawed. We might be avoiding the logs in our own eye by seeing spots in our brother or sister’s eyes.

But, if our motive is love, and what’s going on with this other person is killing them and others, we need to move to the how question.

We need to reflect upon Jesus’ method of correcting others as found in today’s gospel.

We’ve all heard Jesus’ method of fraternal correction since we were kids. First go to the person one to one. If that doesn’t work, go to him or her a second time with two or three witnesses. If that doesn’t work, go to the church community with the problem. If that doesn’t work, then exclude him or her from the community.

Sounds good on paper, but it’s very difficult in practice. It’s much easier to talk to people in our minds or behind their back, but face to face is the place most of us want to avoid.

Sometimes speaking to another works; sometimes it doesn’t. Well planned “professional” intervention into the life of someone who is really messed up with drugs, or alcohol or gambling, has helped people. Sometimes it takes many such interventions. Sometimes it’s a disaster.

It’s never easy. And we all know the human tendency is to take the easy way out. We saw this in the rash of newspaper stories this year about sexual abuse by the clergy. We wish away problems. We sweep them under the rug – only to have them trip us up as we walk into the future.

This is painful stuff. This is tough love stuff. This is sticky, sticky stuff.

Today’s gospel wisely closes with words of Jesus about prayer. If all else fails, pray. If all else fails, gather with two or three trusted friends and pray for the person who is messing up their life. Maybe in prayer we’ll see that our motives are flawed or we definitely do have deep love for the other. Maybe we’ll see another solution, because we got deeper into the Golden Rule, and considered how we would like to be challenged or corrected if we were messing up our life this way. Maybe then we can go out with these friends to a nice restaurant, have a good meal together and really enjoy the taste of pie a la mode.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 This is a published homily I did for Markings in 2002.
OPTIMIST - PESSIMIST


September  3,  2011

Quote for Today

"An optimist may see a light where there is none, buy why must the pessimist always run to blow it out."


Michel de Saint-Pierre

Friday, September 2, 2011


BREAD AND WINE


INTRODUCTION

The title of homily for this 22 Friday in Ordinary Time is, “Bread and Wine.”

Today’s gospel talks about a wedding banquet - food glorious food - while talking about just the opposite - fasting - not taking food. Then at the end of our short gospel reading for today we hear about wine. [Cf. Luke 5:33-39.]

Most Christians know about fasting - not from religious practice - as much as part of the process for certain medical tests. We all know about wedding banquets. How many weddings does a person attend in a lifetime? Do women like going to weddings more than men? Is it an obligation? Is it a want to? “Stop complaining, honey, it’s your brother’s daughter. Okay, I know, they live way out there in Des Moines. That’s going to be an expensive trip and things are tight. But we're going, right?”

Some questions: What is Luke trying to get his community of listeners to reflect upon in today’s gospel? Is it people who are off on the fasting as a way of trying to look better than others? Is it the question of people wanting to change other people? They still haven’t figured out the number one issue in life is the issue of people wanting to change other people into their image and likeness. Is it people who don’t see life as a banquet - and they want to drag people down to their sadness?

More questions: How does God see life? Is it a wedding or a funeral? What’s this stuff about the old and the new which we hear about in today’s gospel? I know the difference between a baby’s skin compared to the skin on the inside of the right or left arm just above the elbow of a 78 year old person - poolside. There's a difference between new cloth and old cloth - as mentioned in today’s gospel. There is a difference at weddings between the dress on a 22 year old gal with great big heels and her grandmother in a gray blue dress with big unglossy pearls  around her neck that were her grandmother's.

After reflecting upon these images and issues,  I wasn't sure what to preach on, so I decided in this homily to say something about bread and wine.

Wait a minute! I can understand talking about wine, it's in today's gospel,  but where did you get the bread from?
You’re right.

The mention of wine triggered for me its connection with bread.

Hence the title of my homily is: “Bread and Wine”.

We know about both. They are as basic as a kitchen or dining room table and a chair. And the image of a kitchen or dining room table triggers eating.

And there are always at every meal two things: eating and drinking.

I was going to say “You'll find bread and wine at every meal”. That’s true for Italy and various other cultures. However, most of the time one doesn’t find bread at Chinese Restaurants - and not everyone drinks wine. For their drink, they might prefer beer or pop or milk or water.

So I’m being generic here. At every meal there are food and drink.

Then there are also words. Words are an important ingredient at every meal - that is, unless we eat alone. Yet, even then we talk to ourselves - or some people grab for some words from a newspaper or magazine or book or they have the TV or radio on.

THE MASS

I preambled all of the above to get to the Mass. I see the Mass as bread and wine and words - and people.

What’s your take on the Mass?

Do you think meal? If you do, then you understand a regular inner question I often ask myself:  Why don’t people get the Mass?

The Mass is basic meal.

That’s my main stress about the Mass.

People get meals, so by pushing that I assume they can get the Mass?

TWO MEALS

The Mass is based on 2 meals.

The first meal was the last meal that the Jews had before they escaped from Egypt to head for the Promised Land. When the call, the warning came, the bread didn’t have time to rise. So they celebrated that escape with a memory meal -  forever afterwards - and with unleavened bread. They also had wine. And the Passover Meal ever after had bread and wine - unleavened bread and various cups of wine. In time, because they pulled the whole exit, exodus, escape off, it became an annual Thanksgiving Meal. It was celebrated every year at the time of a full moon. It was springtime - resurrection time - new budding life time. Thank you, God, thank you.

The second meal was that same Passover Meal. However, this was a specific one. It was the one Jesus celebrated the night before he died. It was his Last Supper. During that meal he said some powerful things - and gave us this Thanksgiving Meal - we've been celebrating ever since. It was in  the spring - with full moon - with unleavened bread and wine - several cups of wine. It also had the paschal lamb that was slain for the meal - along with the bitter herbs, etc. to remind everyone that life is not just the sweet, but also the bitter.

We get the story.

We know how meals work.

So we know the Mass.

Read my book. I have a whole book on the Mass - which I wrote a few years ago. It has all this in it and a lot more. But none of you read it, because the 3 different publishers I sent it to, sent it back with a rejection notice. I know rejection slips. Every writer does.

I’ll put this homily on my blog and maybe some publisher will read it -and give me a call. Actually I’m looking for an e-publisher or an e-publisher agent - because I have 8 books - that could be e-books right now.
Back to bread and wine - back to the Mass - after that advertisement.

OLD AND NEW - FRESH AND STALE

It also struck me last night that today’s gospel talks about old wine and old skins - new wine and new skins - old cloth and old patches - new cloth and new patches. It makes the point not to switch - otherwise things aren’t going to work.

Those images of skins and cloth - packaging and clothing - are also as basic as bread and wine.

It  also hit me that bread doesn't age as well as wine. Wine as today's gospel points out can get better with age. Bread on the other hand can become stale - but it seems less because it's unleavened.  This  is the bread that is given out in communion. We believe it's Jesus the Lord . Then we put what is left over into the breadbox -  the tabernacle. The practice with wine - The Precious Blood - differers. We don't store it after Mass.
Question: could we switch to leavened bread - to make it taste more like bread - so that people would make the connection of the altar table with the dining room table?

Answer: it’s not out of the question - but in the Western Church - the tradition has been unleavened bread.

It’s not out of the question because the Orthodox Churches and Uniate Eastern Churches, one receives leavened bread.

THE UPCOMING CHANGES IN THE MASS

We had a staff meeting yesterday concerning the upcoming changes in the Mass that start next Advent.

One of the reasons I’m talking a bit about the Mass today is because of that meeting yesterday. All of us said we’d be talking a big more about the Mass till next Advent.

Use of leavened bread is not one of the changes.

Question: if you could make 5 changes in the Mass, what would your five changes be?

Questions: if you’ve been a Catholic since 1965, you’ve seen changes in the Mass in your lifetime? Do you remember what you thought and felt back then when we switched over to English and the priest faced the people, etc. What are 5 things you liked about when that happened? What have you got used to that you like?

Question: what are the changes that are about to happen this Advent?

Sit down with bread and wine - and chat with each other about your take on what the Mass means to you.

Being here today - it’s not a Sunday - you’re telling yourself and everyone else that this getting together - to share bread and wine and words - is important to you.

CONCLUSION

I’m sure someone will suggest one change in the Mass would be no sermons or shorter ones. This sermon would be an argument for that position - because it feels like a patch job to me. Enough with the excuses.

In the meanwhile, the Mass is still basic meal - bread, wine, words, and people receiving and chewing, digesting and sipping and drinking up the Lord.

In the meanwhile the Mass is still the Passover Meal - what is there in my life that I have to pass over and where do I have to exit from and exodus to?

In the meanwhile, as we heard in today’s first reading, Jesus holds all things together. Thank God.



+++++++++++++++++++++

Painting on top: Detail of the Last Supper by the Dutch Artist, Joos van Cleve [1485-1540] - Louve, Paris


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS

September  2,  2011

Quote for Today

"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression."

Peter Galbraith in Christopher Hitchens' book, Hitch-22 - on page 307

Thursday, September 1, 2011

THE MOMENTS 
THAT MAKE 
THE MEMORIES


September  1,  2011

Quote for Today  September 1, 2011

"Who will tell whether one happy moment of love, or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies."

Erich Fromm

Wednesday, August 31, 2011


PSALM 52


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily  for this 22 Wednesday in Ordinary Time is, “Psalm 52”.

That’s the Psalm that is used today between the First reading and today’s Gospel. I only heard of one priest in my whole life, Father Pat McGarrity, who preached on the Psalms. I heard that he preached on the Psalm in between the readings for a whole year in his parish up in Pennsylvania. Interesting.

In the past three years I’ve been preaching more on the First Reading during the week - just to be challenged - and to learn more and be enriched more. The Psalms are sitting there waiting. I’ve given about 10 retreats on the Psalms - and I’ve often had the thought, “Why not offer a program here in the parish on the psalms - say for an hour - like Deacon Norcio gave on Saint Paul?” Time, laziness, lots of other jobs and the question: would people show up?

The title of my homily for today is, “Psalm 52.”

And today we’re only getting 2 verses of the Psalm - the last two verses 10 and 11, so the whole first section of the Psalm is not heard. That often happens in the liturgy. They simply want to use something from the Psalms as an interlude - especially a musical interlude. The early tradition was the Psalm was sung and the crowd sang the response - as we do here in most Sunday Masses.

BACKGROUND AND  CONTEXT

Let me take a moment to give the whole context of the Psalm. So I would like to say a few words about the Psalm and then recite the whole Psalm.

The two verses we heard, the last two verses, are very positive.

The whole Psalm up to verse 10 is quite nasty and negative.

The Psalm gives us a choice. Do I rely on God or do I rely on myself and use my tongue to get at and deal with other people that annoy me or I don’t care for?

The Psalm uses David as a central character. People are attacking him with words - making fun of him with choice comments. How does he respond?

He responds that he relies on God - and as a result he’s like an olive tree that is flourishing in God’s temple. He responds by saying that he is praising God - because God helps those who trust in him.

That’s the Psalm in a nutshell. So we have a choice to rely on God or on ourselves alone and our tongue - to fight, to cut, to stab back.

TWO TRANSLATIONS

Let me give two translations of Psalm 52. The first is the published and close to the Hebrew translation. I better add that I tweaked it a bit - based on various translations of it - so as to make it as clear as possible. I have a theory that the Psalms got their prestige because of the tune and sound - like our popular music - more than their words - so if they are not sung - I want to help them a bit with the best translation. The second will be my translation - more free flowing - because I like to do that as a hobby from time to time. I think I’ve done about 17 of the 150 Psalms so far.


                                      PSALM 52

                   Why do you boast of evil, O hero?
                   God’s kindness is all day long,
                   so why does your tongue devise                          disasters?


                   Your tongue is like a well-                                sharpened razor,
                   ready for deceit.


                   You love evil better than good,
                   a lie more than telling the truth.


                  You love all destructive words
                  from your tongue of deceit.


                 God surely will smash you forever,
                 sweep you up and pull you out of                      your tent,
                 root your children from the land of                    the living.


                And the righteous will see this and                   be in dread
                and laugh over you and say,
               “Look at the man who does not make
                God his stronghold,
               who trusts in his great wealth,
               who should be strong, but he’s a                        disaster!


               I, for my part, I am like a verdant                      olive tree
               in the house of our God.
               I trust in God’s kindness forevermore.
               I shall praise You forever,
               for You have acted and I have hoped                  in Your name,
               for you have been so good to your                      faithful ones.


                              PSALM 52

               Why are you so full of yourself,
               you who think yourself so perfect.


              Think of your tongue. It’s a sword
               and your mouth is its scabbard.


             You pull it out - sharpen it -
             making it razor sharp
             and then you slice people up
             with your razor sharp words.


            Your tongue is all lies.
            No truth comes out of your mouth.


           But don’t look now, you’re going
           to lose all those around you -
           especially your own children
           and those of your own house.


           People will be scared of you,
           but they will also be laughing at you
           behind your back.


           So you have a choice - to trust in                      yourself,
           in what you think are riches and                        valuable
           or you can trust in the mercy and                      goodness of God -
           and if you do, you’ll flourish
           like an olive tree in God’s temple.

ANALYSIS 
SELF 
AND OTHER




Quote for Today  - August 31,  2011

"The analysis  of character is the highest human entertainment."


Isaac Bashevis Singer [1902-1991]













Tuesday, August 30, 2011


WAKE UP!


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 22 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Wake Up!”

In spirituality and in psychology, in prayer and mediation, in various religions, a theme that pops up from time to time is, “Awakening!”

As Catholics we hear about it every year in Advent.

And here it is this morning in today’s first reading. Paul is telling the folks at Thessalonica - as he’ll tell the folks in Rome, “It’s time to wake up.” [1]

Wake up!

QUESTION

What have been the wake up calls in my life?

Was it a teacher or a coach that burst our balloon or ego bubble, who said, “Wake up or you’re going to fail!” or “Unless you show some improvement, you’re going to be sitting on the bench every game!”

Or was it not making the team - or being dumped by someone you fell in love with? Or was it a cancer scare or a death or a loss of a job?

What have been the wake up calls in my life?

Wake up!

BUDDHA

The Buddha found the light - the inner eye opener - the answer - the secret - in the middle way - while sitting under the Bodhi tree. And his life was different from then on - in and out. He had had it all. He gave away it all. He discovered light in the center of the seesaw. He saw riches and he saw poverty. He saw being young and he saw being old and losing it all slowly. He woke up. He saw and he could see through everything - that desire is what kills us. I want my way or it’s the high way - and that’s not the way it works. Remove desire and you remove unhappiness. Aha! Now I see! [2]

TREES

The Christian could sit under the tree of the cross - the Seeing Tree - and discover enlightenment. He or she could say just what the centurion said there on Calvary - the same thing the man with unclean spirits saw and said in today’s gospel. “I know who you are: the Holy One of God.”

The Christian could sit under the tree of the cross - the Seeing Tree - and discover that it doesn’t end the way I thought it was going to end. It took the disciples a bunch of days and a bunch of experiences and a lot of letting go after Good Friday to discover that - to see that.

The Christian could sit under the tree of the cross - the Seeing Tree - and discover that unless I learn to forgive - I’m not going to be okay. Can I see and then say what Jesus saw and said from the cross, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” If I can see that, I am seeing the power of resurrection that is possible in forgiveness - because forgiveness calls for the humble crumble of ego.

Sitting under the tree of the cross - the Seeing Tree - gets us to the roots of reality - and Christ the Risen One - can get us to rise and follow him - and continue to be Christ and his Presence in our world.

Sitting on these hard wooden benches - in this church - wood from cut down a long time ago - sitting under the tree of the cross - the Seeing Tree - we can see a lot - we can have big wake up calls.

A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE FOR TODAY: MAKE A LIST

Make a list of one’s 10 top wake up calls in one’s life so far.

The secret is to list 20, 40, 50 of them - enlightening moments - and then pick one’s top 10 and then rank them in order of impact. This takes work - and prayer - and time - but it’s well worth it.

And share your list with loved ones and hear theirs if possible.

Paul - under his earlier name Saul - had his big wake up call - his awakening moment on the road to Damascus. [3]

Augustine, whose feast was August 28, but we missed it because it was this past Sunday, had his wake up call in a garden in Milan. [4]

CONCLUSION

It’s my experience -  if I do that kind of an exercise - making my list and then listing the 10 top wake up calls or wake up moments, then I’ll start to have more. That’s the way it works. Life can be an eye opening experience. We can wake up every morning - and no longer be a sleep walker.

I know I can preach asleep. I know people sleep during sermons. I know I can be like Rip Van Winkle and be asleep for years and years and years. [5]

As Paul said in today’s first reading, “All of you are children of light and of the day. We belong neither to darkness nor to night; therefore let us not be asleep like the rest, but awake and sober.”

Wake up.

I believe this is one of ten top things Jesus does: he calls people to wake up.

Wake up.



NOTES

[1] I Thessalonians 5: 1-6, 10-16 [Today's First Reading] Check also: Romans 13: 11-14; Ephesians 5: 1-20

[2] Buddhist Scriptures, edited by Edward Conze, Penguin Books, 1959; Lama Surya Das, Awakening The Buddhist Heart, Broadway Books, New, York, 2000, especially Chapter 2, “Awakening to a Deeper Love - A Buddha’s Love” Check The Documents of Vatican II, "Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions," [1965] # 2. Check also The Catechism of the Catholic Faith [1994],  #842 and 843. I was hoping that this particular catechism would give more recognition on the gifts and insights of non-Christian religions to our world. Compare that Churchwide Catechism to  The Dutch Catechism [1967], pages 28 to 30; 271; 284-285. Cf. Zen Catholicism by Dom Aelred Graham, Harcourt, Brace and World, 1963. Looking at the dates of the Vatican II document as well as The Dutch Catechism and Zen Catholicism, I am dating myself. Those were the years when my theological viewpoints were being shaped. Confer also the book by John Allen Jr. Cardinal Ratzinger, The Vatican's Enforcer of the Faith,  Continuum, New York, London, [2000], pages 253-255.

[3] Acts of the Apostles 9: 3-19; 22: 1-21

[4] St. Augustine, Confessions, Book 8, Chapter 12.

[5] Washington Irving, The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon - has Irving's version of this often told  folktale about someone who sleeps through significant changes in one's surroundings - some for many years. He published his story in 1819.


GRUMBLE, 
GRUMBLE, 
GRUMBLE!


August  30,  2011

Quote for Today

"Grumbling is the death of love."

Marlene Dietrich [ 1901-1992], ABC, Doubleday, 1962

Monday, August 29, 2011



THE SLUDGE OF GRUDGES


INTRODUCTION


The title of my homily is, “The Sludge of Grudges.”

Today is the day we remember the Beheading of John the Baptist.

And there is a line in today’s gospel that jumps off the page every time I read this gospel. Mark says, “Herodias harbored a grudge against him” that is, John the Baptist.

And Herod - as we heard in today’s gospel - made the promise and the boast - at the party - in front of the other men - that he would give Herodias’ daughter anything she wanted - even up to half his kingdom.

It’s great storytelling. It’s great writing. It’s easy to picture this young woman doing a lusty dance - and pulling Herod into her trance - by her dance - and it gives her mother a chance to get rid of John the Baptist for good - by getting her daughter to ask the king for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

Herodias had a grudge against him because he told Herod it was not right for him to be living with your brother’s wife.

The title of my homily is, “The Sludge of Grudges.”

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GRIPES AND GRUDGES

There is a difference between gripes and grudges.

Gripes are annoyances - people not using their blinkers when changing lanes - people sneezing into their hands - instead of the new hope - into one’s shoulder - people having 11 products at the 10 items or less counter at the supermarket.

Grudges are deep seated - can’t stand feelings about another - because of something they said or did 11 years ago. Grudges are underneath and sludge up our arteries - with anger - when we come into that person’s presence or something triggers that memory.

It’s great English translation of the Greek  in today's gospel - when our translation says, “Herodias harbored a grudge.”

We’ve seen docks and harbors on TV where stuff comes in from all over the world. We’ve heard about strikes where nothing moves - and vegetables start to stink. Or garbage that was supposed to be shipped elsewhere is stuck standing still there in the harbor. And fruits and vegetables and garbage start to rot.

We sometimes find out what we’ve been harboring at weddings, wakes and funerals - when we have to meet and greet family members especially. Grudges are often about family situations. Blood is thicker than water and blood is even thicker when it has sludge - the sludge of a grudge - in it.

LETTING GO - FORGIVENESS

The opposite is letting go. The opposite is getting the sludge of grudges flowing - by the clean living water of Jesus.

Letting go of a gripe and forgiving it - is much easier than letting go and letting sludge flush and flow away. That’s much, much more difficult.

It can be done.

Jesus was really aware of grudges - the stuff we hold onto - hence the big, big stress in the gospels about forgiving one another.

If we don’t heads roll.

If we don’t  forgive and let go as best as possible - often only step by step, then that sludge builds up - and when others see us - see our face - and face our spirit - they hear inside their being a, “Heads up! Watch out for this one!”

Too many grudges - too much sludge - and we get what the scriptures call, “Hardness of heart.”

Warning: if people nickname us, "Grudge" or "Grumble!" or "Growl" then it's time for a change of heart - attitude - way of living and interacting with others. If they nickname you, "Gripe", you're a bit off the hook. Smile.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “The Sludge of Grudges.”

The topic is timely - because today is the Memorial of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist.

The topic is timely - because many people in the east came back to basements filled with sludge.

Much worse is coming to the realization I’m carrying a certain grudge about a certain person too long now - too many years now - and I have to cut that out of my head. Tough stuff. Tough work. Tough task. Amen.
















GRUDGE


Quote for Today  August 29, 2011

"When Callas carried a grudge, she planted it, nursed it, fostered it, watered it and watched it grow to sequoia size."

Harold C. Schonberg, On Maria Callaas, The Glorious Ones, Times Books, 1985, quoted in The New York Times, August 21, 1985
LIKE FIRE BURNING 
IN MY HEART

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 22 Sunday in Ordinary Time A is, “Like Fire Burning In My Heart.”

Isn’t that a great image -“Like Fire Burning In My Heart.” It’s from Jeremiah the prophet - Jeremiah Chapter 20, verse 9.

I wonder if anyone has that as a tattoo: “Jeremiah 20: 9.”

Here’s the full text again from today’s first reading: “I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.”

Hot stuff.

SEVERAL WONDERINGS

As that text hit me I began to have some wonderings. Here are 7:

1) There has to be some great sermons down through the years on this text in Jeremiah. It certainly is a preacher’s text. Who preached those sermons and where can I find them?

2) How come I don’t have the passion that Jeremiah had - in preaching on the Lord? Silence. That was a very humbling realization. That hit me on Friday evening when I began reflecting on this text. I also realized again that I never used a script for preaching till I got to Annapolis. That’s at least 35 years of preaching without using paper. I figured out the sermon beforehand - jotted down notes - and often wrote the sermon after I gave it. A sermon has more energy that way. But when I got here to Annapolis, I found myself putting words together beforehand on paper. That reality sometimes triggers what I once read - some words by Charles Peguy - the poet/essayist (1873-1914). He wrote, “A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his coat pocket.” For weekday sermons I reaching into my pocket and pull out two pieces of paper. For Sunday sermons I have a folder - with 5 pieces of paper. So that question about how much fire and passion I have in preaching hits me. That’s a self centered question. How about you? Do you have enough fire and passion?

3) What is my passion? What have been my passions? Does anyone have the passion for the Lord, our God, that Jeremiah had?

4) Listening to what Jesus says in today’s gospel, would I go to my Jerusalem knowing they wanted to kill me there?

5) Would I be like Peter who said to Jesus: “Don’t do it! Are you crazy?”

6) Would Jesus then say to me what he said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan! You are thinking not as God does, but as humans do.”

7) As we heard in today’s gospel, as well as from Paul in today’s second reading from Romans: Is there any cause - any reason - I would lay down my life for - to follow Jesus - to offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God?

SOME PONDERINGS ON THESE 7 WONDERINGS

Certainly Paul - Saint Paul - had that fire - that passion - that desire - that dream - as we see in his letters. He was burnt by Jesus - on the road to Damascus. It was a wake up call - and he woke up - switching his passion for crucifying Christians to reaching out to make Christians. That’s a complete pendulum swing and switch. I’ve often given new converts - plenty of space - and time - when they make a conversion switch - because they are often in high energy mode.

Certainly Saint Augustine had that fire - that passion - as one discovers in his great book, Confessions - which everyone better read at least 2 times in one’s life. The first time is to know the book and get its grabs - its great words like, “You have made us for yourself O God and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” (Book 1, Chapter 1) And, “Too late have I loved you, O Beauty, so ancient and so new, too late have I loved you! (Book 10 - Chapter 27) Then one has to read his Confessions many years later - well into the Christian Life - and during this second or third time reading and pondering and praying, one realizes - how Jesus can be a fire burning in one’s heart.

Certainly Francis Thomson, the poet and the drug addict, had it - as discovered in his great poem, “The Hound of Heaven” - when he too confesses what Paul and Augustine confessed “I fled you down the nights and down the days…. I fled you down the labyrinthine ways…" but you found me. Like a hound, God, You found me. God sniffs us out.

We can run - but we can’t outrun God. We can hide, but God finds us.

GENTLE BREEZE OR BURNING FIRE?

Three weeks back - August 7th - on the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time - we had a reading from 1st Kings - where Elijah - who is running from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel as well as from God - discovers God as a gentle breeze.

Question: Reflecting on our experiences of God - has that been our experience - experiencing God like a whisper - compared to a fire or an earthquake or heavy winds - very close to what we experienced last night as well as last Tuesday?

Certainly last night’s storm - got many people to pray - as well as say to God - “Why can’t You just move this storm 300 miles east of us?” Certainly last night’s storm got us to ponder how God works, how nature works, how life works?

Amongst other words, I’m sure many people last Tuesday when they felt the earth quaking, said, “Oh my God….” That’s one of the most basic prayers there is. We say God’s name in shock, anger, fire, storm, surprise - usually in the unexpected - in the uncontrollable.

The storm is over for us. Once more do we speak to God - do we wonder and ponder with God - in the aftermath? Do we pray to God, the Gentle Whisper, in our mind and heart? Do we see, connect with God, bringing God into the inner conversations we all have with ourselves? Do we feel God when we are holding a baby or seeing a baby sleeping on a father’s shoulder? Do we connect with God in the gentle quiet - like on the back porch by ourselves - or watching a wedding - or the moments after communion - or while the bread and wine hear the words, “This is my body…. This is my blood…. given for you … given for all?”

Or have our God experiences only been when fire and storm and tragedy hit?

This morning Jeremiah and Jesus take us to another level.

This morning Jeremiah and Jesus challenge us with another question.

Take a moment. Close one’s eyes. Go into one’s heart. Can you spot a fire place there? Is it lit? Is it burning? Has it gone out? Have we given up? Are we sleep walking? Are we on hold? Have we pushed the mute button on God?

When was the last time I was on fire - firing on all pistons as they say? When was the last time I took stock of my lifetime dreams? Did I ever have a passion - something I couldn’t wait to finish other things to get back to it?

Just as God called Jeremiah and Jesus to give their lives to his will - his hope for what to do with the gift of one’s life, God calls us. The readings are read so we can hear the same wake up call.

God calls all of us to lay down our lives - to give of ourselves.

That’s God’s passion. That’s God’s will. That’s what we pray for in every Our Father, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!” That’s the fire God has placed in every human being. That’s God’s fire and desire.

So the question for today is: What am I using my passions, my energy, my fire for? And: is that fire burning or has it gone out?

The fire that Jeremiah felt when he said, it’s “like fire burning in my heart” it’s in my bones challenges us to go inside. That fire is there or can be there. It’s underneath. It’s more like those fires in them their hills in Pennsylvania - ongoing mine fires deep in the heart of the earth.

The fire that Jeremiah felt in his words, “like fire burning in my heart” is like what Joseph Campbell reflected out loud about in Bill Moyer’s TV series from years ago. Remember when he Joseph Campbell said the secret of life is to, “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.”

He said that one’s bliss is when one is full alive - fully alert.

I remember when I had a job called Novice Master up in Oconomowoc Wisconsin. Monday to Friday the novices would be half asleep at morning prayer and my morning conference or talk - but come Saturday morning - if they were going on a trip - say to Chicago - they were alive and alert - ready to roll. I prayed that they would have that same passion for Christ - and for the ministry - for the people they said they joined the Redemptorists in order to serve.

It’s my discovery that the key fire - the dream fire - is about a person or persons.

When we’re young or if we never grow up - or if we’re a narcissist - or selfish or self-centered that person is me. That’s my fire: me, me, me. What’s in it for me?

As Jesus says loud and clear in today’s gospel, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Then he adds, “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?”

When we discover the fire is not about me, we can be furious. We can scream with Jeremiah as he begins the first reading, “You duped me, O Lord…. You tricked me O Lord.” It might get us to say, “God, You mean after all that I have done to get to where I’ve gotten, it’s not for me or about me?”

And God laughs at that. Hopefully we arrive at that day and then say with Jeremiah, “I let myself be duped by you.”

That’s Step One - the realization that my life is not about me.

Step Two is the rest of our life - giving our life for a person or persons - other than myself.

Hello! That’s the message Jesus gives at every Mass. This is my Body. This is my blood, I’m giving it to you.

This is the fire than can fire us up every day, inspire us every day.

This is the “why” people get out of bed each day. It’s love. It’s one’s spouse. It’s one’s kids. I’m in this for you!

And then - as life goes on - hopefully - people wake up to an even bigger picture. The call is to love all kids - love all spouses - love all people - of all skins and creeds and languages.

When we get to that stage, we then have the passion to spend time with our kids friends and other kids. We find ourselves volunteering to coach or teach other people’s kids remedial reading. We find ourselves visiting neighbors in nursing homes or next door. It’s then we turn off the computer or TV and turn and see that there are a lot of people all around us. It’s then that the father says to his two little kids, “Let’s go next door and play rummy with Mr. X. He’s all alone and loves to play cards - especially now that his wife has died. Remember how Mrs. X always stopped to talk to you kids.”

Seeing and being that way is the fire of love. It’s loving one another.

Take Martin Luther King Jr. His fire, his passion was for people. Read his great speeches and sermons - like the “I Have A Dream” speech. You’ll hear fire in his words. You’ll hear his concern for all children -white and black - civil and human rights for all. He had a fire in his belly for justice.

Speakers and preachers like that get shot.

Take Jesus - at 30 he left his home and began teaching and preaching - about treating people right - to get religion right - to give one’s life for the world as we heard in today gospel.

People like that get crucified.

CONCLUSION

Message: That fire is down there in our heart. Stir it up today. Stir it up this week and watch what happens.