WE’VE  COME 

A LONG WAY, BABY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Friday after Ash Wednesday is, “We’ve Come A Long Way, Baby.”

When scientists, geologists, biologists, and naturalists like Charles Darwin [1809-1882] started to talk about evolution - lots of people screamed. They screamed at the thought we could have come from apes and primitive life.

The game - they played is, “Uproar.” It’s one of those Games People Play that one can find in Eric Bern’s classic book, Games People Play.

In time - the theory of evolution is still being worked out. It’s still evolving. It’s still being understood and misunderstood.  

Some say we started with life in the sea.  We started - as we start in the sea of our mother’s womb - from tiny cells in the sea - some billions of years ago.  

They just found evidence in Canada of what they are calling the earliest forms of microorganisms and microfossils - from between 3.8 and 4.3 billion years old.

We’ve come a long way baby.

Since then we’ve extended the theme of evolution into all kinds of different changes and growth and development.

For example the term is used to say each person’s mind can evolve over a lifetime.

We know so much more after 65 than we knew at 25.

Older people watch younger people as they develop - learn - change - figure things out - work things out.

I like to look around at weddings. I watch seniors watching the kids dancing at the wedding! 

Or just watch older folks watching teen agers as they walk through a mall. These older folks - usually older men - who hate shopping - and they are retired and go  with their wives to the mall. They are sitting there in the rest stops - those benches, chairs, seats in the mall along the mall walk ways and they smile as they see kids in all kinds of outfits, rings, gadgets and things.

We evolve.

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY ABOUT THE WAY

When it comes to religion, hopefully we also grow and develop and evolve.

I taught spirituality for 9 years to future Redemptorists.

As we all know the teacher learns the most.

So I found out what spirituality is. 

Most definitions and descriptions of what spirituality is uses the noun, WAY.

Spirituality is a way, a road, a path, a channel, a journey.

In Chinese we have the word “TAO” pronounced as if it’s a D - DAO.  It’s the way I do life.

And hopefully we evolve and learn as we walk the yellow brick road, the Iliad, the Odyssey, The Road Less Traveled.

And after noticing that spirituality is the road or the way or the path - I found out that systems of spirituality then talk about steps - as in the 12 Steps in AA spirituality. 

Ladders….  You’ll hear about steps and stairs. There are 3 steps, there are 5 steps. there are 7 steps. I have a book I’ve been working on forever. It’s entitled, “The 8^th Secret of Happiness.”  I’m evolving. I have about 9 other books in progress - slowly evolving over time. 

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings talk about fasting.

That’s one of the practices, exercises, steps one takes in spirituality - so as to grow and evolve.

Fasting.

We used to think of fasting only when it comes to food and drink. We heard people talk about fast in Lent from candy, chocolates, alcohol. We’ve come a long way baby.

Now we hear about fasting from TV, gossip, couch potatoing it. I gave up solitaire on the computer about 5 years ago for Lent and haven’t done it since. No virtue, but it was a time gainer.

Jesus talks about fasting in today’s gospel - about there is a time for fasting and a time not to fast. [Cf. Matthew 9:14-15.]

You don’t fast at a wedding - even if you’re on a diet. You cheat at weddings. 

I have to fast from sugar for the rest of my life for my health - but my doctor, Doctor Lisa,  tells me to cheat every once and a while. That’s a good medical spiritual practice - otherwise I might stop being sweet. We all know that when folks are at the dessert time at any meal, any wedding, when they are eating cake or pie or ice cream, we are sweeter. We’re more smiling.

And we all know there are times we have to fast: for colonoscopies for starters. I’m a diabetic so I have to fast from stuff heavy in sugar.  Those who are alcoholics or can’t handle their booze, they have to fast.

We all know we got to get up out of our chairs and walk if we want to stay healthy.

So in today’s first reading, from Isaiah, he knows that people who give up drink or chocolate or whatever for Lent can become PITA’s - pains in the tush - as we all know. [Cf. Isaiah 58:1-9a.]

Don't we all remember hearing kids say when we were kids, “I can’t stand Lent because my father gives up cigarettes and beer for Lent and then becomes a raging angry person.”

Isaiah in today’s first reading said this stuff some 2500 years ago at least - the fasting person becomes angry and takes it out on his workers.

Listen to Isaiah again. Have we evolved this far?

Would that today you might fast
so as to make your voice heard on high!
Is this the manner of fasting I wish,
of keeping a day of penance:
That a man bow his head like a reed
and lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed, 
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD 
shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, 
and he will say: Here I am!

CONCLUSION

Lent is 40 days.

Hopefully by Easter we have risen to a newer, better way of life.

Hopefully, we’ve evolved a bit more.

It calls for dying to self - and rising to occasions of grace. Amen.