Sunday, April 17, 2016

WHAT’S  WITH  THE  LAMB?



INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4th Sunday after Easter  is, “What’s With the Lamb?”

Ever since I was a little kid - when I was in church and saw the lamb on vestments, carved into altars - as well as in stained glass windows - I wondered, “What’s with the lamb?”




Ooops. I don’t mean the sheep on Jesus’ shoulders - or Jesus with a flock of sheep - walking along as the Good Shepherd - but just a lamb or a sheep with a small banner with a cross on it - often in a circle like and emblem or a sculpture or a carving.  What’s with that image? What’s with the Lamb?

Then at times I would hear at Mass in the readings - like today - mention of the Lamb.

There are also the prayers, “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us….” 

So at times when I’m awake or aware of what I’m seeing and hearing, I ask, “What’s with the lamb?

THEN THE OTHER DAY

Then the other day I was driving to New Jersey to attend the funeral of a classmate.  I was listening to a CD talk by Father Robert Barron - who is now a bishop. He made a comment that went something like this: Israel was constantly the little guy - all through the Old Testament - and they were always being beaten up.  So the prophets promised that a Lion who appear - the Lion of the Judah - who would protect and destroy all enemies and all will be okay. In other words, there would be Savior, a Messiah, a redeemer - who would be a powerful leader - who would crush Israel’s enemies.

Well who shows up but Jesus - the Lamb - and the lamb is slaughtered?

God has a sense of humor - and a sense of humility - on how life works.

So there we have them: the Lion and the Lamb?

Which would you rather be?  Which would you rather have?

The lion has the reputation of being the king of  beasts. Grrrrrrr! Grrrrr!  Grrrry! as we see at the beginning of MGM movies.

But Jesus is the Lamb - the sheep who is slaughtered - and yet saves the world.

As in the Exodus - the Passover Lamb - was slaughtered and his blood was to be smeared on the doorposts of the Jewish homes - so that when the angel of death - came - the death of all first born’s - of  Egypt - the Jews would be saved.

On the Passover Night they fled Egypt - went through the waters of their baptism - and they headed for the Promised Land.

This is big picture, mythic type thinking, symbolic thinking.

LIFE IS THE SURPRISES

Life is the surprises. Life is the reversal of the expected.  Life is the unexpected.

Life is the ability to laugh.

Instead of a lion showing up, surprise a lamb shows up. A lamb - the meekest and dumbest of the animals - shows up and conquers all.

I remember seeing a National Geographic or Animal Kingdom documentary and the lion is sitting there under a tree relaxing.

You then see his wife the lioness tracking down a gazelle - killing it - and dragging it to her husband: the lion. He then has a feast - eating all he wants to eat. Then his wife and cubs have the remains.

Meanwhile the lion climbs a tree and sleeps for 48 hours - with drooping pot belly.

When I sat that, I smiled. The king of the beasts - the lion - didn’t come across too well in that documentary - that story.

Life is the surprises.

Life is the unexpected.

Life doesn’t work the way we think it should work.

Is the message that the secret of life is not being the lion - but being the lamb.

The first become last - and the last become first.

As Jesus taught us - there are those who serve and those who are served and those who are served are number 1 - the more important. Then he chooses to not be the most important. He washes feet - and serves the rest.

Life is giving one’s life for the good of all.

Life is the sacrifices.

Mother Teresa used to say to her sisters, “Let the people eat you up.”

Give them your time. Give them you presence. Give them your service.

SOME EXAMPLES OF SERVICE

I think of some examples of service - besides the lioness feeding her man.

A bunch of times I’ve spent time with my brother’s daughters for Thanksgiving week. Somewhere along the line they made a pact to try to get together as a family for Thanksgiving week.

Our generation did it for 3 days. My brother’s daughters are continuing the tradition doing it for 5 or 6 days. It means sacrifice. It costs money.  It takes planning. It takes an effort - but the reward called family is worth it.

During that Thanksgiving week, I began to notice that my niece Jeanie’s husband, David, would come downstairs with their 3 kids and go out for a drive very early every morning.  Where were they going? The stores weren’t open yet. Well, he was taking them out for a drive so their mother could get a great sleep.

When I saw that,  I looked back and remember my dad taking us to the park every Sunday as kids - after Mass - after breakfast - so as to give my mom a break - and a good sleep.

I think of my dad working for Nabisco and they moved from the lower west side of Manhattan - to Fair Lawn, New Jersey. To continue with the idea of keeping his job and getting a pension - this meant he had to take the subway from Brooklyn to 42 Street - in Manhattan where the Port Authority bus station was located - and then then he would take a bus to Fair Lawn New Jersey - for work. He did this for a couple of years before he retired.

Why? Family. Marriage? Food on the table.

I think of all those couples with 2 jobs and all kinds of extra work and travel - so as to make money so their kids can get the best education - the best this and the best that.

Sacrifice. Sacrifice. Sacrifice.

SCAPEGOAT

The title of my homily is, “What’s With the Lamb?”

Besides being of service to others, there is a second meaning - a second message - about lambs - and it too is a key to our understanding of the meaning of the Lamb of God.

I think of the work of the Stanford University professor, Rene Girard, who died last year.



Years ago I heard some talks about his teachings and writings. I bought the books and tried to get my hands and my mind on just what he was saying.

I got some of what he was saying - but I’m still not clear on his messages.

He was off on scapegoats and lambs that were slaughtered for the good of the community.

He looked around - he looked at history - and Rene Girard said there was a lot of violence - not just today - but always.

People blame people. People pick on other people. People are envious of other people. People want what other people have. Why do I always have to have a crummy car - when so and so has a zoom zoom very expensive car? And house…. and vacations …. and clothes.

Kill them. Steal from them. Take from them.  The history of the world…..

Rene Girard thought about all this and came up with one of his key ideas: we are mimics.  Human beings imitate each other. See violence - mimic violence - and then violence continues.



Imitation - mimicking - doing what others do - wearing what others wear - saying what others are saying - is very much what we do.

What is said on the talk shows at night - becomes the conversations at the coffee break and the cocktail hour the next day.

Who stops to think? Who thinks outside the box?

Jesus came along and did so - and the crowd that screamed for him on Palm Sunday - waving palms and wows - screamed “Crucify him” the following Friday.

Prophets are killed. People who challenge people are assassinated.

So we have a choice: to think or not to think? To grow or not to grow? To be violent or to be people of peace.

We can mimic the good or the evil.

Jesus chose the good. Jesus chose stopping the violence - by entering into the violence of the world - with the hope of us getting the message to stop the violence.

Jesus turned the other cheek.

Jesus took on all the anger of all the people’s.

Jesus did not roar back - he gave his back to his persecutors.

We can be lion or a lamb.

We can be like Jesus.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “What’s With the Lamb?”

Answer: sacrifice and service - giving of oneself - as well as dying to violence and selfishness of others - being a lamb ourselves - being a scapegoat and changing the world by non-violence. Amen.

Answer: Jesus is a good shepherd who lays down his life for us.





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