“I don’t want to spend the restof my life giving speeches.”
Colin Powell
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
TWO BY TWO
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 27 Tuesday in Ordinary
Time is, “Two By Two.”
As you know numbers are interesting.
Ponder this: A different dynamic takes place in a car
when there’s two people on a trip together compared to three or four people.
TODAY’S READINGS
Today’s readings trigger thoughts or wonderings about numbers - especially about
two’s.
The Gospel has the story of Martha and Mary.
The reading from Galatians has one of various Peter-Paul
stories.
Peter is certainly very different than Paul.
One was a fisherman - and probably his only education was
learning how to fish and mend netsand
Paul was a tentmaker - who probably had lots of rabbinical education and
learning.
Martha and Mary clearly have very different personalities
as well.
Peter and Paul had some serious differences - especially
in reaching out to Gentiles. Their struggle was an early church struggle.
LOOKING AT OUR OWN LIFE
Looking at our own life what have been the two by two relationships?
life.
Looking at our life who have been the buddies … close
friends …. Who was our best man or maid of honor at our wedding and why?
Looking at our family - who were we closest too and is there
a brother or a sister we never got close to? These are the family questions that are more important than just
the numbers.
What’s it like to be in a family of two brothers andtwo sisters?
I have wonderings about favorites in families. I even ask
about that - but often get, “I have no favorites.”
There are all kinds of literature and family therapy
dynamics when it comes to who’s who in one’s family.
At our convocation last week in New Jersey, one night
there was the option to watch a movie called, “Wonder.”In this story there was the older teenage
girl - Via - who struggled with not being
noticed or getting any attention from
her mom. She saw that once her brother - Augie - was born - a boy with serious
facial issues- that neededlots of plastic surgery - her mom’s whole
life scenario wascaring for their son.
What thoughts do only children have? What’s it like to be
the only boy with three of four sisters.
What’s it like to be a twin?
BACK TO THE BIBLE
The title of my homily is “Two by Two”.
As you know that comes from the Noah’s Ark story.
There are lots of other two by two combos in the Bible:
Cain and Abel is certainly a significant story.
Isaac and Rebecca had twins and she felt them fighting in
her womb. Great story telling. The twins: Esau and Jacob were very different.
Jacob has twelve sons -I won’t go there - that’s a whole different story.
Joseph gets to Egypt and time moves on and then there are
the 2 brothers Moses and Aaron.
More family dynamics.
Jesus liked to have brothers in his stories.
Everyone knows his story about a man had 2 sons. One
becomes prodigal and hits bottom in a far country and comes home. He rehearses
his speech that he’s willing to just becoming a servant. I need food. I need a
place. The father welcomes him home - but the older brother has no welcome home
in his heart or mind and won’t forgive his brother.
Then there is the story about the brother who says to his
dad when asked to do a job - “Yes, no problem, I’ll do it” - and then he
doesn’t do it. The other brother says, “No way”and then has second thoughts and does what his father wants.
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is, “Two by Two.”
I suggested thinking about our own family dynamics and
figure out what you learned in your family setting. Has it been a good learning
experience?
Hopefully, brothers and sisters live long enough to end up seeing each often enough to compare
thoughts about one’s family. Sometimes they become the best of friends and help
each other figure out what mom and dad were like and what it was like growing
up.
Can’t you picture Martha and Mary - and maybe Lazarus - sitting
around in their old age - talking about their idiosyncrasies and funny stuff
about their mannerisms and how Jesus played his favorites. Can you picture Mary
serving Martha and saying jokingly, “You have chosen the best part”?
October 9, 2018
PSALM 173
Praise the Lord for water.
Rain from the sky,
mist, dew, bottled water.
Sprinklers, sinks, faucets,
cold restaurant glasses of water.
Lakes, rivers, reservoirs,
harbors, piers, bridges over water. Home, playground, for eels, sharks whales, salmon, and billions more.
“But just as they did in Philadelphia when they were writing the
constitution, sooner or later, you've got to compromise. You've got to start
making the compromises that arrive at a consensus and move the country
forward.”
Colin Powell
Monday, October 8, 2018
October 8, 2018
WHAT TO DO
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 27 Monday in Ordinary
Time is, “What To Do?”
I just had a homily at 10:30 of a young woman who died at
the age of 27.
The title of my homily for that Mass was, “What to Say?”
I spoke about sometimes we don’t know what to say -
especially when someone dies when they are quite young.
So I spoke about that. Sometimes showing up says a lot
more than saying something.
After that Mass I sat here and asked myself, “What To
Say” - coming out of today’s readings.
TODAY’S READINGS: WHAT TO PREACH
The first reading talks about preaching and following the
gospel handed down to us.
Today’s gospel is from Luke.It’s the story of the Good Samaritan.
One of the gifts of Luke is his ability to sum up the
whole gospel in just one story - especially a parable.
Today it’s the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
So the first answer to the “What to do” question is what
the scholar of the Law says to Jesus, “You shall love the Lord, your god, with
all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your
mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus says, “Do this and you will live.”
Then Luke gives thegreat message - of naming whom our neighbor is.
Jesus breaks all the boundaries that were part of Jewish
village life as well as Israel’s life. It was limited to Jews.
Jess says that neighbors are not just our family and our
tribe or class.
Neighbors are not just the person next door to us.
Our neighbor is any person on the planet who needs our help.
I don’t know about you, but I am moved every time I see
on TV - people from all over the world - who show up in Haiti or Indonesia -
when there is a hurricane or tsunami or earthquake. They are from Germany or Tokyo
or Chicago or Maryland.
Or they collected $18 million Euros or Dollars for people
needing help.
Who is my neighbor?
It’s the person who needs a dollar or a hamburger or a
Hello or any form of Help.
It’s the person hurting anywhere and everywhere - in our family, in our groups, in our world.
The gospel message is: Help them. Be there for them.
CONCLUSION
The title of my
homily was: What To Do.
What to do: love, give, stop, be with, hug, hold, care,
visit, share.
What would it be like to come up with a hat that says
today’s gospel in a short slogan? How
about, “Help the hurting today.” Or “Be
the Good Samaritan.”
Thought for today: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds
discuss people.” Eleanor Roosevelt
DO YOU HAVE
A ROSARY?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Do You Have A Rosary?”
If you answer “Yes” to that question, could you find it
and have it in hand in less than 10 minutes?
In a bureau drawer? In your pocket? On your car mirror?
In a box next to your bed?
Today is the feast the Most Holy Rosary. It’s not
mentioned because October 7th falls on a Sunday this year - and
we’re celebrating the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. However, I want
to be practical - hands on - and I think thoughts about the rosary can be
helpful for some Sunday reflections
ANOTHER QUESTION
What scenes, what stories, what memories, what thoughts
hit you when you hear the word, “rosary”.
Can you picture an aunt or an uncle buying you a rosary
for your first communion or confirmation or graduation or what have you?
Did someone go to Rome or Jerusalem and bring you back a
wooden rosary - as a gift - a remembrance - instead of a t-shirt?
Did anyone ever see a rosary in your stuff and ask:
“What’s this?”
Did you ever go to a funeral - go up to the casket - and see a rosary in the dead person’s hands?
When I see a rosary in hand at a funeral parlor - I reach in and say one Hail
Mary on that person’s rosary beads.
I sort of remember - that when my brother died, they were
looking everywhere for his rosary. I don’t
think it was my sister-in-law - who is visiting here today - buy I think it was
his buddy, Marty Goldberger, a Jewish guy, who found it.
ROSARY SCENES
I remember the 1940’s and early 1950’s when we said the
Family Rosary together. It took 15 minutes but it always felt like an hour. We knelt at my parent’s bed . The floors were
wooden and they were hard. We’d be out on the street playing stick ball. It
would be a warm summer evening. Then one of my sisters would scream from the
front door, “Rosary!” That interrupted our evening for a while. Then we’d go
back out and finish our game.
I remember - one time there - in the 1970’s - walking up 2nd Avenue - in
Manhattan, New York City. 2nd Avenue had wide, wide sidewalks. The cement
sidewalk was crowded. It was around 3 PM.
Coming towards me was this big crowd of people. However, this one lady stood
out as she walked towards us - rosary in hand.
For some reason this well dressed middle aged woman saying the rosary -
as she walked - stood out. She still is walking down the sidewalk of my mind?
How many other people do that every day? While walking ….
While driving …. While sitting in an easy chair in a parlor or on a back porch
- and they are saying their rosary?
When you hear the word “rosary” what are your rosary
scenes? Do you picture a grandmother or a parent in a nursing home - saying
their prayers?
I remember being back home once. We were now adults. My
brother was there - up from Maryland - and someone suggested saying the rosary
together once again as a family.
Compared to our childhood, by now my mother had added on
a bunch of extras. Ugh. That rosary took forever. When we finally finished my
brother said to my mother, “Are you going to put on vestments now and say Mass
for us?”
MYSTERIES
Those of us who went to Catholic School and / or were
trained as Catholics were taught the 15 mysteries of the rosary: the Joyful,
the Sorrowful and the Glorious mysteries. Then Pope John Paul 2 added the Light
Bearing Mysteries. Religion always has add on’s.
The rosary gives us a chance to reflect upon 20 events in
the life of Jesus
People ask what should they think about while saying the rosary.
I suggest look at the 20 events in Jesus life - with the
same 20 events in our own life.
We all have experienced annunciations, announcements,
phone calls that changed our lives.
We’ve all experienced visitations, visits, surprise meetings that changed our lives.
We’ve all experienced births - children, adopted or born
to us - babies that were Christmas like gifts that changed our lives.
We’ve all experienced presentations, graduations, awards,
and findings in church or school or work or in the family that changed our
lives.
We’ve all had our sufferings, our crosses, our falls, our
headaches, our beatings, our deaths.
We’ve all had our glorious moments: times we realized
those who have died are with the Lord.
We’ve climbed - moved up - ascended closer to God - trips to the
mountains, Ocean City - moments when the Holy Spirit breathed new life into us.
We’ve figured out who Mary is and how she fits into the Christian life.
We’ve all experienced light - sun rising moments -
epiphany moments - baptisms, weddings - marriages - the stuff of today’s readings -
transfiguration moments when all changed - so too great Masses.
Taking out a rosary for a Catholic is like taking out a
prayer rug for a Muslim. Now I’m going
to pray.
ROSARY BEADS ARE NOT JUST FOR HAIL MARY’S
For the past 30 plus years I’ve been saying, “Rosary Beads
are not just for Hail Mary’s anymore.”
Rosary beads are great worry beads.
While driving, while relaxing, while wanting to pray, take
your rosary in hand and use the 59 beads as prayer beads.
Finger the beads and say 59 times - a word per bead:
“Thanks” - “Help” - “Wonderful” - “Amazing grace”.
Or pick out 10 or 59 people you want the Lord to bless.
The one word per one bead rosary takes 3 minutes or you can
go slow and think of 59 people you’re remembering.
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is a question: “Do You Have a
Rosary.”
Find it and say 59
times: “Lord, teach me how to pray.”
Or, “Thank You God for everything. It’s been a great life so
far.”
Or say in prayer to Christ, “You are the way the truth and
the life.”
