DO  NOT  LET  YOUR  FACE 

BE  TROUBLED 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 5^th Tuesday after Easter is, “Do Not Let Your Face Be Troubled.”

In today’s gospel – again from John – we have a  recurring theme - about - not letting one’s heart be troubled. [Cf. John 14:27-31]

As I was thinking about that last night while working on this homily for today, I asked: “Does saying ‘heart’ get to the heart of the matter – with what the text is talking about?”

To a Hebrew – in Jesus’ time – heart would not mean the pump. The doctors in those days wouldn’t know what we know about how our hearts work. The word “heart” would mean one’s command center. It’s the me that I am.  It refers to our mind – our personality – our will – our character – our attitude - and a lot more – the me of me.

So translators might do better - by using the word “center” – instead  of heart – when we hear the call to love God  - our neighbor – and ourselves.

So the translation could be, “Let not your center, your you, be troubled.”

Yet on the other hand, we get heart. Think of Valentine’s Day or all those bumper stickers and T-shirts with hearts on them – that say things like,  “Virginia, or Chocolates or Pugs or Naptown is or are for lovers.”

WHAT ABOUT ONE’S FACE?

What would it sound like if we made the sentence go like this: “Let not your face be troubled.”

We can’t see another’s heart, but we see each other’s face.

How many times has someone said to us, “Is everything okay?” And we say, “Yeah – ah ----- uh --- everything’s okay.”  But along with the response there is that tiny biting our lower lip or that slight shrug of our shoulder.

And as they walk away – and for the rest of the day or the hour we wonder, “Is it that obvious, that I’m nervous about X or Y or Z?”

We are sculptors – the sculptors of our faces?  Is that true?

I always remember a page in a book I read some time in the past. I forget the name of the book or anything in it – other than that one page. It had two pictures on it in black and white. The top picture had a table filled with laughing babies. How did they get them all to smile at the same time – and on the same table?  And the picture underneath had a scene of people in a New York Subway car – packed together – maybe on the way home from a long day at work -  and everyone has a closed mouth - and many have a sad face. And underneath that picture were two words: “What happened?”

How many times do we have to be angry – to form a permanent angry face?

How many times do we have to be sad – to form a permanent sad face?

How many times do we have to be happy – to form a permanent happy face?

Smile someone’s taking your picture.

Smile someone’s being affected by your face.

William Shakespeare said, “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” Is that true? What’s your take on that comment?

TWO TRICKS

I guess two tricks are: One - look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Self! What’s going on in there today.” Two - Without looking in the mirror, feel your face from the inside and ask that same question other’s ask us, “Is everything okay?” Then answer that question for yourself.

We’ve all felt our face squinch and squirm and squiggle at times – as we say, “Ah – no - not again. Crud. I hate it when he does that. Every dang time. Dang it! Uhhhhhhhhhhh Ugggggggh!”

William Ernest Henley said in his well-known poem, Invictus, “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”

I’m wondering out loud in this sermon, “Am I the sculptor of my face.”

And Jesus looks us in the face – and says, “Peace!”

He says, “Peace in there baby, inside there, baby. What’s going on inside your self – behind that face today?”

See his face. Hear that word of “Peace!” Be aware of what that does to our face today.

CONCLUSION

Uh oh! After Mass, I hope nobody here says in our parking lot about us, “Oh no! Was that person at the same Mass I was just at this morning?”