SQUEEZE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 20^th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Squeeze.”

In our readings at Mass, whenever we have Jesus’ comment about the difficulties in being rich – as difficult as it would be for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle – all kinds of thoughts and questions hit me. How about you? 

This image from Jesus about the camel and the eye of a needle can be found in three of the four gospels: Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25 and Luke 18:25.

Down through the years I’ve heard different explanations – that the eye of the needle was a small gate in Jerusalem – and a camel had to get down on its knees to squeeze through that gate. I’ve also heard it refers to a big fat rope trying to get through an small anchor hole in a boat. [1]   Or it could simply mean -  as someone said - exactly what it says: it's difficult for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven - as difficult as it would be for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle.

Thinking about this message I get many wonderings. How about you? Here are 10.

TEN WONDERINGS

# 1 - Obviously rich means riches and stuff. I love a scene I saw  in a short video once. It explains what Jesus said very clearly to me. The video shows a man walking down a street with 2 big suitcases – a back pack on his back – a camera around his neck - along with some other carry on bags. He stops at a house which has a small doorway. Holding on to all his luggage he tries to enter the doorway, but he can’t fit in. So he shrugs his shoulders and moves on. As he continues walking down the street a little kid with just himself – comes running down that same street. He stops at that house and then runs right into that house with ease.  In the background is heard this text about the camel as well as another message from Jesus: unless you be like little children, you’ll never enter the kingdom of heaven.[Cf. Matthew 18:3.]

# 2 - Can we stretch the message and the metaphor and ask: does the person who knows too much – have room in their head – to fit in another question or observation and perhaps be poor and humble enough to hear what someone else in the community has to say? In other words, can know- it-alls, squeeze in the truth or at least a question?

# 3 - Is it better to grow up in a house with one bathroom  compared to a house with three bathrooms. Does small get all to think of others more – compared to those who live in bigger houses with fewer people? 

# 4 - Is it better for kids to go to a school where there is limited space – more kids in the classes – and kids from various classes – colors – and backgrounds – in each class?

# 5 - Is it better to grow up poor – where parents had to struggle to make ends meet – by various strategies to stretch a dollar and squeeze a nickel – and hear lots of “no’s – sorry we can’t afford that”?

#6 - Is it better for a family or a bunch of high school kids having to be squeezed into a tiny bug or a compact car – to get to school. Does 3 or 4 kids – or 3 adults -  squeezed into a back seat every day – make them more aware of others – and give them that great line for when they are parents: “When I was a kid...." or "When I was your age....”?

# 7 - Do the poor and the immigrant – especially the illegal immigrant  - who had to squeeze  through  holes in walls and openings in fences – to get out of where they were – with a dream for a better life elsewhere - bring more to the table – more to a new country - than we’ll those who have been around here for a few generations - a distance from when their parents squeezed into our country?

# 8 - Do those who have experienced a broken marriage or split family or divorce or poverty have a classroom experience in their home – that can help them understand others for the rest of their lives?

# 9 - Do those who experience more deaths than others – say less, “Why is God doing this to me?” Do they see more and then realize more and say more: “Maybe this is why God squeezed into us – in Jesus – so God could know firsthand what it is to be human – what it is to be rejected – what it is to be spit at – and beaten – and crucified on a cross?"

# 10 - Do we have to experience being first on line - when suddenly someone shuts the door we're next to enter? Then another door on the other side of the room opens up and the last on our line rush over for that door or gate that has just opened – and now their first?  How many of those kinds of experiences get us to laugh at life – and prepare us for heaven? Amen.

NOTES

[1] Daniel Harrington, S.J., “The Gospel According to Mark, on page 618 in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, edited by Raymond E. Brown, Joseph Fitzmyer, and Roland Murphy,