UP THE DOWN

STAIRCASE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C,  is, “Up The Down Staircase.”

This is another weekend that we have to make a money push from the Archdiocese of Baltimore which we are part of.

Knowing we all come here to be nourished with both the Bread of the Word [the scriptures and a homily] and the Bread of the Eucharist, I want to obviously preach a homily but ….

But what should come first? I wrestled with that question and decided to do the money campaign push first - and then give a short homily.

The homily will have to be mainly images and story - because of the energy and distraction another money push or promotion could create.

Every year we have the Archbishop’s Appeal - as you know. The envelopes and pencils are in the benches. This year we hoped we could get out of this one - because we had the beginning of the big  5 year Archdiocesan Campaign just a short time ago. This annual appeal is usually in Lent - but  was pushed off to this weekend. Drop one shoe at a time.

Most of you know how to do the envelopes - etc.  I am going to continue talking for a few moments - while I hope you take a Green and White Annual Appeal Envelope which are in the benches - and you start filling it out and then the ushers will collect them - checking or filling in the appropriate boxes - without putting the pencil in the envelope. Then I’ll  give my short homily.

As Catholics - we are part of a local parish church - as well as a diocese - as well as a world wide Church. So all 3 need support. We hope there is wise stewardship in all 3. We are aware of economic struggles at the personal and family levels - and how big a burden taxation can be.

The money pledged and collected from the Archbishop of Baltimore’s Annual Appeal - 2013 - goes to supporting the Archdiocese - as well as its outreach and ministries. These would include amongst others: Catholic Charities, Outreach to Haiti, Hispanic Ministry, Prison Ministry, Tuition Assistance to Catholic Schools, Aids Ministry, Disability Access, Evangelization, Social Justice outreach, Interfaith Housing Alliance of Western Maryland, etc. etc.

The money over our quota goes to 3 other groups: 1/3 goes to our sister parish - Sacred Heart in Baltimore; 1/3 goes to Redemptorists in our nursing home in Stella Maris in Timonium; and 1/3 goes to the tuition angel program for helping kids in our St. Mary’s Schools.

The Archbishop’s letter that we received expresses thanks, gratitude, for the ongoing generosity from our parish and all the parishes of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Thank you.

Could the ushers please collect the envelopes?  Thank you.

NOW THE HOMILY

The title of my homily is, “Up The Down Staircase.”

I took my title from the title of the novel  by Bel Kaufman: Up the Down Staircase.  I see it as a metaphor for wanting to avoid confrontation or trouble or the uncomfortable - and so we take the other stair case or the back door.

The novel is about a  teacher, Sylvia Blake - an idealistic young teacher - in a big city public high school. She has to deal with bureaucracy, with interested and uninterested students, as well as other teachers.

I have always pictured it as a metaphor for how to be a priest and a Christian.

Do I embrace others - or do I want to run, escape, avoid, go up the down staircase, take the back staircase or do whatever way it takes to make it easier for me not to face others?

That to me is one of life’s big question.

THE UNTOUCHABLES

Once I  began thinking about staircases,  I thought of a scene in the movie, The Untouchables - which features the big staircase in Union Station in Chicago. Eliot Ness, played by Kevin Costner, is waiting above that staircase for some of Al Capone’s mob.

If you remember the movie, you’ll remember that life is the surprises. Life is the interruptions. Life is the unplanned. Just then a lady with 2 suitcases and a baby carriage comes to that staircase. We sense an, “Oh no! Not now!”

The big clock above the staircase keeps moving towards 12 noon - the time for the arrival of the bad guys.

The lady starts the climb up the big flight of stairs - with the baby carriage with her baby in it, with her suitcases - doing them one step at a time.

To help her or not to help her? That is the question.

What to do? Nobody coming up or down those stairs stops to help the lady.  Kevin Costner in frustration and with his shot gun under his coat - goes to help her.

A quarter of the way up the stairs, the bad guys appear and a shoot out happens. Eliot Ness has to let go of the carriage - with baby - which starts rolling down the stairs - and the mother is screaming.

What a great metaphor - what a great parable of life!

I looked up on Google: “The Untouchables - Baby Carriage Scene.”

There it is. I also found out that the movie Naked Gun made fun of the scene. It uses 3 baby carriages - as well as the president and then the pope and then disgruntled postal workers coming through the door and heading for the stairs.

I also noticed that Brian De Palma, the director of the movie, The Untouchables, used that big staircase in Union Station in Chicago as a tribute to a famous staircase scene in a 1925 black and white silent movie, Battleship Potemkin. That staircase is in Odessa. It's much, much bigger. The scene shows the horror when children, young people and countless men and women, are being shot as they run down the stairs away from the Cossacks who are shooting and killing them.

I put clips of both movies on my blog - along with this short sermon.

CONCLUSION

I think the staircase scene and metaphor in the book, Up the Down Staircase and in the two movies, The Untouchables and Battleship Potemkin, can be the message in today’s readings. Do I stop to help my brother or sister - or do I run or take the other stair case to avoid them?

In the first reading from 1 Kings and the gospel from Luke - we hear the story of two boys or young men who die and Elijah and then Jesus bring each boy back from the dead.

In the second reading from Galatians, we have part of Paul’s story. He stops persecuting people and starts helping people.

It's our daily call - as we go up and down the stairs and steps of our life - to help one another. We can go by men and women, old and young, and baby carriages - and treat them as Untouchable - to be avoided - or we can stop and help.

I believe that is also the central message of the Gospel of Luke - our gospel for this year - Cycle C of the Sunday readings.

We’re all there at the stairs with people coming and going - and some need our help. They are the interruption.

Our move.