HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “High Plains Drifter.”

That’s the name of a Clint Eastwood western which was on TV within the last few weeks. I saw the second half of it. Father Joe Krastel had the remote. While clicking he went past it and I spotted it. Then he fell asleep. With difficulty, I was able to get the remote out of his hands and go back to the movie, “High Plains Drifter.”

It’s a 1973 movie. I hadn’t seen it in 20 years. By seeing it again, it triggered old wonderings.

Then while sitting down this morning to work on a short homily for today, I  remembered that movie as I read today’s readings. 

High Plains Drifter is not a chick flick. It would be on a TV channel like Movies for Guys Who Like Movies. It’s # 46 of 100 Greatest Guy Movies - which include movies like French Connection, Death Wish, Dirty Dozen and The Magnificent Seven.

So this homily is more for the guys here. Sorry ladies.

THE PLOT

Clint Eastwood - cowboy - rides into a small mining town - with the name of Lago. It’s  by the side of a lake - out there somewhere - in the West.

It’s a small mining town. Because of greed and fear of 3  bad guys - the townsfolks let their sheriff - Jim Duncan - get whipped and killed.

Clint Eastwood proceeds to get involved in the story. He kills a few bad guys - so the town hires him to protect the town folks from the 3 bad guys who are coming back to town. They are the ones who killed the sheriff.  Little do they know, Clint Eastwood has come to straighten out their consciences.

John Wayne wrote a letter to Clint Eastwood complaining about the violence etc. in the movie. He wrote, “This isn’t what the West was about. This isn’t the American people who settled this country.”

Clint Eastwood in reply said about the movie which he directed and in which he starred: “It’s just an allegory …  a speculation on what happens when they go ahead and kill the sheriff and somebody comes back and calls the town’s conscience to bear. There’s always retribution for your deeds.”

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings - the First Reading from Hebrews 13: 1-8 - and the Gospel from Mark 6: 14-29 - bring up various issues.

Today’s first reading calls for hospitality and love.  The people in the town of Lago in the movie lack both.

Today’s  first reading brings up a theme that comes up in literature and at times in movies. It’s the theme of unknowingly entertaining angels. In the movie, they don’t know who Clint Eastwood the Stranger is. He’s an unknown and they have to entertain him. He never gives his name. He's not an angel.

Today’s first reading talks about imprisonment and ill-treating people. The movie certainly talks about that.

Today’s first reading talks about honoring marriage and not defiling the marriage bed. The movie presents the opposite a bit.

Today’s first reading talks about money - and not get caught up in becoming discontent without it. The movie talks about money - big  time - and the problem it has caused for the town’s folks. Money is often the problem behind a lot of problems.

Today’s gospel talks about violence. Today’s gospel gives hints of alcohol and lust and especially murder. John the Baptist’s head is cut off and brought into Herod on a platter. Today’s gospel would be R Rated for it’s violence.

CONCLUSION: CONSEQUENCES

I better come up with a strong conclusion.

What I thought was the key issue in this movie and today’s readings - especially the gospel is consequences.

There are consequences - from our good deeds - but we mainly notice the consequences from our sins and selfishness. Herod had to live with the consequences of his boasting and bragging - as well as having John the Baptist beheaded.

Clint Eastwood - as the High Plains Drifter - forces the people of the town of Lago to paint the town red - all the buildings. Where did they get all that red paint? The reason: because of their letting the sheriff be beaten and killed with a whip.

In case the movie goers and the town folks don’t get that blood message, the High Plains Drifter makes the towns folks cross out the name Lago on the edge of their town and write over it, the word, “Hell”.

I assume the message is: we create our own hells - in our towns, in our homes and in our lives.

In today’s gospel they ask a question we hear in the gospels: who are you?

At the end of the movie, High Plains Drifter, a short guy - a dwarf - asks the High Plains Drifter his name and “Who are you?” as he’s about to ride off into the distance.

Who is this person Jesus? Do we want him in our lives so that the Kingdom of Heaven can arise in us or do we want him gone as several characters in the Gospel of Mark want Jesus to do: leave us.

The choice is ours: Heaven or Hell - Jesus or Trouble?