I  AM 

INSIDE  MY  HEAD 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “I am Inside My Head.”

Today - August 29^th, we look at  the beheading of St. John the Baptist.

The gospel is quite vivid. It’s easy to picture the whole scene.  I’ve seen it acted out in a few movies about Christ. Movie producers and directors would obviously want to include a dance - of a young woman - dressed dancingly in a revealing dress - as she was manipulating her step-father - and pleasing all the men in the room.

It’s also easy to hear and think about Herodias, her mother, and her inability to let go of her anger towards John the Baptist.

Then there is Herod  and his bitter regrets that he shot his mouth off and said to Herodias’ daughter, the dancer, “I swear to you, ‘Ask for anything you want. I’ll give it to you – even up to half my kingdom.’”

THE FLY ON THE WALL

We’ve all heard the phrase, “the fly on the wall”?

At times we all say and think things like,  “Wow would I like to be a fly on the wall in the president’s marriage when his wife heard about the intern or the dancer who  could cause a storm.”

I remember a talk a nun named Maureen McCann gave years ago. She  used the image of a radio - or any speaking device that has a speaker loudness dial. She said it’s good to listen to what we ourselves are talking to ourselves about - inside our head.  She said there are various stations on the radio. Pick one. Turn up the volume and listen. She also said we talk to ourselves about all kinds of people and situations. Well, dial into one - turn up the volume - and then listen carefully.

Be the fly on the inside of the walls of your skull.

We humans spend all kinds of time thinking about what we say and do - every day.  How many different conversations do we have with ourselves?  How many topics do we cover? How many experiences have air time in our brain?

We all know  about Descartes’ famous saying, “I think. Therefore I am.” “Cogito. Ergo sum.” It’s one of the few things everyone can say in philosophy.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Looking at today’s gospel I see it is rich in human comments and conversations.

As already mentioned, Herodias can’t shake John the Baptist’s attack on her marriage situation.

As already mentioned, Herod bitterly regrets that he was over bragging and over promising, when he shot his mouth off to his step-daughter, the dancer. Checking out with her mother,  she had a blank check, so she then gives the ugly request, “I want the head of John the Baptist brought in on a silver platter.

I AM STATEMENTS

The title of my homily is, “I Am Inside My Head.”

Jesus liked to make I Am statements.

God did one big one to Moses in the Book of Exodus. Who are you God asked Moses and God answered, “I Am Who Am.”

In this homily I’m suggesting, “Listen to yourself.”

Clearer: Listen to your I am statements.

Don’t cut off your head. Listen to what’s going on inside your head.

What are your I am statements today?

I think, therefore I am.

I feel, therefore I am.

I am at Mass. God I need you.

I am happy today.

I’m worried about our Catholic Church today.

I’m worried about our country and our world today.

I’m thinking about my family today.

I regret, therefore I am.

I can’t let go of things – especially hurtful things people say – and I hold onto them for hours, days, weeks, years, sometimes a lifetime; therefore I am.

I want to scream sometimes when I see wrong, unfairness, laziness, craziness, and sometimes I say nothing and then beat on myself for not speaking up – and sometimes I do speak up – and when I do, sometimes people chop my head off – or I do it to myself; therefore I am.

I am an angry echo – echo – echo in the soul – anger triggered by the presence of another, or the reminder of another, or of a painful experience from another – and it seems ever times I run into this person or see this person – I want to cut them down. I want to chop off their head.

I cry, therefore I am.

I tried, therefore I am.

I pray, therefore I am.

I laugh, therefore I am.

I’m funny, therefore I am.

I forget, therefore I am.

When I am young, I spend too much time in the future; when I am old, I spend too much time in the past. Therefore I am.

I die. Therefore I was – because others cry, laugh, tell stories about me and then in time, I am forgotten – and the words and numbers on my tombstone, fade.

I am I am today.

God, Christ, you are - you are today.

Let’s do this life together.

I am with you all days - and I believe you said, “I am with you all days, even to the end of the world.”

Listen up.

Hopefully we all say, "I am...."