WHO’S IN  YOUR  AUDIENCE?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 15th Tuesday in Ordinary Time  is, “Who’s In Your Audience?”

Sub-title: “Who’s Watching to Find Out What Would Happen to You?”

BOOK OF EXODUS

We’re in the Book of Exodus now. Jewish baby boys were to be killed - as a way of stopping the Israelite presence and influence in Egypt. This is before the Exodus. In fact it will be part of the reason for the Exodus.

So this little boy is born. He’s hid for 3 months. His mom puts him in a papyrus basket - made it water proof - and then put it in the water and pushed it towards where the pharaoh’s daughter would bathe. Good story.

Then notice the sentence. The baby’s aunt “stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him.”

That triggered my wondering comment for today’s sermon: “Who has wondered what was going to happen to us?”

I assume that’s the background of Shakespeare’s famous line: “All the world’s a stage.”

I assume we all had someone at our birth and our baptism sitting there like an audience in a theater watching us - up there on the stage of life - and wondering what’s going to happen to this baby - called “me”?

Our parents certainly did. Is it less watching and wondering for the 4^th child than for the 1^st child?  There’s always the comment: the camera didn’t come out as much for the last child compared to the first child.

Growing up in the 40’s and 50’s - I never saw parents in the stands at Little League games.  I don’t remember my parents being there for the first Mass I served as an altar boy. Yes for my first communion and confirmation and graduation from Grammar School.

Come to think of it - on a contrary note - once I did go with my brother-in-law to see my niece Monica play in a basketball game. She was this high [make gesture] so it had to be around the 4^th grade. The score was 0 to 0 at half time.

GOD SETS US SAILING

Using our imagination what would it be like to picture God sending every one of us down the stream towards our parents and they pick us up? What would it be like to picture God cherishing us - marveling at us - amazed at us - like all people - hopefully.

PS! What would it be like to hear, “PSSSSST! God is in the audience?”

RADIO

While driving along the other day I heard on the radio that a Jazz Musician had died. He had been left on a porch - I think I heard it was Pittsburgh - when he was born and someone picked him up.

Like Moses did anyone watch and wait to see if someone found him?  Did anyone wonder what ever became of her baby?

I tried to find out who it was on Google and couldn’t determine who this musician was?  But I did find the names of about 5 jazz musicians this happened to.  I also found out that someone put a baby with a note on her and left it at Dolly Parton’s doorstep.  So too a priest. So too a lot of people.

I also found out that this story of Moses - they knew his parents - is a story in many literatures of the world - Oedipus for starters.

CONCLUSION: HOW ABOUT US?

Last Sunday I preached on that wondering about how we’re doing as a theme to think about in the summer. Once more that same theme - wondering about our lives - in the context of:  Who’s in our audience? Do we see God in our audience?