A.M.  AFTER  MASS:

COMING OUT OF CHURCH

 INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C - is, “A.M. After Mass: Coming out of Church.”

That’s the theme that hit me - especially after reading today’s gospel.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us what happened to - two people who went to the temple to pray: “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Around 9 minutes to 10 all of us here - more or less - will walk out of church - today - head for the parking lot - to get moving again.

What happened while we were here today? How will we walk out of church this morning? Jesus in today’s gospel challenged me with that question as I prepared this homily.

A FAVORITE POEM

I write poems,  so I have some favorite poems. There is a preacher’s poem that grabs me, but it might not grab you - then again it might. It’s entitled, “In Church”, by Thomas Hardy.

IN CHURCH

“And now to God the Father,” he ends

And his voice thrills up to the topmost tiles
Each listener pervades the crowded aisles.

Then the preacher glides to the vestry-door,

And shuts it, and thinks he is seen no more.

The door swings softly ajar meanwhile,

And a pupil of his in the Bible class,

Who adores him as one without gloss or guile,

Sees her idol stand with a satisfied smile

And re-enact at the vestry-glass

Each pulpit gesture in deft dumb-show

That had moved the congregation so.

Woooooo! Interesting poem. I can picture the scene. Good poetry.

The preacher - as Thomas Hardy the poet - pictures him - is filled with himself - after he preached. He thinks he’s all alone.

That’s one of those questions: “Who are we when we are all alone?”

We priests - sometimes when we catch ourselves - on Sunday - say to each other, “How did your homily go?”

And we say things like, “Eeeh, I don’t know. I hope okay.”

Obviously, today’s gospel is telling us - where the action should be. It’s inside the temple of each person’s skull. In here. [Point to skull.]

Jesus knew the temple - the big temple in Jerusalem - as well as the local synagogues. Jesus knew that devote Jews would go to the temple at least 2 times per day to pray.

But Jesus went deeper - obviously - and began to talk about the inner temple - the inner room  - to go there in secret 2 times a day or whenever.

Jesus said to go to a place of prayer within - where only 2  are present - myself and God - not to be seen - but to be within - within God.

He saw too much posturing - too many Pharisees - like the Pharisee in today’s gospel - who went to the temple to pray - to themselves - to praise themselves.

He saw and heard too many people say the worst prayer a person can say: ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity.” Then he brags to himself about how good he is and how bad everyone else is.

What’s going on inside our mind today? Each time we come into the presence of God, is God present?  Are we looking in a mirror and only seeing ourselves?  Or are we in the real presence of God.

A test to run: What happens when we come into the presence of God?

If at first we feel small - sinful - less - not enough - that’s a good sign.

It’s like what happened to Peter when he first met Jesus. [Cf. Luke 5: 1-11.]

Jesus a carpenter tells Peter a fisherman how to fish - and where to fish.

At first Peter says, “Look, we just fished the whole night long - and caught nothing.”

Then Peter must have looked Jesus in the eye and realized, Jesus didn’t buy that. Jesus says, “Let’s go fishing. Launch out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch.”

And Peter does and his nets are filled to the breaking point and they call to another boat and they fill both boats to the full.

And Peter - experiencing greatness -  falls down in the presence of Jesus and says, “Get away from me - for I am a sinful man.”

Notice what happened there.

Jesus is just someone out there - like the way we all treat most people who are around us - on the planet.

For many of us - Jesus is just someone - God - just out there - not in here.

When we realize the greatness of Jesus - our God - we will feel smallness - sinfulness - at first.

The second step is the fullness of grace - gift - the lifting up of us as a human being towards greatness.

Jesus does not want to keep us - to see us - for us to see ourselves - empty - with empty boat or empty net.

It’s like when we think we know it all - and we walk into a library.

Notice the first guy in today’s gospel. He comes to the temple - filled with himself. Notice how today’s gospel begins: “Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.”

Notice the second guy in today’s gospel and how Jesus describes his thinking, “But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’”

And notice how Jesus ends his parable, his example, his story, “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

SUMMING UP

The title of my homily is, “A.M. After Mass: Coming out of Church.”

We come to church not to feel good about ourselves for starters - but to be better selves for endings.

We come to church to be challenged - and then to change.

Have we ever heard something that Jesus said that made us want to kill him - to put him on a cross and shut him up.

Today’s gospel can do just that.

If we come here to church to complain inwardly about others - to put others down - to humiliate others - so we can feel better about ourselves - then we’re in the wrong place within.

Let’s be honest, in the grand manipulation of politics, negative ads work.

Let’s be honest, in the grand manipulation of religion, negative thinking can abound - liberals vs. conservatives, church goers vs. non church goers, non-church goers vs. church goers - thinking how narrow minded they are - by going to church.

In that second reading for today,  we heard about runners. How many times do runners see people running to church and think they are better - exercising - feeling the fresh air - compared to sitting on their butts in a church hearing hot air - and vice versa.

I don’t have a cell phone - only when I’m on duty - and at times I think cell phones are crazy - that people can catch people at any time and any meal - and those with cell phones think non-cell phone users are Luddites - stuck in another century - out of touch - behind the times.

Besides all those zillions of cell phone conversations flying through the air - all the time - and zillions of e-mails and twitter and texted comments - hacked and not hacked - besides all that - there are those inner comparisons and conversations we all have - fat vs. thin, pants suits vs. whatever, tattoos vs. non tattoos, democrats vs. republicans vs. independents, young vs. old, and hundreds more comparisons. They are filling our world, our temples, and our minds.

Isn’t that one more reason we need to come to church to turn it all off. Isn’t that why we need to fix up our inner room, our inner temple, and drop in there at least 2 times a day to be  with God and God with us - to be in communion, holy communion, communication, calmness with God - and then to walk out of there and be in better communion, holy communion, communication calmness with ourselves and the people in our family - the folks at work - with neighbors - and friends?

The first step in any relationship with God or anyone else is to pause and realize that down deep I am blank, ignorant, and dumb when it comes to really knowing another. It means to have the humility to admit in all honesty: “I don’t know you. Therefore, I can’t compare myself to you.”

That’s the first step in any relationship with God and anyone else. The tax collector in  today’s gospel stays back - stays in the shadows. He knows he  doesn’t know God nor himself. He knows he’s an empty suit - a failure - when it comes to God and others. He knows he taxes them.

The second step is being justified - redeemed - rightened a bit - leaving church - and going home better than when we came into church today - because we’ve gone fishing a bit with Jesus - and he has given us some fresh fish - some new insights -  to swim with.

CONCLUSION

Hence the title of my homily for today: “A.M. After Mass: Coming out of Church.”