REGARD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily  for this 22 Friday in Ordinary Time is, “Regard.”

Spelled: R  E  G  A  R  D

Regard....

It’s a word that I have never stopped to look at or think about.

I never gave it any regard.

How about you?

 I like words. I like to look up their roots - their meanings, etc. etc. etc.

And I want to keep on learning words till I get dementia - and then it’s all spaghetti inside this sound box of mine - called my mind.

Why this topic for a homily?

The word “regard”  appears in the opening statement in today’s first reading” “Brothers and sisters: “Thus should one regard us ….”

That triggered my mind to stop and think about this theme or topic of, “Regard.”

HERE’S A GOOD STARTING QUESTION

Do we care about how others see us - judge us - regard us?

How we look …  how we talk … how we eat … how we speak?

Do we look in the mirror as we dress ourselves or do our face: "How will others regard me in this outfit - or with this look?"

Did you like the TV commercial for Men’s Wearhouse. George Zimmer would talk about his suits and say, “You’re gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it.”  He was selling high regard. He said, you’ll get that if you wear one of my suits.

So I’m assuming we want to be regarded as normal - fitting in - looking okay - looking good?

What about disregard? What’s going on there?

What about people who feel disregarded - disqualified - "dissed" - because of their accent, color, religion, place of origin, look?

Do people who are a PITA - pain in the you know what - often disregard what others think - and just barge - or ram rod themselves - into a scene or  a  discussion or the planning - and want their way - regardless of what others think - and as a result - they don’t get positive regard?

So do we people want regard - negative or positive - whether we admit it or not?

So please notice the word "guard" - one who watches - in the "gard" part of the word "regard."

Those are some immediate observations and questions about the issue of, “regard.”

IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME

The word “regard” is in the English translation of today’s first reading. [Cf. 1 Corinthians 4:1-5]

It was written in STOP sign red for me.

If a word grabs me in the readings for the Mass of the day, I like to look up stuff about that word.

It it’s New Testament, it would be Greek; if it’s the Jewish Bible it would be Hebrew.

We studied Greek for 4 years - not as much as Latin - but we took Greek - especially since it’s the original language of the New Testament - so that’s sitting in my resume.  

We had Latin for 8 years - and our main philosophy and theology books were in Latin - but I always wished we zeroed in on Greek and Hebrew - more - that they had a higher regard.
  

As to Hebrew, we had that one class a week for two semesters. That was it. To this day, I don’t know how I passed.

With the Internet and with some good books I have, I can dabble in both Greek and Hebrew - especially when I’m preparing a homily and want to look up a word.

I have read several times - in books about preaching, “Don’t say in the pulpit, ‘In Hebrew or in Greek, the word in our text is” and then mention a Greek or Hebrew word.”

I disregard that warning or prohibition - because if we’re not aware of the Greek or Hebrew words - we can be babbling inside an empty 55 gallon drum about what’s not in the scriptures.  At the very least, I want to know the meaning of the words in the original text for the Mass scripture readings. I fail often on this - by preaching about an English translation - idea or word - and I’m missing what was in the original languages of the readings.

In today’s first reading from 1^st Corinthians, “regard” was the English word chosen to translate the Greek word, LOGIZESTHO  - from the Greek verb, LOGIZOMAI.

It was the word used in everyday business in counting apples and oranges, estimating, calculating, figuring out how many tables and chairs to set up for a dinner or what have you.

When it becomes a metaphor, it means figuring out what must I do in order to be saved - in order to be right.

What do I do to get positive regard - from myself, my judgment - or others - but especially from God?

Do I really mean it, when I say to God, “Thy will be done”?

Do I really want to do each day - what God regards should be done each day?

So Paul - here in his First Letter to the Corinthians  talks about what we must do to be judged good servants. What’s required?

Then he gives what he sees as the key ingredient. It is to be trustworthy.

Then Paul talks about who the one is who makes this judgment: it’s the Lord.

So the Lord makes the judgment in the deal. God does the reckoning. God lets us know if we figured out - if we got it right - in what we should be and should be doing regarding what’s important.

Take for example,  a group of people who volunteer to serve at a dinner for others. It could be a church group or the Red Cross or what have you.  The person who gives their word and then shows up and gives it their best will get high regard as a servant.

They are proving themselves trustworthy and they get high regard from God.

The proof is in the pudding - better making it and serving it.

The Lord’s good servant gains the trust of all.

Weren’t we all moved by the moment in the movie, “A Man For All Seasons,” the life of St. Thomas More,  when he said it was not Henry VIII whom he was worried about. It was God. He wanted to be God’s good servant.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel, John the Baptist has high regard. [Cf. Luke 5:33-39.]

Now there was a serious guy - when it comes to prayer and fasting.

The scribes and the Pharisees see Jesus’ disciples. They don’t look as strict - so they got low regard.  Jesus gets low regard as well.

What’s the plan for getting high regard?

What’s the plan for getting high regard with God?

People want to know all the time - if they are church goers - what do I do to get high regard from God?

People who go to church - sometimes do what they do - to get high regard - recognition - “Wows!” - from other people. “Now she’s a holy person.”

Who is the holy person - the saint - the Good Christian?

Jesus laughed at this when he saw externalism and showing off in the Pharisees - in praying, in giving alms, in fasting, and said, “Amen they have had their reward.” [Cf. Matthew 6: 1-18; Matthew 23.]

I sense that people are asking all their lives the high regard question - especially when they are getting older and looking at their life.

It's the meaning of life question.

It's why Nicodemus came to Jesus in the night. Read the third chapter of John thirty times thirty times. 

It's why the rich young man came to Jesus, "What must I do to gain eternal life?" [Cf. Matthew 19: 16-22.]

Down deep they are wondering what God’s estimate - what  his LOGIZOMAI - his accounting for us is?

How does God judge us here and now?

Hey does God judge us after we die?

Is it an accounting - a reckoning - a regarding our life?

The scriptures certainly say that.

Jewish theology certainly said that - for those who believed in an afterlife.

One thought in Hebrew thinking was: it’s a scale - if you did 465 things right and 466 things wrong. Sorry.

Luke - and now Pope Francis - is saying, we will be regarded, reconciled by mercy. I’ll take that one.

Matthew sneaks in that we have to do something  - have the right garment for the wedding banquet.

Matthew 25 says we have to feed the hunger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the imprisoned - otherwise we’re a goat  - and we’ll be told to go to hell.

Jesus tells us it’s never too late.

We can always pour as we heard in today’s gospel - new wine into new wine skins.

We can come into the vineyard in the last hour.

We can also keep our old good wine in our old wrinkled  skins and bring both the old and the new with us into the eternal wedding.

CONCLUSION

So that’s a homily about regard.

As I thought about it - I realized I have to give this theme of regard - a lot more regard - a lot more recognition - a lot more understanding. Amen.