YES, NO

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 10 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Yes, No.”

A great principle to work for is the ability to speak with clear thinking. A good place to start is to work towards being able to say, “yes” or “no” depending on whether I want to say “yes” or “no.”

This coming Saturday we’ll hear Jesus saying in the Gospel reading from Matthew 5: 37, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”  That’s one of those key teachings we find in the Sermon on the Mount - which we’re listening to these three weeks.

We have the power of choice.

Pythagoras, remember him from Geometry said, "The oldest, shortest words - 'yes' and 'no' - are those that require the most thought."

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Never allow a person to tell you 'no' who doesn't have the power to say 'yes.'"

JESUS IS THE YES

Today’s first reading - from 2^nd Corinthians 1: 18-22 - has some comments about Jesus being a “YES” and not a “No.”

A good homily thought would be to stress the importance of making the “Yes Prayer.”  The Yes Prayer is to come into the presence of God and simply say, “Yes!” We can think deeply about God's urges in our life and say 3, 10 or use a whole rosary beads to say our "YES" to God.

Or we can say “Amen!”

In the scriptures, “Amen” is another word for “Yes”.

ERIC BERN - ON THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS

I have a book I’ve been working on for years now. I have to say “Yes” I’ll get it done - but I keep on putting it off. Not a secret of happiness.

Eric Bern once summed it all up this way: “The secret of happiness is the ability to say 3 words, “Yes, No and Wow.”

He added, “The secret of unhappiness is saying these 3 words, “If only and Maybe.”

We don’t have to read a book to know this wisdom.

Yet, in the meanwhile I keep saying, “If only I had time to finish that book.”  “Maybe some day I get the energy to get it done.”

CONCLUSION

In the meanwhile I’m rushing around doing nothing and missing all the “Wow’s” that surround me - especially in the Spring - especially today.

Amen.