I  WISH  SO AND SO 

HEARD THIS 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 21^st Monday in Ordinary Time  is, “I Wish So and So Heard This.”

One of the  experiences every preacher has is the following: someone comes up to a preacher or speaker and says, ‘I wish my daughter-in-law heard what you said today.”

THE PREACHER’S REACTION

For starters, it’s a compliment in a way.  Someone heard something and it has a grab of importance for them.

Sometimes the preacher has a second experience.  They say to themselves. I wasn’t preaching to those absent, but to those present. Maybe this person should apply what was said not to others, but to themselves for starters.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s gospel  - Matthew 23: 13-22 - has the first 3 of Matthew’s 7 Woes of Jesus. Scripture scholars like to point out that in Matthew they are a teaching technique. He does the same thing with the 7 Beatitudes in Matthew 5: 3-12.  Sometimes it’s listed as the 8 Beatitudes.

Tomorrow we’ll have 2 more woes and Wednesday we should have the last 2 woes, but we have a feast day on Wednesday,  August 29^th, for John the Baptist - so there is a different gospel for that day.

Question: when we hear these 7 warnings, these 7 blasts, these 7 criticisms, these 7 woes,  of the Pharisees and the Scribes, do we think of others, or do we apply them to others?

If there is anything I learned from the Jesuit Exercises from Saint Ignatius of Loyola, it’s to apply all these readings to self - not others.

I read a Bible text, I put a finger on it, and say, “Now this if for me!”

It’s to see myself in the gospel stories and the scripture texts, not others.

How am I a hypocrite? How am I a Pharisee or a Scribe?

When preachers are preaching and everyone listening is screaming inwardly at the preacher, “Practice what you preach!” it would great if the preacher knew what everyone was thinking about him at that moment.

Ouch!

It’s a good sign - in a way - if the person being corrected - at least said the following, “Do what I say, don’t do what I do?”  If they say that much, they might have half of the problem correct.

The Pharisees and the scribes were always trying to correct others - and they didn’t look into the proverbial mirror - at themselves.

As preacher I know I’m guilty of doing  this at times.

Sometimes after I finish a homily, I go through it and change all the you’s to we’s or I’s.

SPECK OR 2 BY 4

Jesus  knew this and said all this very clearly when he said, “Remove  the 2 by 4’s in your own eye first - instead of spending your energy seeing the tiny specks in your brother’s eye.”

People even did this to Jesus when he challenged him by yelling back at him, “Physician heal yourself.”

People got this message when they dropped their rocks when Jesus said at them, “Those without sin, cast the first stone.”

Jesus told us to stop judging each other.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

In today’s first reading Jesus tells us what to see in the other.

See the good stuff. To live with peace  and in “grace” with each other.

Here in 2 Thessalonians, we are called to be thankful for the others around us.

We’re  called to  have faith - a faith that is growing.

CONCLUSION

I’m not  saying in this homily that we can’t say something to another.

Today we’re celebrating the Feast of St. Monica who challenged her son Augustine to straighten his life out.

She succeeded - her tears and her prayers worked  - and we have the great St. Augustine.