CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 19^th Monday in Ordinary time is, “Close, But No Cigar.”

I was tempted to call this homily, “Go Figure!”  Isn’t that what we humans do all the time?  How many times a day are we trying to figure out what someone is talking about. At Mass we are trying to figure out what the readings are about - and we hope the preacher has some figurings that help us. In this homily, I suspect you’ll be trying to figure out, What in the world is he talking about?”

The title of my homily is, “Close, But No Cigar.”

How many times in our lives have we heard that phrase and know what it means - but in a way, we’re not that sure. There’s a bit of “Go figure!” in it.

I wonder if a TV Quiz Show called, “Cliché” would make it. Three contestants - after hearing where they are from are shown a cliché on a screen. The contest would be to write down and then tell the MC and the audience, what they think is the meaning and history of the cliché.

The best answer wins. The best answer gets points. The winner gets a trip to Hawaii or Honduras.

So what does, “Close, but no cigar” mean?

My guess was close - but it’s not exactly the correct answer. I don’t think I’d get the prize. I was close - but no cigar.

LOOKED IT UP

I looked it up on line - on Google -  and found the following answer: “To fall just short of a successful outcome and get nothing for your efforts.”

I was wondering about its origin and found the following: “The phrase, and its variant 'nice try, but no cigar', are of US origin and date from the mid-20th century. Fairground stalls gave out cigars as prizes, and this is the most likely source, although there's no definitive evidence to prove that.”

It goes on: “It is first recorded in print in Sayre and Twist's publishing of the script of the 1935 film version of Annie Oakley: ‘Close, Colonel, but no cigar!’”

That caught my eye, because I had been to Annie Oakley’s birth place near North Star Ohio while preaching in Greensville, Ohio where she died. She was born Phoebe Ann Moses - but her professional name became Annie Oakley.

Then surprise, I read the following about Lima, Ohio where I was stationed for 8 ½ years before I came here to Annapolis. “It appears in U. S. newspapers widely from around 1949 onwards; for example, a story from The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, November 1949, where The Lima House Cigar and Sporting Goods Store narrowly avoided being burned down in a fire, was titled 'Close But No Cigar'.”

QUESTION: WHY THIS TOPIC

By now I’m assuming you’re trying to figure out why I just gave that long “babble” about the phrase, “Close But No Cigar.”

The answer is this. Sometimes when we’re visiting a church, we look at the art work in the church. We start wondering, “What is that about?”  We are “go figuring!”

This happens to me all the time. I like to visit churches I’ve never been in before. A group of us are going to London in September and I have 3 churches lined up already. I like to walk around and study everything - stained glass windows - columns - gargoyles outside, etc. etc. etc.

Last year we went to Barcelona and a bunch of people said, “Make sure you see Sagrada Familia” - Holy Family Church. Four of us did. Fascinating. After walking around and looking at the church inside and out for  about an hour, we spotted a small museum inside the church. It was off to the side - like a sacristy. Two of us left. Two of us spent a half hour in the museum. It explained everything - well lots of things - on what the architect - Antoni Gaudi - had in mind - animals, trees, geometric shapes based on living cells in nature and on and on and on. Then we went out again and spent another hour looking at everything again. This time we were closer to what the artist was telling us.

The second time we were close to understanding what the art work was about, but no cigar.

THE SCRIPTURES

Are you still trying to figure out what I’m talking about and where I’m going.

Well, all that is an analogy to help understand some of the writings in the Bible - especially books like Daniel and the Book of Revelation.

It’s especially true when we come to the Book of Ezekiel the Prophet, which we begin today. Did you hear him talking about the 4 living creatures with wings. When they moved there was a mighty sound - like that of waters. Go figure that out.

Did you hear Ezekiel say the following?

Above the firmament over their heads
something like a throne could be seen,
looking like sapphire.
Upon it was seated, up above,

one who had the appearance of a man.
Upward from what resembled his waist

I saw what gleamed like electrum;
downward from what resembled his waist

I saw what looked like fire;
he was surrounded with splendor.
Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day
was the splendor that surrounded him.
Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.

What is that all about? When we see the great cathedrals of Europe - Rome, France, Spain, England, when we see basilicas here the United States, we see that artists simply took passages from books in the Bible like Ezekiel and carved and formed their images into their buildings.

I hope you are now saying, “Oh, now I get it. That’s what you’re talking about.” But when we do this, we’re getting closer, but close but no cigar - because who can ever get into the heart and mind of another - and figure out what they are dreaming about.

However. I’m hoping by this long winding homily,  knowing this helps us to at least say, “Oh, okay, I get a tiny bit of this.”

Almost finished, let me suggest, if you ever get to Dublin, make sure you to Trinity College and see some of the pages of the Book of Kells. You’ll stand there looking at the pages of an ancient Celtic Bible. You’ll see the drawings on the pages. People go, “Woo! Interesting. Crawly animals. Many Winged birds. Wow.”

Then they might try to figure out what the images are all about. Go figure.

CONCLUSION

I’m trying to remember if I ever saw a stained glass window with the image in today’s gospel of the fishhook and the coin in the fish’s mouth. Okay. If I do, I now will say, “Oh that’s where that come from.” I’d be right - and maybe someone will give me a cigar for a correct answer.