WIGGLING  THROUGH 

THE  EYE  OF THE NEEDLE 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Wiggling Through the Eye of the Needle.”

In today’s gospel Jesus the teacher says to his students, his disciples, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to pass   through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

PROP

In my Bible here - in the gospel of Mark - which we just heard I have a needle. I keep it inside clear see through tape. I want to see it - but I don’t want to be stabbed by it.

This weekend some preachers will say the eye of the needle was a small gate in Jerusalem - that was very narrow. You had to bend down low and squeeze and wiggle your way into the city through this entrance. It was a short cut. A camel would have a hard time getting in that way. If you had a camel, you’d have to go through one of the main gates - probably get taxed - and checked.

Other preachers will say the eye of the needle is a hole along the edge of a boat to pull a rope through - a heavy rope that gets tied to a bollard or iron post on a pier - to tie up a ship - when docked.

I like the interpretation that is was simply a needle with an eye in it.

And Jesus is using metaphor, image and exaggeration to get across the  effort it takes to: get into the kingdom of God. Come on in. Come through the eye of the needle. Practice the messages I’m teaching you about being a member of the kingdom - here and hereafter.

This rich man wants the answer - the secret of happiness - the secret of how to inherit eternal life. Jesus does what every rabbi would do - tell him to keep the commandments.

He says, “I keep them all.”

So Jesus says to him, “Okay, want more? Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

Then Mark tell us, “At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

Jesus knew being overweight with stuff - can slow us down.

Jesus knew possessions can possess us.

I loved a scene in a short film I once saw on TV on the Sermon on the Mount. In the background one hears Jesus saying Matthew 7:13, “Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it, but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” On the screen one sees a guy coming up a street with 2 big suitcases - and a gigantic backpack. He comes to a very narrow doorway and tries to get in - while still holding his bags and pack. He shrugs his shoulders backs out - and continues up the street. Then a little kid with only himself in hand comes running up the street and shoots right into that house.

I could only hear in my memory, “Unless you be like little children - you won’t get into the kingdom of God.”

TODAY’S READINGS

The title of my homily is, “Wiggling Through the Eye of the Needle.”

Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom has the same message in its own way. The author says he prayed for answers  about what life was all about. He realized it wasn’t silver or gold. He prayed and he got prudence and wisdom. They were life’s true riches.

If you were given one or two wishes that you could pray for, what would you ask for? What would you pray for?  You know those wisdom stories that are part of every tradition: You got one wish? Or you got two wishes. Or you got three wishes?  What would they be?

Win the lottery?  Be set for life? Perfect marriage and family?

This week think of that question.

Today’s second reading has a two edged sword as its key metaphor.

That’s a lot more than a needle. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews says the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts. It penetrates between soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It discerns what’s going on in the heart. It gets at our thoughts and reflections. Nothing is concealed. Everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him or her to whom we must render an account.

Besides the eye of the needle - the Bible gets us to see what’s underneath. It does what Jesus did to this man in today’s gospel.

SO MY BIG QUESTION

In our lives, has there been any moments for us, like this moment for the man in today’s gospel - or the author of the Book of Wisdom or the message in the Letter to the Hebrews?

Has there been a moment when you realized the answer - but it was too tough and we walked away sad?

Maybe it’s time to revisit those moments and memories.

THREE EXAMPLES

Let me give try to trigger what I’m trying to get at by three  examples.

In 1984 I went to Vienna, Austria, to get in touch with where the Redemptorists were back in 1832 when they sent 3 priests and 3 brothers to work for the German immigrants in America who lacked priests.

Another priest was going to give me a grand tour, but he got stuck in Rome with a meeting. While walking around Vienna I spotted this enormous art museum. I went in to check out the paintings - many of them enormous and old - with great gold gilded frames.

I walked into this big room that had a lot of classic marble sculptures.

Over in a corner I spotted a statue of a young woman - naked and beautiful - which we’ve all spotted in art museums. She was about 20 years old in the prime of her youth. Then I noticed there was another statue of her - if I walked to my left and around to another side of her. Now she was about 45 or 50 still good looking - same woman. Then I could see there was another statue of her - also naked - but in her old age.

“Oooh,” I thought.

Relax, I tried to find on line the name of this combination sculpture, perhaps, “The Three Ages”  but couldn’t find it. But I did find a similar set of 3 of males - aging. It can be found in the Prado, the famous art museum in Madrid.

I stepped back and began to wonder what others would think as they saw these 3 statues.

Off to the side - about 15 yards away - was a wooden bench. I went over to it and watched people as they approached the young woman. Young couples would move closer to each other - or elbow the other. Smiles and laughter were there. Next they got more serious as they got to middle age.  Then came the, “Oh my God!” faces as they saw old age.

I’ve often wondered if that statue became a moment of insight, conversion, rethinking life or what have you for various people down through the years.

The second image was similar. It was something I spotted in an article about a special exhibit going on in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It was about rings and things from the 1400’s.  One object was the so called, “Gemini Ring.”

It’s twin rings and each ring has a tiny little, little box that has tiny sculptures inside. One has a tiny, tiny statue of a tiny, tiny baby.   The other has a tiny, tiny, sculpture of a skull.

From birth to death, I love you. From birth to death, the journey of life, how am I living it.

Would that ring hit home the simple reality of life: from birth to death?

Third example. This would be a story I began to think about - first draft about - yesterday.

A wife says to her husband, “I’m putting on some weight. I gotta do some exercise. I hear the step master is the best indoor exercise equipment. I’d love to get one.”

The husband is telling this to a guy at work.  He says, “You never buy these exercise gadgets. Just go out at any Saturday where there is a yard sale and you’ll get a stair master for $20 bucks.”

So to save money he checked the papers and found 5 yard sales.  On Saturday morning he went out by himself and checked all 5. No luck.

But he did pick up a neat wooden statue of St. Francis of Assisi.

It was about 3 feet high - and had rich brown wood - a very good sculpture.

He noticed something had broken off from the base - at Francis’ feet.

He asked the husband running the yard sale, “How much for the statue?”

“Two bucks.”

On the way home he stopped into Home Depot to get some wood oil for his new statute.  He cleaned it and rubbed in the oil.   Nice.

His wife asked, “Why did you buy that. You don’t go to church anymore.”

“Well, I can’t resist a bargain and this pope, Pope Francis, is big on St. Francis.”

It didn’t get him back to church - but it intrigued him - what was at the base of this statue.

Well, his brother has a slight heart attack - and he goes to see him in the hospital.

Coming down the corridor is this priest.

He stops and says, “Father can I ask you a question?”

“Go for it,” the priest says, “people always stop and ask religious questions.”

“Well, Father, I bought this neat statue of St. Francis. It’s all wood - beautiful wood - but something is missing at St. Francis’ feet.”

The priest paused and said, “Well it could be a bird or a dog or a wolf or a small deer or it could be a skull.”

“A skull? Why a skull?”

“Well, Francis got it touch with the big mysteries of life and he called Death ‘Sister Death’.”

“Oh.”

Then the priest says, “Wait a minute?” He takes out his iPhone and types into Google “Statues of St. Francis.”

He adds, “I could have asked Siri - but I want to show you some pictures.”

Then scrolling along he asked the man, “Is this your statue?”

“No.”

“No.”

“No. - Wait, that’s it.”

The priest says, “That’s probably an older statue then, because they switched from skulls to birds at some point. Not as tough.”

Then the priest says, “Where did you get the statue? Family?”

“No, I got it for two bucks at a yard sale.”

“Good move,” said the priest. “What parish do you belong to?”

“Ooops,” the guy says, “I dropped out of church years ago.”

Silence…..

“But I like the statue and it triggered thoughts about how good Pope Francis.”

Well that was the beginning of a wonderful thing - as the ending of Casablanca goes.

The man told his wife about meeting the priest - and what was missing was the skull.

She says, “So are you going back to church? You’re the Catholic.”

All this got to him … death… life… his brother’s heart attack … meeting the priest … the statue… his wife’s comment. She wasn’t Catholic.

In about two months he stopped in to see that priest and he got himself back into God’s good graces.

And now when he goes by his statue of St. Francis, he taps it on the head and says, “Thanks Frank!"

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily was, “Wiggling Through the Eye of the Needle.”

Hey, it’s never too late to use some wiggle room and get oneself closer to God. Amen.