TONGUES  IN  TREES, 

BOOKS  IN  THE RUNNING BROOKS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 17^th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Tongues In Trees, Books In The Running Brooks.”

It’s part of a comment by the Duke Senior – the banished older brother of  Duke Frederick in Shakespeare’s play, As You Like It.

Duke Senior is calm and tells the audience one can learn a lot from just looking around a lot.

Here’s how his speech about how learning from wherever  or whenever things go wrong goes; It’s found in  Act 2, Scene 1, lines 12-17.

            
           Sweet are the uses of adversity,
           Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
           Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
           And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
           Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
           Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.

TODAY’S READINGS

That’s the thought that hit me from today’s readings.

In the first reading - Jeremiah 13: 1-11 - we learn about a loin cloth. Did you ever learn something from your underwear? How interesting?!

Today’s gospel – Matthew 13: 31-35 -  we hear some learnings from a mustard seed – which becomes a large mustard plant or bush. Jesus also talks about learning from yeast  “that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”

Matthew tells us this was how Jesus taught and preached – with parables.

US

I like to picture Jesus in the carpenter shop or in the kitchen – watching Mary and Joseph. What was he seeing? What was he thinking about?

I like to picture Jesus walking around town and village – farm and field – before he began his preaching – and learning lessons from wheat and bread, grapes and vines and wine, fish nets, wild flowers, the birds of the air and how people are at funerals.

I like to read the gospels – put my finger on some saying or some scene - and ask when Jesus saw this scene and what did he see – or some saying – what was the experience that triggered his thoughts?

I like to read folk literature and sayings from all kinds of cultures. They tell me what Shakespeare said in the comment Duke Senior made in the Arden Forest about learning from trees and brooks.

I like to walk around and see what’s around me – and ask, “What’s the lesson here?”

I haven’t been in too many garbage dumps – what a classroom that would be. What would it be like to take a class of kids to the local dump?

I have walked in graveyards and read the stones – and reflected upon the life of the persons below the earth.

I have looked at knick knacks on book shelves and window sills in homes and wondered on the story behind the story.

FOUR QUESTIONS – LIFTING YOUR MIND UPWARDS

Did you ever swat and kill a fly and start to think afterwards, “That wasn’t fair! That fly wasn’t really bothering me. What would the rest of that fly’s life be like – if I hadn’t killed him or her?  Did you ever think: ‘Maybe this fly had a bucket list and I just dissed him or her?’”

Did you ever spot a dozen red roses – all dead – all dried out – just lying there near the top of garbage can – near a curb? Did you ever start wondering the back story of those roses? Why weren’t they saved? What happened?

How about wedding albums? Where do they go when there is a divorce?

Have you ever  spotted names or initials in a tree or on cement or in a tattoo on an arm or ankle and the other is with someone else? What happened? What’s the story?

CONCLUSION

Shakespeare said, “All the World’s a Stage” – but today I’m saying he also said, “All the world’s a classroom.” Walk among the trees and listen to the sounds around you.” Amen.