WHERE  ARE  YOU?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 10 Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]  is, “Where Are You?”

This is one of my favorite themes and when I spotted it in today’s first reading from early Genesis, Chapter 3,  I said to myself, “Preach on that theme: ‘Where are you?’”

Where are you?

Where are you this morning?

Where are you in your life at this point?”

Celebrating any anniversaries?   Making any big transitions? Figured out some big stuff?  Being in a good place this morning…. right here, right now.

FOUR CORNERS

I’m sure everyone of us has stood on a state line or a county line and announced, “I’m in Maryland and Delaware right now or Anne Arundel County and Prince Georges county right now.”  “Take my picture!”

I’m sure someone here has been to  Four Corners in the United States, Southwest, where someone can be in 4 states at once: Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona.

One of the neat things about being a human being is being able to be in two places at the same time.

At Four Corners a person can be in 4 places at the same time.

Four Corners has really not much to see  - compared to the many scenic places in all those 4 states. Four corners is flat. It’s dusty and deserty. But someone came up with the idea of making it a place to go to. Good move. Make with, what you got - and where you are. The rest of those 4 states have many great beautify places to visit.  If you’ve never been to Zion National Park, put that on your bucket list. It’s a great spot in Utah.

In fact, I can go to Utah - and remember Zion National Park by looking at the rocks there - rocks in my head - while sitting in church - here in Maryland, here in Anne Arundel - while someone is speaking in the pulpit.

I can even do that while preaching.

I love the saying, “Be where you is, because if you be where you ain’t, then you ain’t where you is?”

I love the story about a guy who was at a very boring meeting. He looked around. Everyone was fidgety, sleepy, and looked bored - except for one guy. This other guy had a nice smile on his face and looked alive - looking right at the speaker. The other guy went up to him at the coffee break and said, “That was a horrible meeting - but you looked happy.” “Oh,” said the other guy, “I was in Montana, fishing - and the water was beautiful - and I’m going back there in two weeks. Can’t wait.”

One of the great gifts of being a human being is the gift of being able to drift - to move - to disappear and reappear in different places and states of mind - anywhere we are.

People confess sins of distraction - especially at prayer. Who came up with that one? If they think that’s a sin, why don’t they confess  being distracted - and really not listening -  when talking with their mother or father-in-law?

To be human is to be able to be in another state of mind or 4 states at once.

Where are you - right now?

Preachers know people drift and go elsewhere.  Father Tiz is the best I’ve seen in his use of props to try to catch people and bring them into his state of mind.

Preachers know if you mention someone else’s name from the pulpit or in a conversation, people leave the preacher and go and visit that other person - without moving their feet.

Where are you right now?

P A C

Back around 1960 we started to hear about the PAC theory of therapy - which is part of TA - Transactional Analysis.

It was put together by people like Eric Bern and Thomas Harris and others.

They said that human beings can be in one of 3 states: parent - adult - or child.

And it’s not based on age as much as state of mind and attitude.

When someone is angry - filled with emotions - thinking and yelling, “It’s not fair.” they are probably in the child state. They say, “I want what I want when I want it.” They say, “I can’t.”  or “I don’t care.” They are grunting….

When someone is the parent state, they give orders. They are critical. They give faces - saying “Shame, shame on you!” in 5 different ways. They point out that we’re in a place or are doing something that we should not be doing in that place,  “Shhhhh! You’re in church!”

When someone is in the adult state - they are more calm and less emotional - asking, “Let’s take another look at this.” “Let’s get the facts.” “Let’s consider or reconsider.”

The P A C - Parent - Adult - Child - theory of understanding life has sort of disappeared.

It’s also called TA - Transactional Analysis. We get frustrated when we expect someone to act the way we want them to act. If we expect them to be the child and do what we point out, and they don’t that’s called a “crossed transaction”.  I see that happening all the time. How about you?

Saying, “How about you seeing that?” is treating you like an adult.

So I recommend reconsidering PAC and TA.  Just look it up on Google. I still find it rather helpful.

Where are you?  That’s one of the places where I am.

TAKE ADAM AND EVE

Take the Bible’s story of Adam and Eve - especially the story we heard in today’s first reading.

Some people toss religion and the Bible and stories like Adam and Eve out the window or keep that book on their bookshelf or use the Bible as a door stop. They say it’s fairy tales. Snakes don’t talk. Evolution proves there was no Adam and Eve.

That can be a child’s way of thinking. How about being an adult and reconsidering these great stories?  Life can be a garden - everything can be nakedly beautiful - but we have free choice - and evil like a snake can whisper into our mind - try the forbidden fruit.

Then when we make mistakes. We hide from others and ourselves and God. We stop going to God and church - and don’t talk with God on Sunday mornings or in the cool of the evening.

We blame the other for messing up our marriages or our jobs or our lives.

We blame the serpent of temptation that slithers around the garden floor of our brain when we make  our mistakes.

We heard that stuff in today’s first reading from Genesis. Consider it again in a new state of understanding the scriptures.

Read today’s second reading again.

Those of us who are aging - is that happening to anyone here today? - instead of moaning and complaining about aches and pains and forgetting, say with St. Paul, “… our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed each day.”

In other words I’m getting older and wiser.

In other words I’m using my adult state more than my child whining state.

In other words I’m realizing the truth of Muhammed Ali’s words, “A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Moving towards the end of this homily….

Once more: The title of my homily is, “Where Are You?”

In today’s gospel there is a moment when it says, “His mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent word to him and called him. [No cell phones yet]. A crowd seated around him told him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.’  But he said to them in reply, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, ‘Here is my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’”

Great scene.

What I take out of that today is this.  Today’s gospel begins with scribes and accusers and attackers - the negative people we have to deal with at times - well we have a choice - we can spend energy on them.  Jesus did that at times.

But we can also look at the people around us  - all our brothers and sisters - and mothers and fathers - all those people we can - as adults learn from and be with - and grow with.  Jesus did that as well.

CONCLUSION

Where are you? What kind of a state are you in - most of the time?

If you’re in an adult state of mind - in a growing - in a going for the gold - state of being - in a being forgiven mode - in a starting again state of mind - in a flowing with the Holy Spirit spirit - then pack up and move to a new state - and the Lord be with you today - and this week. Amen.