CHRIST AS CENTER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 34 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Christ as Center.”

Last night when I read today’s readings for today my first reaction was, “Ugh!” These end of the year readings are tough stuff - because they bring in apocalyptic - end of the world - type readings. [Cf. Revelation 14:14-19 and Luke 21:5-11]

The Early Church was not sure when the end was coming. It took them time to sort things out. We’re still waiting. We’re still working.

In the meanwhile, I was looking for an idea for a short homily - to come up with a theme or a thought that might be helpful.

THE THEME OF CENTERING

On second glance at the readings what hit me was the theme of centering. We humans like to be centered. If you’ve taken any workshops or programs on prayer, you’ve heard about centering prayer as well as beginning one’s pray time by being centered. Sit. Pause. Breathe. Pause. Breathe. Be centered where you are.

We know that athletes are pushed to do the same thing - to resist temptations - to avoid distractions - and be on their game and in the game. They are told to be centered. Focus. I like the saying, “Be where you is, because if you be where you ain’t, then you ain’t where you is.”

THE TEMPLE AS THE CENTER OF JEWISH LIFE

One way of understanding the gospels is to know how Jesus’ goal was to get to Jerusalem.

He set his face - his eyes - on getting to Jerusalem -and in the gospels we see him heading south - to get to the temple.

We know that Mary and Joseph took him there earlier.

We know from the Jewish scriptures - that the temple is crucial and central.

It helps to have a center - and for Judaism - it was the temple in Jerusalem.

We know about the different temples in the history of Judaism.

We heard in today’s gospel how centered the folks were on the physical aspects of their temple in Jerusalem.

We know that in the year 70 Rome comes along and destroys the temple - and the Jews are scattered.

We know that even till today - the Jewish People want to have Jerusalem and Israel as their center.

Would Judaism fall apart if Israel was destroyed?  The Nazis and others wanted them destroyed - in the Holocaust. They survived and recovered without and then with Israel.

 Jerusalem is also a central Holy City for Moslems as well.

Would different sects of Islam be destroyed if their holy places were destroyed?

We know that Jesus ends up saying he is the temple. Check out that important text in John 2: 13-25.

FAMILY

We know our families are central. Coming home hopefully centers us.

We see this especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas - hopefully at many more celebrations during the year - weddings, birthdays, anniversaries. A funeral can also center us as family. The sickle of death and destruction which we heard about in today’s first reading - certainly centers us - whether it’s death by storm or cancer.

CONCLUSION: CHURCH

We’re here in a church - in this holy center of the circle of our lives.

The parish, the church, can center us. For some it’s even the bench and area of church - where we feel at home with God especially.

One of the beauties of the Catholic Church is that we can become centered in another parish when we move or what have you. It takes time etc. However, we believe that Christ is present in the Eucharist, in the Word, and in the Body and Bodies and Blood around us - hopefully - and we see each other in communion with each other as well. Amen.

OOOOOOOOOO

Ikon top - 2nd Coming Ikon of Jesus.