Sunday, July 6, 2014

WHAT’S  SHE  LIKE? 
WHAT’S  HE LIKE? 


INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time is, “What’s She Like? What’s He Like?”

QUESTIONS – QUESTIONS - QUESTIONS

One of these years I’m going to sit down and write down Life’s Ten Most Frequent or should it be Life’s Ten Top or Significant Questions?

I think that would be an interesting exercise. I’m assuming some of those questions would be: What’s for supper? Where’s the bathroom? Are you listening?  How much does it cost? What’s the weather going to be like? Is it worth it? What now? What’s next? When do you want this? How long is this going to take? How much time do I have l left? What would happen if this is cancer? Are you sure? Is it any good? What would you recommend?  Who are you?

I would assume that there is a significant difference between Significant Questions and Most Frequent Asked Questions.

My question for today, “What’s She Like?” or “What’s He Like?” would fit in the category of Most Significant Questions.

We ask it when getting a new boss or supervisor or teacher or priest or neighbor.  We ask it when our kid starts dating someone. Then another series of questions can follow: Who asks the the dating whom question more: a dad or a mom? Do dads ask that more about whom a daughter  is dating? Do our kids ask that question enough: What’s this person I'm dating really like – like down deep other person – who are you and what are you really like?

WHAT’S GOD LIKE?

I was wondering if we ever ask that question of or about God.

What’s God like?

I was wondering if we sculpt with words and images and experiences our image and likeness of God.

We do this of others. And sometimes – in time – we discover the other is not the person we thought the other person to be.

We’ve all heard about the 6 people in every marriage: the she I thought she was; the she, she thought she was; the she, she really is; the he I thought he was; the he, he thought he was; the he, he really is.

In the meanwhile to further complicate all this people change.  How much? How significant? For better or for worse? Or are we basically the same personality – all our lives?

I love to quote something I heard a Dallas, PA, Sister Maureen McCann say in a talk she was giving. “Life is illusion, disillusionment, and then decision.”

We’ve all had that experience when it comes to things we buy: computers, cars, weight loss pills, diets, dreams, the meal that turned out nothing like we thought the menu described it or pictured it.

Back to our image and likeness of God.

Do we have a different perception of God than how we understood, pictured, imagined God to be 10, 20 or how many years ago?

MICKEY MANTLE

I remember someone telling me about one of their childhood heroes: Mickey Mantle. Someone said if you wait outside Yankee Stadium after a game – and you hand Mickey Mantle a post card with your name and address and a stamp on it, he’ll sign it and drop it in the mail for you.

The guy - who was telling me this experience said – standing there after the game - he got the card into Mickey Mantle’s hand and he took it – got into a car – and they headed down the street driving away from Yankee Stadium. Then he said, “I saw this hand go out the back window – and I saw that hand drop a crumbled something into the street.  I ran up to where the paper or card was – and sure enough there was my discarded postcard.

Sometimes our idols fall off their platforms.

What’s God like?

What are these people all around me like?

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings triggered these thoughts and these questions.

In today’s first reading - Zechariah the Prophet pictures God as a King – but a king who is meek – and who comes riding into town on donkey.

The history of world has had kings and leaders and generals and popes riding into town – in limos or tanks or chariots o– but only 1 moment – when a king rode into town on a donkey as promised.

We hear that story every Palm Sunday – commemorating the day Jesus did just that.

And just as Zechariah promised – Jesus proclaimed peace.

In today’s second reading from Romans – God is presented as Spirit – who wants to dwell within us  - in our flesh – indicating to us and our world – we are flesh – but we are more than flesh.

In today’s gospel Jesus tells us about God as a Father – the Lord of Heaven and earth. Then he tells us that he is the Son – and if you know the Son – you know the Father.

Then he uses the image of a yoke – something a rural people would know about – seeing animals yoked  together as beasts of burden – to work the earth, the farm fields of life.

How many times have we seen people pushing a shopping cart – or pulling two suitcases – struggling with 3 kids – and some packages – and they are trying to get through a door – and another stops to help – that person get to where they want to get.

Yes at times we are like a beast of burden – in a yoke – and life seems so, so difficult – and life is easier when we realize Jesus is with us – helping us – yoked with us - all our days even to the end of the world.

KEY POINT – THE POINT OF THIS SERMON

The title of my homily is, “What’s She Like? What’s He Like?”

Maybe the other person is not the person I think he or she is?

Maybe the person I think Jesus is – isn’t really the person Jesus us. In fact, a good question to ask: which of the 4 Gospels and Paul presents best whom I see Jesus to be?

Maybe the God I  think God is – isn’t really God?

Maybe the person I think I am or I’m supposed to be – is not the person I ought to be.

Maybe I have made life too tough for me – or too easy for me to be.

It’s good to talk to each other and to God about these things.

It’s good to hear Jesus’ words from today’s gospel, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

It’s my experience that some people make life too tight, too tough, too rough, too rigid – on themselves?

It’s my question then: do they see God that way – because that’s the way they are to themselves?

Then the question: is God the way I see God or is God the way God is?

Maybe I’m wrong – but there can be a lot of self-centeredness in all of us – along with judgment and projections on to others from our bias and our way of seeing life.

The sin of idolatry is to make an image of God and worship that image.

Nobody today – at least in the Christian tradition – has a secret statue of God – that they secretly worship – when nobody is looking.

But maybe we have an image and likeness of God within our minds – that we run our lives on – and that image is false.

We do this to each other. Why can’t we realize we do this to God?

I suspect the first experience of heaven is going to be, “Oh my God, was I wrong about you – who you really are.”

I think of Lou Holz, the former football coach, who said, “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it."

And I suspect that 90 % of the time we respond to life with an image of God and ourselves that is not the God Jesus is revealing to us.

CONCLUSION
I was fortunate to live and work with an old priest once — who used to say —when folks were ranting and raving about different things happening in our church and world, 1 don't think Jesus meant life to be as tough as this person makes it out to be."
Thanks for saying that Father Alfred Rush — and when I die — I hope to see you at the edge of the crowd when I meet God and I see your smile and your wink. Amen.


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