WHO  WERE  YOUR  TEACHERS?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily on this feast of St. Mark is a question: “Who Were Your Teachers?”

To come up with a short homily  for today - for this feast of Mark - I looked at my bookshelf - for something on Mark or the Gospel of Mark. Surprise! At first instance I saw mostly books on John - a few on Luke and a few on Matthew but almost nothing on Mark.

Then I spotted a green book entitled, “The Journeying Self: The Gospel of Mark Through a Jungian Perspective” by Diarmuid McGann. He was an Irish priest from the diocese of Rockville Center in Long Island, New York.

[1942-2015]

WHO WERE YOUR TEACHERS?

He begins by telling his readers who his teachers were. I found that interesting.

He talked about his mom and dad first - then his three brothers and his one sister. Next came a scripture professor in Ireland - Father P.J. Brophy - who loved scripture - and that was the teaching and that was the learning he received. It was nothing very specific or particular about the Bible - just his love of scripture.  Next came the Jesuit Father Teilhard de Chardin and lastly were his professors at Iona College in New York.

Just reading that much - not even getting back into a book I read years and years ago - I asked myself - what did I learn from my mom and dad - brother and two sisters?

When couples are preparing for marriage that is a key question: family  of origin.

How has our family of origin effected/ affected us?

Diarmuid’s dad was the extravert - and he learned what it’s like to live in the shadow of an extravert - a bigger than life person. My dad was just the opposite. My mother was also more the introvert.  My brother was the extravert.  Diarmuid’s mother was more the introvert and she learned from suffering. She broke her neck in a car crash as a young woman.  She stayed with her oldest son in his difficult days and as well as his sister who has hospitalized for a few years.  Mom knew and learned from suffering - like her blindness coming on her in her old age.

MY TEACHERS?

Who have been my teachers?

One of the teachers who influenced me was also a scripture professor -

Eugene McAlee.  When it came to the four gospels,  he didn’t like Matthew. He didn’t give us that much on Luke - only Mary’s stuff - in the beginning there. He gave us some stuff on John - but Mark was his gospel.

And instead of taking Mark from the beginning - he taught us method. He taught us that we have the rest of our lives to learn the gospels.

He taught us the Greek side of reading the Gospels.

He taught us that Mark was precise. Mark was not poetic. Mark was details - lots of details - specific.

Mark was Joe Friday - “Just the facts mam.”

So Mark would be one of my teachers.

Mark starts off with Jesus as an adult. He challenges us right off the bat - to be face to face with Jesus the Son of God. He’s present in our midst.  Do I have an adult to adult relationship with Jesus?  Mark talks about the kingdom. It’s in our midst. Do we sense that every day - that I’m in the Kingdom and what a way to live every day?

Matthew - Mark - Luke and John? I like John first - because he was the poet and I like a poetic approach to life.  I like Luke next - because he was the story teller - and I like story tellers.  I too like Matthew least - because he can be too strict at times - especially compared to Luke - who was big or mercy and forgiveness - the message of Pope Francis - big time.  

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Who Were Your Teachers?”

Name some names - and what did you learn? What does that say about you?

What’s your favorite gospel? What does that say about you?

What do you know about the gospel of Mark?  He has many of the same stories about Jesus but tells them in his unique way. What does that tell you about Mark?